We are all so lucky and blessed to work in a hugely creative industry. Our creativity is what saves us in times of trouble because it allows us to think outside the box and to come up with solutions we couldn’t have foreseen. Challenges also bring us a lot closer together and encourage us to work as a strong creative community.
While I was sitting at home today and pondering the current situation and the damage it’s causing across the globe, I recollected an experience all Mumbaikars had on 26th July 2005, when the whole of Mumbai was under water due to floods. This natural disaster had a strong impact on our industry and the creative community.
Back then, I was working for an Animation Studio as a Compositing Supervisor. As we worked in an enclosed building, we were all unaware of the intense rain followed by floods around us. Only when we went down to go home, we realised that the entire ground floor was already under water. The IT & Admin teams were all struggling to save the edit systems, which were in the ground floor studio. We had to stay in the office for two days until the rains and floods subsided and then each of us had to walk back for eight to ten hours to get home. After the incident, it took almost two weeks for everything to settle, and by then we were far behind on our schedules and deliveries.
The only thing that helped us cope up with the situation was our fantastic teamwork and dedication. We all got together and created a plan to catch up on the deficits within a month or two, and worked hard towards making it a success. This gave our clients confidence in us as well. The only thing we should remember is that nothing in this world is permanent and things change. We should embrace this and keep up the good work. In today’s crisis when our world is shrouded in uncertainty, I urge everyone to be resilient.
Stay calm, do not panic, think wisely, help and support anyone & everyone you can, follow social distancing, follow the government’s safety regulations. This phase will pass and will soon be over. Until then and as always, we will meet all challenges together as a strong and united creative community.