Kerry-Ann Hamilton
Founder and Principal Counselor, KAH Consulting Group
What, if anything, are you doing differently?
I have always started my day with a morning workout — a bootcamp class or a pre-dawn swim. With gyms closed, I have been overly reliant on home exercises, including my pandemic-proof Peloton. But what I most look forward to are my evening walks of about 5 miles roundtrip — they have been invigorating and healing.
Are you staying creatively active?
The first way I try to stay creative and active is by beginning a news diet — I check in on the headlines a few times a day, but start with a big scan in the morning and watch the evening news. That is significantly less than my usual news consumption. I also sift through the podcasts for my favorite NPR shows — All Things Considered or Fresh Air — for non-COVID stories that offer a laugh or a human-interest piece that lifts me out of the mire of all things pandemic all the time. I am revisiting and reading new novels, and Audible has become a dear friend. I have also dusted off my Nikon and I am falling in love with photography again — capturing blue herons and sunsets on walks at the end of my workday. With more breaths, I am taking the time to see more in nature and it gives me hope that things will be normal again; but a new normal, filled with gratitude and a deep appreciation for friends, family and freedom.
How are you sparking yourself creatively?
In early March, before we began staying alone, together, I had started taking a Story District class focused art on autobiographical storytelling. After our first week, class was postponed, and we have just resumed class online. I am excited about this new medium for expression. For my upcoming six-minute performance, I am leaning toward telling the class and our guests about the time I was detained by immigration authorities in Senegal. My hope is that after the crisis is over, I will be performing on a Moth Radio Hour stage.
