UMLÄUT 2020 - THE PANDEMIC ISSUE
SUPPORT
Colette Johnson
You may find yourself in a situation similar to mine. Caged in your house, bored and uninterested in schoolwork. Not having anyone to talk to, to see. It is in times like this in self isolation where I realize the little things that I took for granted. Seeing my friends in and out of school, going out to eat, riding public transportation, having easy access to toilet paper and paper towels.
I have always lacked self motivation. I have always procrastinated. Being in self motivation has made these habits worse because I no longer have a strict schedule to follow. I no longer wake up at five in the morning to make the five forty five bus to school. I am no longer finishing all of my homework by nine, shower by ten, and in bed by eleven. I have gotten lazy.
If it weren’t for my mother and my grandmother’s support, I would have let my laziness, my slump continue to last until next school year. I would have never held myself accountable to a strict schedule. An agenda. They reminded me of who I was before the lockdown; punctual and on time. Determined to get things done despite my habits of procrastination. They reminded me of how sticking an agenda made me feel accomplished and proud. I didn’t feel stressed when I had a schedule to follow.
Apart from writing, my other passion in life is makeup. I enjoy expressing my creativity in ways other than on paper. I like the way my skin looks after I finish a look. The highlighter glowing in the center of my forehead, chin, the point of my nose, cupid’s bow, and up my cheeks. I love eyeshadow. I can create any pattern, design that I want through blending matte shades together, and adding a shimmer on top. The picture above is dedicated to my family. I started with green on my eyelids before blending navy blue on top. I cut the crease over the green and layered it with a bright gold color. I went in order of generations. My grandma is the shimmer; she brings light into my life through her stories of her childhood and young adulthood. She’s a flamboyant seventy one year old woman who loves to dance and party. The green is my mother. Stable and grounded, she’s the middle ground between my grandmother and I. I am the navy blue. The tallest and the youngest, I make both of them smile and laugh everyday through my intelligence and silliness.