Image: black and white photo of pavement with “Hi, have a good day!” written in chalk

by Michael Clark

It’s been a bizarre and thought provoking time for everyone during lockdown. As a musician all live work dried up overnight. I found myself trying to keep my mind occupied and at the start of lockdown I fixed up an old Raleigh racer bike which I’d found in a skip 8yrs ago. I quickly found that my daily cycles took me in and around Glasgow and I kept seeing positive messages written on walls and in windows everywhere. There have been some horrific and heart-breaking stories in the news but seeing people’s courage and the positive messages around Glasgow inspires hope and made me feel proud to live here. I did a remote musical collaboration for the first time with an artist and harp player from Arran, Heather McLeod. I wanted to show a positive side to Glasgow during the lockdown and found that the music we’d recorded along with the clips from my phone made for a simple and hopefully positive video which I could share with people.

Several months into lockdown I was approached by the Annexe Community Group to play some live music in a local park. We felt people really needed a boost and a low key community event was the perfect solution.

Before lockdown I set up regular nights encouraging an inclusive and creative platform for people in the community to showcase their music and ideas. The nights were sorely missed by those who played and listened.

Our event in the park had a great response. We picked a sunny afternoon and people turned up, socially distanced and sat within their groups. It was amazing to see people out listening to live music for the first time in months. After the gig the messages of support and encouragement were brilliant.

I think everyone needed the boost and it was amazing to see people smiling and enjoying themselves.

I love how music & art can transform a situation, bringing people in the community together in a positive manner that helps us all.

Share your thoughts on Michael’s activities in the comments below…

Watch more in the short video below…