In conversation with .. 4!

It’s been almost 2 months since self-isolation has been
enforced worldwide, how are you feeling?
I’m lucky to have what I have so I don’t feel like it had
affected me or my lifestyle too much, I’m used to staying
at home most of the time and working here, but is not
being able to visit my parents regularly is one of the
things I miss the most, besides my dance partners.
What have you been doing to pass your time in
quarantine?
Basically, drawing all day. I love it so it’s something I do
all time even if it is not
for commissions. I try to
study and learn new stuff
that helps me improve
my skills; also trying to
create pieces to keep
others entertained at least
for a couple of hours, I
know this situation can be
difficult for some people,
so this can help them to
cope with anxiety, or at
least I hope it helps.
How has the situation
affected your work?
Well, I certainly have had
more commissions, and
more audience during this
situation, with everyone’
on their phones, is
natural not only for me
but for everyone. With my
store had been a little bit
complex, postal services
in most countries are
not working as usual, so
orders are taking longer
to be delivered. Here in
Colombia, all business
closed, so it took me two
weeks to print the stuff I
needed to dispatch. I had
to close my store for some
time, but it will be back this week, now that I have all my
products ready and fully stocked.
Do you have a day-to-day lockdown routine?
I do have one but don’t follow it strictly every day.
Regularly I wake up at 7, make breakfast for me and my
daughter, then I clean the house, work out and take a
bath, then we sit together and I work on commissions
while she studies, make lunch and have a little break. In
the afternoon, keep drawing personal or custom projects,
then I take a break to study, dance, or just rest, after that
I get back to draw while watching a movie, we have a little
snack and that’s all.
When I have to go out, I try to do it in the morning, when I
have to pack orders, it takes me a whole day. If I’m feeling
like I need a rest just take A couple more hours than
usual, but never do that two days in a row. It is more about
listening to my body, and also demanding to myself.
Have any unexpected
benefits come out of this
situation for you?
Mainly, time to do the
things how I want to
do them, even if I’m
used to staying home,
this certainly deleted
all pointless reasons to
go outside, that means
more time to organize
my schedule and try
to find the best way to
complete all tasks in a
way I feel comfortable
with, reducing anxiety
for the pending projects
I postpone. Also, I have
made lots of friends from
other countries and time
to connect with them,
even if we are apart.
What do you wish for the
future?
I wish that society finds
a way to get over this
situation of course. This
proves that people can
get the worst of others
in each situation, but
also there are lots of
good people and its a
majority. Colombia is a
very unequal country and has a lot of corrupt politicians,
which makes watching news an anxiety trigger, but also
there’s a lot of people who are being solidary during these
days and that’s what we need the most, not only during
the pandemic.
Where can we buy your art?
I have an Etsy Store, is https://www.etsy.com/shop/ruttu
for commissions I get projects via email.
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