Creativity and Innovation: DIY During a Pandemic
July 8, 2020
One of the few good things that came out of this global pandemic is that it brought out the creative side of people working from home or simply locked down at home. As the world gets used to home-based work or study setup as the new normal way of living, many have learned new skills and even found new talents.
But apart from personal development, the pandemic has likewise brought out collective desires and efforts to help the community. As expected, the Filipino's ingenuity has again taken the spotlight during this global health crisis.
Fashion in Health
An internationally-renowned Filipina fashion designer made headlines when her team, in partnership with other fashion designers and a government office, was able to reverse engineer a hazmat suit and came up with the very first “medically reviewed open-source suit design.” The fashion designer shared the specifics of the hazmat suit, like recommended fabric and length, through a Facebook post and Google Drive link.
The work of Mich Dulce made rounds online and was promptly used by sewing individuals and groups. The designer even featured in her social media account these do-it-yourself (DIY) outputs from people across the world, from Algeria, Australia, Belarus, Bolivia, Botswana, Egypt, Indonesia, Nepal, and Thailand.
Innovation in tradition
Another Pinoy pride - Ga’dang culture bearer Margareth G. Balansi - used her ingenuity to contribute to addressing the needs of frontliners in combating the coronavirus.
The weaver worked with her fellow Ga’dang artisans and made use of their knowledge on weaving and dress-making to create face masks that were delivered to frontliners. The masks were also sold as an extra source of income which is resourceful as theirs is a highly vulnerable community that currently experiences economic challenges no matter the public situation.
The masks don the notable multi-colored Ga’dang weave, and one could even request additional beadwork for aesthetics; a cultural motif that the Ga’dang are particularly known for.
Balansi and her peers were able to hit two birds with one stone – protection from the pandemic and cultural safeguarding.
Efforts in Communities
The innovation that this quarantine has brought about may also be found in the community level with Filipinos working hand-in-hand through the bayanihan spirit in order to assist health workers and neighbors alike.
The LBC Foundation, in collaboration with the Taguig Livelihood Shoppe, were able to make over 13,000 two-ply washable face masks which were then distributed for free by the Foundation to barangays in Taguig and Parañaque.
Even celebrities have undertaken the task of producing these healthcare gears, as seen on Megan Young’s Instagram story. However, personal protective equipment is not the only thing that is needed by essential workers. Fortunately, this has also been thought of by chefs and volunteers who have tackled the task of providing fresh meals to health workers. Frontline Feeders Philippines has, so far, distributed 110,000 meals to 45 hospitals in partnership with donors and known chefs such as JP Anglo.
More than the stories of personal efforts to assist not only the front liners but even locally quarantined populations, there are also Filipino-owned food businesses that have ventured to cater to their avid patrons by providing DIY kits of their famous offerings. Mendokoro Ramenba, a highly rated Ramen restaurant, offered their famed broths and even side dishes like frozen gyoza and karaage. Some Korean barbeque restaurants are also delivering DIY samgyeopsal sets which even include side dishes and sauce.
As they say, no man is an island and we humans will not be able to survive in this world without interaction and help.The COVID-19 epidemic has shown us this nature of humanity - use of creativity for solidarity with others.
References
Arcano, N. (2020, March 25). How to DIY a Face Shield That You Can Donate to COVID-19 Frontliners. Retrieved from Preview: https://www.preview.ph/
CNN Philippines Staff. (2020, April 2). From kitchen to frontlines: Chefs, volunteers give back to COVID-19 health workers by delivering fresh meals. Retrieved from CNN Philippines Lifestyle: https://cnnphilippines.com/
Malig, K. (2020, April 2). Megan Young and Mikael Daez create DIY face shields for COVID-19 frontliners. Retrieved from GMA News Online: https://www.gmanetwork.com/
Moral, C. V. (2020 March, 28). Filipino designers’ PPE pattern is 1st ‘medically reviewed’ protective suit design. Retrieved from Inquirer Lifestyle: https://lifestyle.inquirer.
Pascual, J. (2020, April 19). Mothers in parts of Philippine capital sew face masks for poor communities. Retrieved from ABS-CBN News: https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/
Story, G. B. (2020, April 11). How Coronavirus Has Changed Lives Around the World. Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Story, G. B. (2020, April 20). How Everyday Heroes Are Fighting Coronavirus. Retrieved from Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?