#ATHOMEWITHTHEMAN: NATE WOOD
What activities and/or hobbies are keeping you active at the moment?
Daily walks or runs have been extremely helpful to stay active and engaged. I have also started skateboarding again which is something that was a huge part of my life in the past but has fallen by the wayside for a lot of years now, but I have been enjoying getting out and shaking the dust off of my board a bit.
This has all been so interesting for me, specifically due to the fact that I typically work two jobs as a bartender, and do my creative/social media stuff on top of that. So now, not being able to bartend it's like I have just become a full-time creative by default.
It has afforded me the amount of time to experiment and explore some things that I formerly had not had the time or space to do, while at the same time that opportunity is confined to the unique parameters of the current situation which is forcing me to think outside of the box where I had previously dreamed those dreams and learn to express/execute them within the current scenario I have been given. It has been almost refreshing for me in a lot of ways, I feel I have been given this luxury of "expanded headspace" almost with so many routine things removed from my mental agenda. So with that space, I have been experimenting with some custom garments, finding new ways to create content while not being able to access my photographer as freely, networking and developing new connections and relationships through social media, and so on. As well as really trying to take time every day to be in the moment, to reflect and take note of my thoughts and feelings and process what’s happening around me as well as within me.
How is that impacting your well being?
I guess I started answering this question in the last paragraph of questions 1's answer. But really I do not feel that this time has negatively impacted my well being. Is that to say that it hasn't been difficult, or come with its share of hurdles? Absolutely not. There have been plenty of obstacles and unsavoury elements of this experience. What has helped me to stay on the positive side of the line though, was to early on in this process choose a perspective of identifying opportunity. In every obstacle, there is an opportunity, and every hardship holds potential value, but it is dependent on us to choose to have eyes to see beyond face value and to find what treasure might be buried beyond that moment of pain/struggle. I knew from the get-go that this time would test me, so in a way, I just accepted and opened my arms to that fact and fought to find ways that I could personally benefit from this time both internally and externally.
Have you developed a structure for your days yet, if yes, what motivated you to put a structure in place?
For the most part, no. I have been consistently making a loose agenda and keeping project deadlines and things like that in sight. But I have not put a rigorous regiment in place. I established things of value and made lists of what I wanted to accomplish in certain time frames or even just on a daily basis, i.e. getting some sun/exercise, shooting x amount of content and so on, but being that my daily life is so regimented normally I felt that I could really benefit from structuring my days with a little more fluidity and room to breathe while establishing enough structure to ensure that I was also being productive.
My goal was to maintain productivity in my work while allowing ample time to reset and refresh on a personal level as well.
Have you discovered anything new about yourself during this lockdown period?
Post lock-down I feel like my perspective will be quite different even as I approach the same tasks as before. I feel like my mental pace has significantly changed in this time and has allowed me to be so much more "in the moment" mentally, which is something that I personally struggle within the rigours of normal daily life and workload, but I have found that to be so valuable and beneficial to my mental/emotional health during this time. So my goal is to maintain that and to also maintain the creative momentum I feel that I have generated being able to focus on it much more than usual. Making more space in my life for growth in those areas I think will be very key for me moving forward.
What does your work from home uniform look like?
My work from home uniform has been quite random, to be honest. Some days I can't be torn away from my sweats and a hoodie while other days I find myself putting outfits together just for the sake of it. But the cosy-gear has certainly dominated and I think for obvious reason. One thing about me is that regardless of the nature of my outfit, even when I am at home with nowhere to go I still have a hat on 99% of the time.
I would have to say though that without a doubt for me the wardrobe MVP throughout quarantine has been my Birkenstock’s. Whether I was rocking sweats and a hoodie or actually put thought into an outfit, my black leather Birkenstock Arizona’s were the most constantly worn item I own.
