LULU—LAND

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MOST OF US STRUGGLE ...

... in one way or the other, to find a way through this madness. Everyone is under extraordinary pressure and dealing with an extreme degree of uncertainty. We don't know when this will end and exactly how the world will look like on the other side.

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Essential workers and healthcare personal work their asses off, under challenging conditions, to get us through this nightmare. In some places, even without the necessary equipment and protective measures. Thank you!

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Exposed elders and those at the highest risk deal with fear, isolation, and loneliness.

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Parents have to find ways to manage homeschooling children while working full-time jobs, ordering groceries and cleaning at the same time.

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Kids and young people miss their friends and everyday routines – students universities, etc.

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No wonder a lot of us feel a sense of unease, restlessness, and even claustrophobia.

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People lose their jobs with no safety net. Freelancers and creatives struggle to survive. Entrepreneurs and business owners see everything they have worked hard to built fall apart and are, to say the least, financially screwed.

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Politicians are handling a pandemic and health crisis that affect the whole world while trying to avoid sending entire nations into a deep financial depression.

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Families have lost, and families are losing loved ones to the virus every day.

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I could go on ... but you get the point.

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We all struggle in our own way! Be kind. Be considerate. Communicate. Listen. Don't be afraid to reach out if you need a hand and do what you can to help others through this madness.

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CONFLICTING FEELINGS

I am fortunate enough to live in a country (Denmark) with a robust economy and social security system, that has reacted resolutely and without hesitation to the COVID19 outbreak. With a cautious optimism, it seems like we have managed to break the much talked about, curve. We are in lockdown but still allowed to go outside as long as we keep a safe distance and don't gather more than ten people.

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However, it touches me deeply to see how other counties have reached and are reaching the limits of what their healthcare systems can handle, people are quarantined and restricted not to go outside of their homes – It's terrifying.

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I consider NYC my second home, and it's unbearable to follow how the virus spreads at the speed of lightning, and how thousands are dying. I can't even start to imagine the powerlessness the New Yorkers must feel.

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Horrible images from the situation in China and Southern Europe will probably be stuck in my memory forever.

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At the same time, I'm blown away and astonished by the helpfulness and compassion I see everywhere around me. How people help each other overcome challenges and come together to fight this. Creativity is flourishing, that's for sure!

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A RARE INSIGHT

I personally worry about family members at risk, economy, my business, etc. For a second, I felt like I was back at square one when borders throughout Europe closed, and my plans to live and work from Barcelona for three months was canceled overnight.

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I've been struggling with a sense of restlessness. I suck at being stuck in the same place for too long. I have found it unusually hard to motivate myself and get things done. I can't really figure out why I feel the way I do. I have been tired and not quite like myself, less productive and less inspired, which is kind of a problem when you are trying to make a living out of sharing inspiration.

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In the beginning, I was super annoyed with myself and the situation. I felt paralyzed and unable to do anything, but I quickly realized that I had to knock myself out of the paralysis and remind myself that a lot of people are during a lot worse.

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I had to do something and hope things would change as I move forward. Getting the LULU—LAND Shop up and running had been on my to-do list for months, but didn't have the time to focus on it. In the first week of the lockdown, I had the limited edition tote bags designed, printed, and ready to ship. In addition, I've tried to make new routines to fit the situation – habits that hopefully will benefit me when this is over as well.

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I get up early and write down my thoughts every morning.
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I try to schedule my days and the things that I want to do, to be more productive.
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I've started to do home exercises. Nothing extensive. Just a few squats, sit-ups, and push-ups every day (My ass was getting flat).
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I enjoy longs walks, while listening to music, or podcasts.
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I have been eating healthier and I try to get into the habit of drinking more water (I drank like zero water before).
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I read every night and try to get at least 8 hours of sleep.
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I try my best to accept that this is an extraordinary situation, that things are not as they usually would be, and allow myself time for reflection and relaxation without becoming lazy.
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I help creatives and small local businesses in the ways I can (Engage on social media, buy gift cards to my favorite coffee shops, take away, home delivery of flowers, etc.)

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However, there is no one fits all. Really, take a bit of time for yourself to figure out what you need to be okay, even if it is just a few seconds (Breathe). Notice how you feel – it's okay. Do the things that you usually don't have time for. Accept the things you can't or don't get done right now. Let go of what's outside of your control and work with the things that are in your control. Try to be tolerant. Most people are pushed outside of their comfort zones. Everyone is dealing with their own s***.

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HOPE & FOCUS

Yes, 2020 has been off to a terrible start, but at LULU—LAND, we are full of hope. We firmly believe that things will change for the better. There will be grieving of the past. However, we have been giving an opportunity to recalibrate, find out what's really important to us, and rethink how we do things. We feel confident that it will become easier to create positive and sustainable change in the future.

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In the coming months, we will focus on gathering contributors for the LULU—LAND Journal. Creators, writers, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, athletes, great thinkers, etc. who will love to share their stories, work, ideas, different perspectives and other inspiration. Our goal is to be able to update the journal daily within six months.

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Further, we have a couple of exciting new collaborations coming up that we look forwards to share with you. Right now, we are working on a project called the "The Creative Manifest". If you are curious, sign-up to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram @lululand.io.

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Finally, we'll hopefully be able to expand our team by offering a remote internship. As our intern, you'll have the opportunity to work closely with us on developing LULU—LAND from anywhere you like (with a stable internet connection). Don't hesitate to contact us, if you're interested and want to know more. Write an email to hi@lululand.io, tell us a little bit about yourself, why you want to be our intern, and, most importantly, what inspires you.

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Editorial #04:

MOST OF US STRUGGLE ...

... in one way or the other, to find a way through this madness. Everyone is under extraordinary pressure and dealing with an extreme degree of uncertainty. We don't know when this will end and exactly how the world will look like on the other side.

Essential workers and healthcare personal work their asses off, under challenging conditions, to get us through this nightmare. In some places, even without the necessary equipment and protective measures. Thank you!

Exposed elders and those at the highest risk deal with fear, isolation, and loneliness.

Parents have to find ways to manage homeschooling children while working full-time jobs, ordering groceries and cleaning at the same time.

Kids and young people miss their friends and everyday routines – students universities, etc.

No wonder a lot of us feel a sense of unease, restlessness, and even claustrophobia.

People lose their jobs with no safety net. Freelancers and creatives struggle to survive. Entrepreneurs and business owners see everything they have worked hard to built fall apart and are, to say the least, financially screwed.

Politicians are handling a pandemic and health crisis that affect the whole world while trying to avoid sending entire nations into a deep financial depression.

Families have lost, and families are losing loved ones to the virus every day.

I could go on ... but you get the point.

CONFLICTING FEELINGS

However, it touches me deeply to see how other counties have reached and are reaching the limits of what their healthcare systems can handle, people are quarantined and restricted not to go outside of their homes – It's terrifying.

I consider NYC my second home, and it's unbearable to follow how the virus spreads at the speed of lightning, and how thousands are dying. I can't even start to imagine the powerlessness the New Yorkers must feel.

Horrible images from the situation in China and Southern Europe will probably be stuck in my memory forever.

At the same time, I'm blown away and astonished by the helpfulness and compassion I see everywhere around me. How people help each other overcome challenges and come together to fight this. Creativity is flourishing, that's for sure!

A RARE INSIGHT

I personally worry about family members at risk, economy, my business, etc. For a second, I felt like I was back at square one when borders throughout Europe closed, and my plans to live and work from Barcelona for three months was canceled overnight.

In the beginning, I was super annoyed with myself and the situation. I felt paralyzed and unable to do anything, but I quickly realized that I had to knock myself out of the paralysis and remind myself that a lot of people are during a lot worse.

‍

HOPE & FOCUS

Further, we have a couple of exciting new collaborations coming up that we look forwards to share with you. Right now, we are working on a project called the "The Creative Manifest". If you are curious, sign-up to our newsletter and follow us on Instagram @lululand.io.

STAY SAFE (& SANE)!

LULU

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