2020 has been a year of change for us mostly because of the pandemic we’re still experiencing until now. Having to stay at home was a big adjustment, especially for a team like us who used to work together in one place. Now that we have shifted to working from home, we are thankful for being able to continue working for our clients and for finding time to do things for ourselves at home. Here’s how our social media managers, Dianne and Nadine, and girlboss, Lara, have dealt with the changes and stayed positive despite it all!
This first half of the year is surely so much more different than the years before. There’s a lot of missing involved in this one—I miss being out with friends, I miss eating at restaurants, and I miss not having to be overly paranoid about everything.
Staying home a lot more and shifting to a WFH set-up, I realize that there’s still so much you can do at home. From doing shoots to video calling my friends more often, I think it’s good to know that I can still experience these things I used to do outside even when I’m at home. It’s not the same, but it’s something, and I find comfort in it.
The first quarter of the year must have been the lowest point of my life. Being in lockdown around that time also didn’t help. Safe to say, this year has NOT been my year. Somehow it felt like with each passing month, the universe was throwing me punches left and right. I was in such a bad place and I honestly thought I would never get out of it. All the negative thoughts and emotions were heightened because of the uncertainty brought upon by the pandemic. Thankfully, the second quarter of the year was a bit kinder. Somehow, thanks to the power of time, I started accepting all the changes that were happening. I learned how to just ride with the tide. This year, if anything, felt like a rebirth. With all the changes that we have to adapt to, I feel like I have also adapted a new (healthier) mindset. Change is scary, but I’m ready to face it now.
With the whole Launchspace team also ready to embrace that change, we started our Launch From Home initiative to render our services to our clients all from the comforts of our own homes. I’m proud of the whole team for stepping up despite the rocky waters we were in when the lockdown was first implemented. I’m also very excited to reach more businesses and help them grow!
Shifting to a work from home set up was something very different but doable. We all learned a new way of doing things and we made it work. I’m not going to lie though. I really miss doing shoots with the whole team! :( I also miss seeing them everyday and going to the office feeling empowered because I’m surrounded by powerful, motivated women that comprise the whole team! :( But I guess that just means we get to celebrate extra hard when everything is better and we see each other again!
Staying at home, like everyone, was a big shift for me. Although it made me sad that all the things I had planned—all the trips, adventures, and new hobbies I wanted to explore—were put on hold, I realized that I can still make the most of my time at home. I got to rediscover my old hobbies, come up with creative ways to bond with my friends virtually, and try out different workouts! I also got to rediscover myself; I started recalibrating my priorities, my values, and my mindset. All these help ground me especially when things seem to be a little too much to bear. And now that I’m home 24/7, I also get to spend a lot of time with my dogs! My bond and connection with them definitely grew since the start of the year, and I’m thankful for that. They are my source of happiness and sunshine and they taught me that there’s always something to be grateful for every day.
2020 is definitely a year of change. At first I was hesitant, but now I see the beauty in it. How wonderful it is to be given the opportunity to rediscover, reinvent, and be reborn.
To be honest, during ECQ, I was in denial and anxious mostly—I had cabin fever, felt like the world was ending levels. I also think that little things that wouldn’t bother me usually were escalated into bigger problems since we didn’t have much work to keep myself busy. To adjust to the new normal, I resorted to working out daily to boost my endorphins and to calm and ease my mind (and so I had something to do!). I also still try to dress up everyday to keep a routine.
Like other brands, we needed to pivot so we launched #LaunchfromHome, services, and client projects we could do safely from our home. Thankful that when we shifted to GCQ, we started getting clients again since a lot of them felt the need to promote on social media and heavily shift to digital platforms. However, shoots at home are definitely harder alone, since they take more time and it’s harder to think of ideas especially after hours and hours of shooting! It’s also harder to collaborate with the team since there are times when I think of ideas spontaneously but they aren’t around.
I think that in June, I finally accepted the situation as neither good nor bad, just something that needed to happen and something we need to live with. Looking back at the past few months, I felt like one of the highlights this year for me as an individual is growing to be more patient, accepting things as they are, having no plan and taking things one day at a time. These are very big steps for me since I have always been a Type A person who needs to plan everything. In terms of the LS team, a really big highlight for me is having this group of women who help one another even when we are physically distant, whether or not it is in their job description. I am truly grateful for them because they keep the doors open to our business when many (even bigger companies) have already closed down. I truly can say now that as a team, we’ll be able to get through this alive and kicking!