Not being together does not mean we are unable to reach out to our loved ones; it only means we must be more creative.  Here are a few ideas on how to keep in touch using paper.

Follow the Highlands example

A tiny village in the Highlands of Scotland has introduced a simple scheme to help ensure its citizens are safe while maintaining social distancing rules.  The elderly residents of Ballachulish display a paper sign in their windows to alert neighbors if there is a problem during the coronavirus pandemic.  A green tick means everything is ok.  A red cross means there is a problem.

Paint a rainbow to send a message

In the UK, school children have been drawing rainbows on paper and sticking them in the front windows of their houses to say “thank you” to key workers and workers in the national health service.  If you’re short on inspiration, you can download one to print and color from the NHS Million website.

Keep in touch by Navigator paper

“When everything changes what do we do? We keep in touch. Offline”.

This is the claim of the new Navigator paper initiative “Keep in touch“. The world leader paper brand launched this campaign in Portugal, aimed at helping people keep in touch with their loved ones by delivering postcards.

Navigator paper wants to inspire everyone to experience the offline connection one more time by bringing a small tangible item of affection to people close to your heart. Your personal message, filled with hugs, kisses, and hope, will be delivered to that special someone to give them a reason to smile. And to keep in touch.

Write a letter

There’s nothing better than pulling out a handwritten envelope from a large pile of bills and marketing flyers.  Sadly, it’s a pleasure we rarely get these days.  These times of social distancing are the perfect excuse to revive the lost art of letter writing.

A social message

The creative industries are feeling the commercial effects of the lockdown as much as everyone else.  So graphic designers have been creating work to highlight the importance of key coronavirus messages, then publishing them on Instagram to get their messages across.  You can see a compilation of artists’ work here.  How about doing the same for your friends and followers?

In the eye of the beholder

Coronavirus is inspiring other creative works too.  Politico has drawn together artwork from artists across Europe and the Americas inspired by current events.  The collection of work showcases many different creative and emotional responses to the pandemic.  If you’ve never thought about picking up a paintbrush before, perhaps now is the time to start?  Aside from all the spare time we have on our hands, we can all benefit from the cathartic and communicative nature of art.

Post-it notes around the house

Take a leaf out of the book of one husband of a doctor in Perth, Australia.  He left some very creative – and rather cheeky – paper communications around the house to bring a little levity to her day.  Cassandra Collyer returned home from work at a hospital on the coronavirus frontline to discover the series of little notes her husband had left for her dotted around the house – charting a path from the washing machine via the shower to the bedroom! 

Together, we will keep our daily life alive.