Dear Corona Shut-Ins,

 

    Dear Corona Shut-Ins, 

 

Debbie Millman, the host of the "Design Matters" podcast, demonstrates how to represent feelings and stories throughout art, designs, and icons. She also founded the Masters in Branding program at a school in New York City. Although her credentials are important, they are not the point of this blog. Millman reaches her audience through a TED Talk and pushes them to move forward despite the current situation of 2020. Her audience are the U.S. citizens who are in quarantine or on lockdown because of COVID-19. This talk is more of an emotional appeal to the audience rather than a factual appeal. 

  She begins to write "love letters" during the corona virus outbreak. Millman first writes to her Garden. I am sure that you all knew what it felt like to be shut-in and trapped in your own homes. Some of you probably enjoyed the break, while others could not stand it. People began to grow gardens and some even started baking a lot of foods to the point that their pantry could not contain it all. Millman writes her love letter to her Garden, the one that she created while she was stuck in her home. She explains how she is thankful for her power and love of creation. It reminds us that even in the midst of struggle, we still have something to be thankful for.

Millman then writes her second letter to New York. She describes how on the outside New York may seem rough and relentless, but when it comes down to it... all it's people are in the same boat. Everyone is isolated in their homes. She says that maybe it is the intensity that causes us to be tenacious. It makes a person think a little bit. Maybe if we can handle the city of New York, we can handle this virus. 

In her third letter, she recalls her Travels before the virus. She tells us about ancient ruins and the lives of our past. It is as if she is trying to show us how important community has been for ages, so why is this any different? We all have our own lives and opinions, but in the end we are still a community. Millman says that we have come a long way from the ancients, but that you can still see a connection. But she also admits that it is hard to see the big picture right now. What is the next step for us? For our community? Rebuild. Remember that there is still so much beauty in the world.

The fourth letter is about Storytelling. She remembers her past students and why she enjoyed teaching them. Teaching them about stories, but also learning about their own stories. Millman showed how the students expressed their stories in several different creative ways. Some did it through photography, while others created it out of an everyday object. They show truth and reveal their secrets. Millman realized that many of her students' stories were universal. Rejection, judgment, insecurity, prejudice, and even hope. That strength, awareness, courage, and realizations will come. 

To conclude all of Millman's thoughts, I must recall her letters. Her love letters of creation, intensity, similarities, history, and stories. Some say that the greatest things come out of struggle, for many people that may be hard to believe, but to understand you must reflect. Reflect over your feelings and be thankful for the things that come out of it, like our communities.