1 Life Lesson from The Blacklist Season 7ep19 and Hanifa 3D

No Spoiler Zone!

My Hubster cares to tell anyone who cares to listen that he introduced me to the Primetime Emmy Award winning TV Series, The Blacklist. Please help me ask him: if he doesn't introduce me to interesting TV series, who will?'

I'm not going to be sharing any spoilers here today. Neither am I going to rave about how much of an amazing and brilliant actor James Spader (Raymond Reddington) is. I'm also not going to tell you how much Megan Boone's character, Elizabeth Keen annoys me. Or how much I loved Tom Keen, Samar (Agent Navabi), Bars and Mr. Kaplan (before she went rogue).

So what is this article really about?

The cast and crew of The Blacklist started shooting the 7th season of the show sometime last year and they'd shot up to episode 18 when the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the entire world. They'd only shot a few scenes from episode 19 when they had to shut everything down and have everyone go home to quarantine with their families.

What did this mean for the show?

First, they had to cut the 22-episode season short, they made a few changes to the plot and ended it at episode 19. Remember I said they'd only shot a few scenes from episode 19, so even that wasn't yet complete. I know that other shows might have left things hanging, left fans in limbo (sort of) and postponed shooting indefinitely till the 'outside is open' again.

However, the crew of the show quickly came to a decision to animate the parts of its finale that they hadn’t gotten round to shooting. The cast sent their lines via voice notes to the crew, who in turn put everything together, animation and all, from their homes, in such a short time. Hence, episode 19 was a mix of live-action scenes and animated sequences. I enjoyed it and salute the cast and crew for finishing the episode given the circumstances. It demonstrates a can-do spirit, ingenuity and a respect for the audience that few shows have…

Now, let’s talk about the Congolese lady that shut down the internet.

On Friday May 22, 2020, Congolese designer and Hanifa founder, Anifa Mvuemba, debuted her latest collection Pink Label Congo via 3D renderings on Instagram Live. According to Elle, 'The move was in response to the uncertainty that looms over the fashion industry. In the face of the pandemic, brands have cancelled shows and shifted their strategies to adapt to the times'.

The self-taught designer was scheduled to show this fall at the NYFW before this global pandemic struck. She, however, didn't let the circumstances around stop her, she learnt 3D modelling from Google and YouTube and staged an e-fashion show that rocked the world. How awesome is that?

So, what’s the aim of this article?

Now, please know that I'm living in the glass house that this article is throwing stones at. But I thought to share what these 2 case-studies have taught me, so we all work together at being better humans:

Thinking on one's feet is a skill. An essential skill that we all need to develop and sharpen in this new normal that we've found ourselves.

You can't wait for everything to be perfect before you make a move. Some people have said they're waiting for 2020 & covid-19 to be over so they can start working on their dreams. However, there's a bunch of other people who are maximising opportunities, breaking new grounds.

A little effort in difficult times will set you apart. Anifa has received world-wide accolades for her ingenuity. The Blacklist has been applauded for being innovative and demonstrating a respect for their audience.

Finally…

No one truly knows when COVID-19 would be over. The truth is that life has evolved from the way it was before the pandemic. So what are you going to do about that? Will you really continue to keep the lid on the awesomeness that’s inside of you? You have so much potential and there is no better time to get to work and share your essence with the world than now. Someone out there needs what you have to offer.