During the covid-19 lockdown I pivoted when my business had to close its doors…running a business is also about being creative .
Self published
“When the World Stayed Home” - Written by Corina Hazlett - Illustrated by Children in Aotearoa
In March 2020 when covid-19 hit, New Zealand was moved into alert level 4 putting the country into a nationwide lockdown so the art studio had to close and I had to stop teaching my art workshops. I wanted to provide an art project for children to do. So I put a post on FB for children to document in an artwork of what their life was like for them in the their lockdown bubble. They could paint, sculpt, photograph and then email me their completed artwork.
I had never written a book before but I had this idea that this pandemic was of historical importance and it had to be documented in some way, so what a wonderful way to do it through the eyes of our youngest creatives. It was written entirely during the first lockdown.
The book showcases 86 pages in full colour , artworks by children from around New Zealand . Chapters include Easter, Anzac Day, Mothers Day and Birthdays in lockdown. It also documents new terms such as “social and physical distancing” and “our bubble life”.
The front cover , was chosen from one of the many artworks, as part of a competition. The one that I finally chose was painted by Lucy Edwards, a 10 year old from Ashburton. I had never met Lucy, but once we had moved out of lockdown I visited Lucy at her school which was a real treat.
I then wrote the book and incorporated all of the artworks into it, weaving them into a story that documented a chronological timeline of events of Level 4 and 3 lockdown in New Zealand , of when COVID-19 first arrived on our shores and the pandemic changed the entire world.
Once the story was written I needed to get someone to read my ramblings to make sure that spelling was correct and made sense. My daughter Francesca and my dear friend Annie proof read and edited my writing.
Once edited I then formatted and designed the book and text layout using Microsoft Word.
The book was then nearly ready to print so I got prices from local NZ Printers who specialised in self-publishing and chose one in Auckland. They also offered cover design and text layout help, so this helped me to polish up the front cover transforming Lucys artwork into an eye-catching front cover.
The printers also sent to me an unbound proof for me to look at prior to printing which was also helpful. I made a couple of changes after this and then it was ready to print.
I applied for an ISBN book number. I had no idea on how to do this but its amazing how much information you can find on the internet.
I wanted the book to also have a social impact so chose a children’s mental health charity . $5 from each sale would give back. I approached The Key to Life Trust (I AM HOPE) as I felt that with anxiety at an all time high during COVID-19 this had a great fit.
-A message from The Key to Life Trust about The Social Distancing Childrens Art project -
“giving our kids the permission to publicly express their thoughts, even their fears , is paramount in creating confident young people . A young persons interpretation of the world also gives us adults a rare perspective within the minds of our young people “ .
I also auctioned off on TradeMe a signed copy of the book by myself and Mike King. TradeMe listed it on their front page as a unique item and the book sold for just over $300. 100% of proceeds went to the trust.
I then put some posts on social media along with photographs of some of the artworks to stimulate conversation about the project. I also kept the families of the artists in the loop. Prior to printing I put an email and social media post so that people interested could pre-order copies of the book.
I then did a print run based on pre-orders pus a few extra to stock at some book stores in Rangiora and Christchurch. The pre-orders were a great success as this sold most of the books. The remainder sold in stores, on-line though my social media pages and at the studio.
A few of the local newspapers including stuff did articles on the book which also helped with exposure. There was a wonderful article in the Ashburton Guardian with the young artist Lucy Edwards who had designed the front cover. Such an awesome article that you can visit this link
https://issuu.com/ashguardian/docs/you_november_1411
Several Libraries purchased copies and the National Library of NZ holds two copies. Wheelers on-line book sellers also listed it.
If you wish to purchase a copy you can contact me direct at jandchazlett@gmail.com