Isolation

By: Alison Klassen

I flicked open my screen, pulling up the notification. Positive. I was positive. I had become part of the very pandemic that had canceled my senior year, locked me inside my house for months, slapped a mask on my face whenever I walked into the store, and changed an entire year in the course of one week. I realized what this meant...isolation. I would be stuck inside my room for 10 days. Now let me be honest. This makes COVID sound very very dramatic. I know many have lost loved ones and we all have felt the effects on our life plans. I know many have been confined to a hospital bed but in my little college freshman world the physical aspects weren't as devastating. For me it's been the mental effects from the beginning.

I can't complain because, quite honestly, I've been very privileged compared to most. From the beginning, this epidemic was a sort of release from a place in life I had already moved on from(high school). The worst part of COVID was all the once-in-a-lifetime traditions that were stolen from me. Those were hard to let go. But this took the cake. Testing positive while on Thanksgiving break meant I was stuck at parents' home, alone in my room, sitting in my bed, attending zoom classes, and falling down the YouTube rabbit hole. It got old. I did my best to make the best of the situation. Playing Among Us with my brother, hopping on Facetime with friends, discovering music, reading books, dancing a whole lot, and of course, the whole point of this post, I took pictures. Initially it was a back up plan for a photography final but in the end it gave a little purpose to my days.

From the beginning of this pandemic I've struggled with a good way to document my experience. I felt a weird sort of pressure to help make history. We all know this year will be one our kids learn about in history class but how was I going to remember it. How was I going to explain the strange year of 2020? This series started as a way to pass time and became a way for me to illustrate the craziest year of my life(so far).

2020 felt as if someone had accidently sat on the fast forward button and we lived through 3 years in the span of 9 months. I've grown so much this year, learned so much about myself, overcome so many lifelong struggles, and achieved so many goals, while struggling through the feeling of living in a single-day loop. These pictures were created in hopes of portraying that feeling. Of being stuck watching the world speed by slowly, the sun rising and setting, and you alone with your thoughts to keep you company. I don't think I'm the only one whose felt like 2020 was a year for reflection. While chaos has ensued frequently I've watched the world have a moment to look inside themselves, me included, and ponder their purpose, what they're doing here, what they want to accomplish, the persons they want to be. Dedicated to anyone who feels the way I do, to anyone whose looking inside themselves, this is for you.