In the beginning of 2020 I was very hopeful for the jumpstart of my Drag career. I competed in my very first competition in Syracuse with a variety of other professional local Drag performers who have made names for themselves.
I really stepped outside of my comfort zone and had my name put out there with such an array of talented and well-known performers. I started making connections and people were inviting me to perform and be paid at their local bars.
And then the pandemic hit and all bars and performing spaces were shut down. When I was finally getting the opportunities to perform outside the comfort of my college community. Perfect timing! (That was sarcasm)
Drag performers from across nation and even the world had to adjust quickly to these restrictions. No longer were the live performances with audiences you could interact with face-to-face. The transition that would then take place would be huge.
We found our ways to perform digitally. Livestreams, music videos, and whatever we could do online was how we could make our living, our art. It was difficult at first, but there have been many successes made.
If we already thought it was hard work, performers have to not only style wigs, make garments, and do their makeup, now we have to be our own production team. From lighting, filming, video editing, set construction, and essentially being a one-person IT team.
Although I wish things could be different, alas, there is not much I could do besides wear my mask and practice standard safety protocols. From this time I have grown more as a performer building new skills and, most importantly, resilience.
