It's March 27. We are somewhere in the middle of the Corona pandemic. How do you experience the situation at the moment?
I experience it as a weird situation. It has a lot of different sides. So one side is the really challenging side for me as an artist who is self employed, an artist who is an entrepreneur and tries to make a living out of his art. And now pretty much all events are canceled because of Corona. And that's pretty hard. And to make a living now and to be constructive or to be creative and to stay creative, to keep that proactive, positive mind.
But on the other side, we have we have as well the media who are really having a big impact on society or on people's thinking and ways to see the world. And everyday all channels are just filled up only with one topic these days and that is of course the Corona crisis and all the developments and the impact it has on every aspect of society and an economy. So that is really intimidating sometimes, sometimes it's really strange, it's new, it's not you're not used to a situation like that and you have to adapt to it.
But on the other side, I think it's also a big chance because we are forced to do things that we would have never done, because we never faced a situation like this and we were never forced to think in new ways and behave in new ways like that. You know, it's sad, but humanity is has never, ever changed that much out of itself, except in a situation where it really hurts.
The whole stuff is really threatening and about to blow around us and that's exactly the point when when economic systems are or societies have developed to a new extend or to a new level. That was a new step forward, let's say, an evolution. And if it's only one step of an evolution, but it is part of evolution – social or economic.
And I think that's the point we are now in for everyone in every situation. It doesn't matter if you're an artist or if you are a bank manager or construction engineer or working at the postal office or as a doctor or a nurse. It has impact on the way we see things and organise ourselves.
And if you ask me personally... I think it's really hard for me as an artist. It's on one side frustrating because events are canceled. You get no money. You have to struggle. On the other side, I have to say that I'm privileged because I had a really good year so far. The first three months were really strong.
And I can say for myself that I'm forced to be quiet now or to go in some kind of review – reviewing the situation, analysing it. And I'm forced to do things that I wanted to do a long time, months ago or even years ago, and that now are possible to do because I don't have anything to do except that.
And that's really healing on the one side. That's the weird stuff, because sometimes it is confusing and on the other side it's healing because you do these things. And through these things I experience new ways of possibility and creativity.
I wanted to ask if there's anything in particular that you learn about yourself at the moment, being in this special situation or about society. So is there anything at the moment that you learn about yourself or society?
Yes. I'm learning to reorganise myself, and the first thing is not staying in this flow where you have always been but beginning a new flow. And this is beginning with yourself, with the way you start every day. You can't do it like you were used to.
There are days when I really sleep long and where I don't have no gigs and where I really recover and organise myself. There have been days before Corona as well, but now you are forced to do that a lot more. This is one big change.
And the other changes are in social ways. You see society and the people you know, in another situation and they behave differently. You behave differently.
I think social contexts are already now valued even more because you can not just meet people as you used to because there is this prohibition to go outside and to just meet people. And it's already obvious that most of the people like me miss that. Get in exchange with people, your family or friends. And this starts a shift of valuing these things even more.
I mean, we are now in a kind of nice prison. It's not prison, of course, it's not comparable, but in some kind of way your possibilities have shrinked to an extent that you really start valuing these contexts more.
You start getting in contact online even more and you see people doing videos and social media like hell. I mean, there is an increase, I don't know, of more than 100 percent and everybody is telling the world about himself or making funny videos. People don't know what to do with their time except people who are already really working their ass off and keeping the state running. Like nurses, doctors and delivery services, post office and so on. And I know they're really great people who are really at the limits now.
And on the other side, we have people at home not knowing what to do with their time. They are also not self employed, perhaps. And so they start making funny videos that I've already watched online sometimes. And then I think, what am I doing? I should really reorganise myself and not watching senseless stuff like that.
It's a really crazy creation. It's hard to stay focused because you are at home, but the online world still exists and it goes crazy now because everybody sits at home and you get distracted even more easy.
And this is where I discover new sides to say: "OK, I have to... even if I am longing for connecting myself to other people online, because we need contact, we need exchange... I have to keep in mind that it also distracts me from adapting to the situation and creating new ways of making your living and not to be too much in these online exchange or online video stuff."
Well, great. You already mentioned in the first question that a situation like this is kind of a moment in which a lot of things can change. And when you think of maybe one year ahead and we somehow learned to deal with the situation, to live with that particular virus, what do you want more or less of in your life or in society?
Wow, there is a really great variety of things you can answer. In economic or let's say in social economic terms, I would like to see more emphasis on social contacts and not only in private, but I mean the socio economic terms: more emphasis on the social sector through doing more for and supporting the health system and especially getting better payment rates for nurses, for doctors and doing more.
And creating more incentives for doctors to be on the countryside, working for the people there. Decentralising the the health care system more and better pay for people working in the social sector.
There is also a scary side: I read a big article in the "Tagesspiegel" about the situation of families of five or six persons in really small flats sitting at home. And violence is going up against children, against women. And the institutions who are responsible for going out there and really solving cases, helping families and putting the children out of danger, they are now also tied up by the situation. They may not just go out and they are really overloaded and can't deal with every problem now. And I think the German government has a good health care system, but especially in in the social sector, also caring about old people in senior citizen homes and stuff... The German state has neglected this sector and people got paid really bad. And there are not enough nurses and not enough people caring about others in really hard situations. And now you get to get the result, it's difficult.
And the final question. If you would allow yourself to dream about the time after we overcome this crisis, what is your wildest dream for you personally or for our society? What could be different? What don't you even allow yourself to dream normally? How would that look like?
One is a basic income for everybody, a basic salary. Without being tied to any conditions. A universal basic income. Because it really helps unfolding the true character of human beings, I think. And they want to be useful. They want to use their time with stuff they really love to do. And what you love doing your are doing best, of course. And you can contribute the best way to a society when you do what you love. And that would really revolutionise society.
And in situations like this, it would really stabilise the whole stuff while keeping a stable tax system and whatever is tied to it. Of course, basic income while keeping fixed maximum rates for rent to make living affordable possible for people. That's my wildest dream.
And of course, another big dream is that artists get more respect by politicians and by the state. I think they are important for keeping the democracy and and the climate in society fresh and on a fruitful basis. I think they should be valued even more because most artists get so bad payments and salaries if they are employed on a long term basis at all, the salaries are so bad.
That would be in my wildest dream that everyone gets basic salary and artists are respected even more and supported even more by the state for their projects.
Beautiful. Thank you very much.
