‘This past year has been a gift for me and my students – giving us a place to come together and create.’

Northport

“I never planned on becoming a teacher let alone teach watercolors. For my entire professional life, I had my own marketing and advertising agency. I had longed to be creative so I designed my own line of greeting cards and thought ‘wouldn’t it be cool to use my own art?’ So, I picked up my paints and brushes and searched for watercolor classes. I didn’t feel I was learning much. I was attracted to a particular class because the description said, ‘you get a demonstration.’ I learned how important it was to watch every brushstroke because that’s how I grew as an artist and eventually into a teacher.

“About 10 years ago, the programming director of the Art League of Long Island (ALLI) noticed my work and asked me to do demos for them. After watching me demo to their students, she said I was a natural teacher. I really didn’t think I was, as I had no formal training. A short time later, one of ALLI’s teachers retired and that same lady offered his class spots to me. It was serendipitous. I didn’t see the ability in myself but, as I began to teach, I realized she was right. I decided to build my classes on what I needed as a student and didn’t get.

“I retired from my business literally the week before we went into quarantine – not knowing we would be on lockdown for over a year – to focus on my art and teaching. I took all my cancelled in-person classes online via Zoom. It turned out to be nothing short of amazing. This past year has been a gift for me and my students – giving us a place to come together and create. It offered them hope and time to focus on their own art. It’s so rewarding to see them flourish. They needed these classes and I needed to be there for them.

I didn’t see the ability in myself but, as I began to teach, I realized she was right. I decided to build my classes on what I needed as a student and didn’t get.

“Part of the virtual classroom experience is that we gain inspiration from an image, a place we’ve been to, animals, flowers, just about anything! After we’ve painted for 2 hours, the students show me their work so I can offer a constructive critique to each of them. Now, I have hundreds of paintings that need a good home. I am currently looking to align with a not-for-profit to use some paintings as a fundraiser. If I can benefit a worthy cause, it would mean so much to give back and pay it forward.”

‘Many people think this is just a business; to a lot of us, it’s more than that; it’s a ministry.’

Sea Cliff

“I’ve been a funeral director for more than 35 years. The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the most challenging times ever for funeral directors. It felt like a combination of September 11th and the AIDS crisis; this was worse. All of a sudden, there was a multitude of death. It was a short period of time when it all came crashing down upon us. I was scared and didn’t want to go to work, but that wasn’t an option. People were calling and I had to be there for them. I kept thinking, ‘If I touch the remains, will I get it?’ Nobody knew.

“A sense of duty kicked in. Many people think this is just a business; to a lot of us, it’s more than that; it’s a ministry. Funeral homes were inundated. Some firms had to turn people away. I do a smaller business and I was able to accommodate people who called me. I felt if I didn’t go when I was really needed, I don’t deserve to call myself a funeral director.

I look at what happened during the COVID-19 crisis and see how it underscored the importance of funeral rights and rituals. It’s very important to honor the deceased and have some kind of a ceremony where the community and loved ones come to support you.

“The rules varied from cemetery to cemetery. Some cemeteries were more compassionate than others. We were serving families in a way that felt as if we were letting them down. Our hands were tied. Their grief was exacerbated by not having the services they wanted. One of my dear friends died of COVID-19. He had worked in the funeral industry and always wanted a big funeral. When I went to his burial I couldn’t hug his son, and there were only four of us at the grave. Later, his son said to me, ‘I felt like we were all lepers.’ I will never forget that.

“It was the hardest time in my career. To get through this a little better, I was writing about it. I interviewed other funeral directors and asked what they were experiencing. I felt more connected, and I think it helped them to tell their stories as well. There is a grief counselor who wrote, ‘Funerals are what we do when we don’t know what to do. The elements of ritual combine, and it gives us something to work through.’ I look at what happened during the COVID-19 crisis and see how it underscored the importance of funeral rights and rituals. It’s very important to honor the deceased and have some kind of a ceremony where the community and loved ones come to support you. These rituals are tried and true and they’ve worked for us forever.”

‘At the end of the day, I’ve learned that performing is not about judging yourself; it is just about having fun.’

Massapequa

“I have always been singing, but it was in 8th-grade that I got the lead role in a play and I thought, ‘Oh, this is interesting.’ That same year I competed in my middle school’s ‘Berner Idol’ and I won. I knew I had something, even though I originally did not have confidence in myself and my abilities as a singer.

“I signed up for Debbie Gibson’s Electric Youth workshop and she selected me. I went to her place and recorded in the studio for the first time and fell in love with it. Now, I can’t see myself doing anything else. I go to the Long Island High School for the Performing Arts and Massapequa High School. I split up the day by taking music classes at LIHSA, and then I get on the bus and go to MHS. Afterwards, I go home and work on recording covers and listening to songs for future covers, in addition to working on my songwriting.

“Every now and then I’ll have other artists like or comment on my videos on social media. Recently, Olivia Rodrigo commented on my cover of her song ‘Driver’s License,’ and then posted me in her Instagram story. She wrote, ‘So so so good’ with three sad face emojis. I was flipping out! Debbie Gibson also posted me on her Instagram. My video of 2,000 views went to having 175,000 views.

…my hands were glued to my sides the entire song. It’s a dramatic song and I was so stiff. Eventually, I learned that to tell a story you have to move.

“I think I have personally grown because of the people in my life giving me inspiration. I learned to gain confidence in myself through the experience of performing at different places and learning from my mistakes. There’s definitely been a physical change in me since I began. When I went to Debbie Gibson’s studio I was singing, ‘I Know Where I’ve Been’; my hands were glued to my sides the entire song. It’s a dramatic song and I was so stiff. Eventually, I learned that to tell a story you have to move.

“Part of being a performer is showing how you feel so other people can feel that too. I get a lot of inspiration from Taylor Swift, Dolly Parton and Billy Joel. I love storytelling songs. At the end of the day, I’ve learned that performing is not about judging yourself; it is just about having fun. People aren’t there to judge you; they are there to listen to your music. I’m enjoying working on my craft until I can get out there and perform again.”

Interviewed by Iris Wiener

‘Robbie had over 20 blood transfusions. But he went from 2 pounds to 6 pounds, and he started healing. He came home from the hospital after 110 days.’

Bayport

“In November 2019, I found out I was pregnant. But my new OBGYN in Commack said I wasn’t pregnant. He said I have a “molar pregnancy,” which is a noncancerous tumor in the uterus that comes after a nonviable pregnancy. He told me I need to have a D&C, where they scrape out everything inside the uterus. I was at the hospital and having a panic attack. A few weeks later, I started hemorrhaging. He said, ‘it’s normal,’ but said ‘my hormone levels were still high.’

“After that visit, I was still hemorrhaging, and I went to Stony Brook Hospital. They said I have ‘a blood clot in my uterus,’ and was ‘13 weeks pregnant.’ I was freaking out. I was on antibiotics and other medicines and I was thinking of all the care that I didn’t take for 13 weeks. At Stony Brook, they were in disbelief, they didn’t know how a baby survived that. After getting a new OBGYN at Stony Brook, I went into labor at 24 weeks because the blood clot was disrupting the pregnancy. Robert James, who we call Robbie, was born on May 4. He was 2.5 pounds, and no one could come to the hospital because of the pandemic.

You never realize how strong you are until you’re forced to be nothing but strong.

“After 12 days, he had an intestinal infection and had to have his appendix and 5 cm of his large intestine removed. He had several other issues and had over 20 blood transfusions. But he went from 2 pounds to 6 pounds, and he started healing. He came home from the hospital after 110 days. They said he was the longest baby to stay in the NICU in 2020, they all knew him. He’s thriving. He’s 20 pounds now. He’s healthy and he’s able to eat. I’ve become really paranoid. I have a lot of anxiety when I feed him. Every time he has gas, I’m freaking out. ‘Is he going to have another blockage?’ But he’s good. He’s trying to walk. He sits up. He crawls.

“The doctors are amazed by him. I have two daughters and the girls love their brother and he’s good with them. We all got COVID-19 in January, that was scary, but he did well. You never realize how strong you are until you’re forced to be nothing but strong. We just started letting my dad and my grandparents see him. He’s turning 1 years old, so we’re going to do a small party at the park with a little cake.”