Creative Minds (Not) At Work

Shortly after shelter-in-place orders came down in New York in mid-March, the Acoustiguide creative team cocooned at home with laptops, home studios, spouses, roommates, and in one case, their almost-one-year-old. Meeting weekly to stay connected and track our projects, we sought to bolster our spirits through a #crazyhatchallenge and the #gettymuseumchallenge. What began there, however, quickly turned into something we could not have predicted—a chance to get to know each other better; a bright light in these dark tunnel days.

In the weeks following, our team stopped dressing up and started tuning in… to a series of music ‘challenges’ that went something like this: Favorite cover song, least favorite cover song, best dance song, best acoustic song, best slow dance song, song that defined your 6th grade experience, and so on. One time we did a show-and-tell and once we endeavored to ply a magic trick. 

But mostly it’s music. Usually we share our Zoom screens and play YouTube videos, sometimes commenting throughout a la Mystery Science Theatre and sometimes sitting in reverential silence. Part of the reason for that silence is that, week in and week out, one person’s choice might become another person’s discovery: from week to week, most of the choices are completely surprising.  For example, our resident Beatles fan has never once chosen a Beatles song. Turns out we all have different tastes and even define differently the challenge-of-the-week.

Above all else, our get-togethers have been a real source of delight as we get to know each other a bit more. We’ve watched as that almost-one-year-old blossoms into a toddler; we’ve seen backgrounds change as spouses try to figure out optimal work spaces; we’ve heard each other’s fears and anxieties and doubts; we’ve gained strength from each other and we’ve gotten a chance to laugh (and laugh at) and sing (and do some chair dancing) together. No one underestimates how difficult and overwhelming things are right now, but for a short hour each week, we summon the best in each other…and then get back to work.

Here are a few highlights from our hit list—we’ll leave the categories for you to figure out: