19 People around the World Share How They Prepare for a Post-COVID-19 World
Since its founding in 2015, impactmania always turns to the people who drive cultural, social, and economic impact. We now need their inspiration more than ever. We asked 19 impact makers how they are preparing for the new realities of a post-COVID-19 world.
Ted Nash belongs to a line of well-known jazz musicians. His father Dick Nash, and uncle, the late Ted Nash, were both well-known musicians. Nash, a two-time Grammy winner, is part of the Jazz Composers Collective and a long-standing member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, with Wynton Marsalis.
May 1, 2020
What is your advice for preparing for post-COVID-19?
Life will be different from what it was before COVID-19. We need to prepare for this practically as well as psychologically and emotionally. In any time of extreme challenge and change there is always an opportunity for growth. What we are learning in this time of lockdown is how we can develop techniques to continue our creativity and business connections.
Our ability to continue forward momentum will be extremely important once we come out on the other side of this pandemic. It will be a different time. Those who develop new tools will be better suited to compete and create. People who discover new formats for staying in touch will be better communicators. During this unique period there are so many ways to express and share our creativity. Having these experiences teaches us how to embrace the future with renewed energy and determination.
How is this crisis changing you?
I have realized more than ever the importance of connection—personal, familial, creative, and commercial. I can see more clearly how I have taken for granted the importance of communication and especially physical proximity. I also see how much people are struggling with finding inspiration, and are looking for ways to continue being creative and active. Almost without realizing it, I have arrived at a place where a lot of young people look to me for inspiration. Students and young professional musicians are looking for guidance. I am embracing this role by giving as much as I can to those who need and desire it.
What will our story be post-COVID-19?
Our post-COVID-19 story will be about change. It will be about adapting, being intelligent, and creative. Politics will need to be less partisan. Our country and world will need to take better care of its citizens, with more comprehensive health programs and job protection. Education will continue to be a priority. The U.S. will need to learn how to better embrace people from all cultures. We have a great opportunity.
impactmania’s past interviews and programs have been featured in international media, a number of universities, US Consulates, the UN, and have been cited by Harvard Business School, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, and Duke University Press. impactmania’s Women of Impact program was awarded the U.S. Embassy Public Diplomacy grant (2019).