Unfortunately, COVID-19 has hit my industries and myself very hard. There is a reliance on the interaction of people and coming together to share in a creative moment that has not been possible in 2020.
Chris Blackburn, Self-Employed, London, UK.
My name is Chris Blackburn and I am a performer, barista and mixologist. I have spent the last 5 years travelling around the UK, Europe and the rest of the world performing and working on different events.
Travel has allowed me to relocate from the other side of the world and experience different work environments and cultures. This, in turn, has broadened my view on the world and helped make me a better performer and creative.
Some of my career highlights, to date, include being flown internationally to make coffee and cocktails at high-profile events and also travelling around the UK on tour performing on stage for different people every evening.
“I hope that restrictions on movement between countries are eased as we get closer to finding a vaccine for the virus. This would allow tours, performances and events to resume, allowing people to experience different parts of the world and embrace and engage with all the different cultures around the world.“
As a performer, travel has allowed me to perform in different theatres around the world and engage with different audiences from a range of backgrounds. As a barista and mixologist, travelling the world has allowed me to work on big international events and showcase some of my own style and ability on the world stage.
Travel has also opened my eyes to different flavours and ways of working which I can now incorporate into my own work. I miss interacting with different people from different backgrounds and coming together for a single objective or project. The number of friends and contacts I have made from travelling with performances and events is amazing and I miss the ability to catch up and see them in person when there isn’t the ability to travel.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 has hit my industries and myself very hard. There is a reliance on the interaction of people and coming together to share in a creative moment that has not been possible in 2020
I hope that restrictions on movement between countries are eased as we get closer to finding a vaccine for the virus. This would allow tours, performances and events to resume, allowing people to experience different parts of the world and embrace and engage with all the different cultures around the world
WTTC thanks Chris for sharing his story from London, England.
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