I often start a sentence with, “so, I was reading an article…”. I think I drive my family crazy with all the topics I read about and things I look up. Truthfully, I’m just plain interested. I would rather read articles than novels. If an article has hyperlinks, I will succumb to click bait and travel down the road of supporting write-ups and additional information.

When it comes to news, whether city, country, the US, or international, I can become a bit of a junky. I rarely watch TV however, so all of my investigative measures come from the internet and social media.

Over the last three months, I’ve read and watched more than ever before.

In March, when Covid-19 hit the world with a vengeance, I watched press conferences, read countless articles, talked to friends and family, made decisions for my business and took to heart the severity of the situation.

Unless it’s under a microscope, we can’t see Covid-19. We see the results of it, whether it’s illness or death, but we can’t physically see the virus itself. Yet we all took to our homes and listened to authorities in an effort to combat the pandemic and keep our families and loved ones safe.

As things were starting to open up and a new reality of life emerged, a 400 year old pandemic resurfaced. The streets went from empty and scarce to overflowing with people, an outpour of support and protest for the treatment of Black individuals. Covid who?

The morning of June 1st, we posted to Instagram indicating team NFDI will slowly be moving back into our office - yay! By mid afternoon I had already read a number of articles about George Floyd and began to watch as protests escalated and the hearts of people broke. Again.

I had no words. All I could do was read and watch in disbelief. I’ll be honest and say one of my first responses was, how is this STILL happening? I vividly recall watching the riots of the Rodney King verdict in 1992 in shock.

Our everyday world of interior design; pretty pictures and project updates, needed to be paused. I saw a “muted” movement within the industry and this felt right. But then backlash. “If you’re silent you’re siding with the oppressor” was a common post I saw from thereon in.

But you don’t know me. You don’t know my heart. Just as each and every family member and friend handled Covid differently, the same was true for the Black Lives Matter movement. MUTE should have said PAUSE. It didn’t mean silent. It didn’t mean IGNORE. It meant we were pausing our regular design content so we could do exactly that, pause. It meant that we understood this was a time to be sensitive, mindful, and set aside our daily design muse to listen and learn.

It was a call to action. Learn, read, educate, and get uncomfortable.

This particular pandemic is not seen under a microscope. It’s plain as day, visible in broad daylight.

In my many readings and discoveries this past week, I have been introduced to incredible artists, designers, writers and business people, all of whom I’m excited to learn more about. It’s time to learn and be inspired. I don’t know exactly what that looks like, but I know I want to be part of the change. In the world of design, the talent is vast. I’d love to share some of our new connections with you.