I work as a tv & film animation producer. Facing the Covid-19, our animation media industry, has proven to be very resilient. With the experience of working remotely, and unlike live action productions, we realised that we are much less tied to a geographical or physical location than we previously thought and can effectively work as a global team even if we are not in the same studio.

We will see more of that in the future, across numerous industries, as many corporations are looking at reducing their work place real estate and optimise costs. Technology will ease and help accelerate such transition, but while this may not have a negative impact on productivity, the challenge will be how this will affect creative collaborations and team’s personal well-being.

  On a personal level, the pandemic proved to be a very inspiring time in terms of personal development. Lockdown and reduced (or no) commuting and traveling, has forced me to slow down, as our industries have halted. Time has suddenly become a more abundant commodity.
Living in a privileged environment surrounded by nature, it has allowed me to reconnect with the world around me and noticing things that I always took for granted, such as the large variety of birds that populated my garden and how these « seize the moments » had a positive impact on me.

As a result, I know I will be coming out of this pandemic somehow changed, not radically, but surely having a different relationship with the world that surrounds me and how I interact with it.
As such, I have been questioning our society current culture of speed and immediacy, but also that of instant gratification which has been ruling our lives across all our social media interactions, or buying habits. In these Covid times, slow is the new fast.

Born in the late 60s, I wonder if post-Millennials that have grown up with the expectation of immediacy, will be coming out of the pandemic with different expectations after having experienced this « slow » time of forced inner reflection, when everything around us calls for more speed.

I am an optimist, and I think that this global shared trauma will have a positive underlying shifting ripple effect on our society.

Surely there will be more social anxiety around across all age groups, but this will call for a change of flow, guided by a need for agility and resilience, and perhaps more authenticity.