By Marvella Muro

There is no doubt that the world is witnessing a period of turmoil, uncertainty, grief, loss, adjustments and a multitude of emotions, and a lot of family time. A lot. However, we are also forced to adjust, evolve, shift and experience new things, for example, my first live zoom moderating experience. 

Recently Self Help Graphics hosted its first (of many to come), virtual Artist Lab curated in response to the urgency and needs of our artist community. The program brought three women together, all dedicated to the people’s well-being, and spoke about the different financial opportunities for artists and resources offered by the City of LA. 

The program commenced with a much-needed grounding exercise led by singer, danzante and healer, Xochitl Palomera, and moved right along with the arts and culture management consultant, Evonne Gallardo. Evonne spoke of the shift in funding opportunities that are making applications more accessible to complete in order to provide funds into artists’ hands. She briefly reminded everyone to read into the Federal Stimulus Package which now allows freelancers, creatives, and art professionals, for example, to be newly eligible for unemployment benefits. Additionally, this stimulus plan encourages small businesses, for example, artists who work for themselves, to apply for SBA Loans (Small Business Administration) which may be forgiven after 90 days. Bottom line– apply! Scroll below to view pertinent resource links.  

Mayor Garcetti’s Field Deputy, Edna Degollado, walked viewers through the list of resources available for Angelenos and talked about how and who is eligible to be immediately tested for the Covid-19. She talked about the Mayor’s efforts to address economic dislocation and the measures placed to provide relief to residents impacted by either by the health implications or by unemployment. Residents can also count on utility relief, a renter protections, in addition to accessing food through several shelters and food banks. Access the City of LA’s Covid-19 news hub at https://corona-virus.la/. Connect to the City of LA’s Dept. of Cultural Affairs Covid-19 Emergency Response Program for Individual Artists at https://culturela.org/grants/citywide-covid-19-emergency-response-program-for-individual-artists/. Looking for work? Go to the LA Mayor's Job Portal For Angelenos Economically Impacted by Covid-19 at https://lajobsportal.org/.

The program transitioned to addressing other essential needs– mental and emotional care. Xochitl effectively created a space of reflection and meditation, encouraging participants to share their self-care practices in quarantine. She appropriately reminded participants to negate feelings of shame for looking out for themselves and the importance of practicing gratitude, especially in these unnerving times. The rich and informative evening peacefully concluded with meditation and a much-needed release. You can find her recommended tools below. We invite you to carve out some time for yourself and join Xochitl at SHG’s virtual Wellness Wednesdays. 

Taking the situation into perspective, when we compare the stabilizing numbers of COVID-19 cases in California to the rising numbers in the rest of the nation, there is a silver lining knowing we live in this state. And that is one thing to be grateful for.

The list of resources and links provided during this program can be found below.

*Note that due to the timeliness of some of these resources, links may expire. See our Linktr.ee for more resources.

Marvella Muro is Director of Artistic Programs and Education at Self Help Graphics & Art.