WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER.

Stop. Breathe. You don’t need to buy that much toilet paper.

This piece was the result of nearly 20 shoots and more than 50 photographs composited together through March and April of 2020.

The early days of COVID-19 were daunting for most of us - aside from uncertainty about the spread of the virus, we also had to contend with lockdowns, social isolation, and panic buying that was wildly out of proportion to the actual stock shortages most parts of the developed world were experiencing.

For many of us in freelance or creative fields, we were also faced with financial instability and a sense of aimlessness as work became scarce. Art is often regarded as a luxury in spite of its presence everywhere in our daily lives - in the music we listen to, the shows we watch, and even in much of the advertising we see. For me, there was a newfound sense of restlessness that I needed to channel into a project, and I wanted to create something that explored human connection at a time when people were so isolated from each other. Not all human connection is positive - the term “connection” is usually used in reference to bonding (or as a social media buzzword), but connection can also simply mean a shared trait, such as the shared need for supplies. Human ego and fear warp that shared trait into a sense of competition where there needn’t be one, and next thing you know there’s someone in front of you at the checkout being told by the cashier that they can’t purchase more than two bottles of hand sanitiser, and that they certainly can’t buy 60 of them.

A lot of that perceived competition is perpetuated by those in power. If you’re busy trying to best your neighbour, you’re likely too occupied to challenge any power structures that are actually pulling you down. This piece is, hopefully, a small reminder of that fact.