COVID-19 City Tales: Dublin. “Seeing the disruption to the music and arts scene left me feeling really out of control”.

A conversation with… Julie, 31, Musician & Copywriter, Phoenix Park. Self-isolating since March 9th

Firstly, can you let me know if you are self-isolated or quarantined?

Self-isolating since March 9th, so 42 days — that’s the first time I’ve counted!

Are you spending it alone or with company

I’m home with my partner, Matt, and cat, Pete. We usually live with another couple but they’re isolating in one of their family homes.

How are you coping with confinement?

I had sleep anxiety for the whole first week, but I had to make a change as it was completely unsustainable. Seeing so many of my friends having work pulled and gigs cancelled was really a shock. I can do my marketing job from home — which has been so grounding and such a privilege. But Matt and I are also musicians and we run an indie label — and we feel a huge responsibility for the artists we work with. Seeing the disruption to the music and arts scene left me feeling really out of control like I couldn’t plan for the next day or week or month, and like I couldn’t support my community. I had to really sit down with myself and practice a lot of self-forgiveness and realism to get my sleep and my mindset back on track. Journaling and mindfulness really helped me here. For anyone who’s being hit by the same anxiety, I would definitely recommend putting time into this for yourself before filling your days with projects and commitments. I’m now in a much better place, putting energy into creative things, into my relationship, into good quality downtime (cooking, scrabble, Studio Ghibli), and back to supporting the label in a much healthier way.

Describe the area where you live. Did you know your neighbors much before this happened? Has your relationship changed since this started?

We live in an old building just south of Pheonix Park. It’s very close to the city but feels totally cut-off because of the park and river nearby. This is such a fortunate place to be right now. I can go for runs or walk for five minutes and see deer or swans. We have barely had contact with our neighbours before but I’m making more of an effort to give them a wave and say hello if I see them in passing. Honestly, I think it freaked them out a bit but I’d rather they knew they could knock on our door just in case!

What was the last thing you did before isolating?

Matt and I went to our producer’s studio, the weekend before lockdown got serious. By that stage, we knew already that we wouldn’t get to be back in the studio again for ages so we had a really productive couple of days working new tracks for our second album.

Do you miss the outdoors?

Actually, I think this is the most I’ve appreciated the outdoors in my life. We can still go out to exercise here within 2km of our home. I’m only going out every few days but when I do, everything feels enhanced.

Do you agree with the way your Government has handled the crisis? What would you change?

Overall, I feel it’s been handled well here. We are seeing fewer deaths per capita here than other countries, even compared to the UK which is right next door. So whatever steps and messaging have been put in place here, we must be doing something right. I think that the messaging around it has generated a sense of community and commitment, rather than fear, and it seems to have made people take it seriously and support one another. But this kind of crisis highlights other inequalities that need massive change — social housing is a big issue in Ireland, and anyone experiencing homelessness or living in Direct Provision could be facing much greater risk.

Do you think this will have positive consequences as well?

I think we’ll learn a huge amount from this, especially about our ability to adapt when needed. I’m really interested to see how it will affect the way we work and communicate — whether businesses will embrace remote working more fully. I also think it’s been a chance for the whole world to reflect on what they really need to get by, which could be a massive step forward in terms of environmental issues.

Lastly, tell me something new you’ve learnt about yourself during isolation.

I’ve learned that I can easily become mentally and physically overwhelmed by uncertainty and that I have unhealthy ways of trying to grasp this control. But I’m also learning how to accept this part of myself — how to speak patiently to her and put her at ease.

Julie runs VETA Records and is the singer of grunge-fuelled indie band HAVVK. You can listen to her debut album ’Cause & Effect’ here.