Creativity in the Time of Covid-19

Tim Tadder, Photographer

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, I immediately recognized the need for helping the people that support my business. Through this, I spearheaded an initiative called Art for Assistants, a campaign to turn paper & ink into financial support for photography assistants.


After a couple of weeks into the initiative, I realized the need for support was crucial & began recruiting more photographers to help bring awareness to the project. The initiative encouraged photographers to support their crews by personally printing & signing 100 limited edition, iconic fine art prints for $100 each to raise financial support for their freelance photography assistants who are completely out of work due to the quarantine measures of COVID-19. The Art for Assistants initiative ultimately raised close to $300,000 for photography assistants across the country. 


Opportunities
The creative industry has unequivocally been challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic & more specifically, by the George Floyd murder. With the current state of the nation, including the political & racial division, it empowered me to think about creating art that spoke to the racial divide & the ignorance around it. 

I sought to create epic art that encouraged empathy & understanding. That’s where I spent most of my energy & I have done three shoots around this concept & I am currently planning more shoots. I strived to create art that inspires & evokes a response while also looking at the landscape of the U.S. in such a fluid way. The ultimate goal of my art is to communicate emotions into something visual, especially during this unprecedented time in our country. 

During this dark trial, creatives have come together for the common good, & that has sparked a bright light for creatives to persist & grow on a deeper level. As the future remains uncertain, creatives are paving the way for new methods of content, collaboration, & partnership opportunities.

What Do You See Happening in the Next Two Years for Creatives?
We have completed several remote shoots during the COVID-19 pandemic. I believe shooting remotely is powerful & will probably continue to happen in the future as the threat of COVID-19 is still here & not going anywhere anytime soon.

What Now?
I truly believe this process is all about creating art that reflects this incredible time that we are going through. This pandemic will provide some visual record of where I am as an artist & what society is facing in all aspects. It’s imperative not to get wrapped up in the current state of commerce & focus on what is happening in the world right now. There are more important things happening right now & more pressing items to address for a united future.