Tamar Cohen is an artist based in New York.
TWS – How are you doing in this Covid-19 pandemic?
TC –I am grateful to be healthy and safe, but Its been quite a roller coaster of emotions. I can only ingest little bits of news as it makes me feel too sad and helpless. I feel lucky that I can go for walks and bike ride, moving makes me feel better. I am slowly establishing a routine but my sense of time is completely kaflooey, it feels like every day is Tuesday!
TWS –Are you being able to telecommute / work from home?
TC –Oh yes for sure, I have always worked at home, but I do miss going to the School of Visual Arts printshop. I miss silkscreening, but more than the actual work, I miss my peeps: chatting, hanging out, eating snacks and being silly.
I live alone so the absence of community is super challenging. Facetime/Zoom is a daily necessity. And meditation. And the Seattle radio station KEXP, they keep me company.
TWS – Did the lock-down affected your creativity and art making? How?
TC –It certainly has. I thought I would be busy diving into my long list of dream projects but my focus is not so great. I decided at the start of lockdown that I wanted to start a postal mail art exchange with friends, artists and Instagram folks. I am calling it #maillove2020. It has been the only creative project which continually inspires now. Since my early 20’s I have loved sending mail art and postcards. Right now doing this makes me feel less helpless. Making art for others brings me joy and receiving cool stuff in my mailbox pretty much makes my day, so its a win win.
TWS –Are you able to track positive moments or things that happened during this crisis so far?
TC –Absolutely, my fridge is full for once, I am trying new recipes and cooking all the time. And I learned that roasting an entire chicken just for me is most excellent! I am appreciating small things: the birds singing, sunny days, the cherry blossoms and getting fun mail. I am also embracing wacky outfits, nothing matches, so what if I look like a rainbow explosion, it feels good.
TWS – What’s the first thing you would like to do when we can get back to normal?
TC –See my friends, get hugs, and get a haircut!
