The world is experiencing a huge shift as a result of COVID-19, especially when it comes to how we think about jobs and offices. All of a sudden, offices have had to rapidly get their teams set up with the right gear, the right technical tools, and beginning the process of emotionally adjusting to a virtual working - all in a matter of days or weeks. And one of the biggest changes to come about for newly virtual workers? The introduction of video conferencing through software like Zoom. Meetings that used to be face-to-face are now conducted through video. It might not seem like a huge shift, but it really is very different from face-to-face meeting. There are new questions about how to schedule meetings, what professionalism looks like, and more.

So your job has just gone virtual. Now what? Once your company or organization has figured out how to get everyone a computer, which video conferencing and chat tools to use, and how to store files on a shared cloud-based drive, there’s still a huge amount of adjustment that needs to take place. Even though you’re still working on a computer, things probably feel totally different. It can be hard to get back into the swing of things. You might feel uninspired, isolated, or like you can’t concentrate. Even under the best circumstances, this is totally normal for workers who have transitioned from office life to virtual working.

Work. Shouldn’t. Suck. promotes people-centric organizational design for thriving workplaces. And these days, workplaces are increasingly going fully virtual, often in the span of days or weeks. How do we make sure that the transition sucks as little as possible?

It takes more than a lone creative genius, working feverishly in seclusion, to bring a project to life. More often than not, you'll need a team to realize your creative vision. But it can be hard to know where to start getting the help you need. That’s why we’re sharing a roadmap for you to think about what kind of help you need to bring your project to life and how to find that help.

These days, you can fund your creative work in a variety of ways—crowdfunding, sustaining donors, grants, and more. But it can be overwhelming to know where to start and which options are the best for your unique needs and goals. One tool that artists can use to maximize the benefit of grants and individual fundraising is matching grants. Our teams work with artists to help you learn more about grants, find grants to apply to, and then apply with greater confidence. Matching grants combine traditional grants and individual fundraising into one funding opportunity that is greater than the sum of its parts. They help organizations who are giving grants make their money go further, and give recipients access to more money than with just a grant or individual fundraising alone. But, they require additional fundraising efforts from the grantee to secure that funding. Let's take a look at how matching grant opportunities work for artists, and how you can determine if they might be right for you.

We know that artists are not always budgetarily-inclined. Some try to avoid the whole process and others protest that budgeting inhibits the creative process. But failing to set a budget can lead to your project falling short of the masterpiece you're capable of.

Renting a studio often seems out of reach for artists, but there comes a point when you simply can no longer work or practice out of your home. For some artists, this might be about not annoying your neighbors or roommates. For others, it might be about stepping up your game as art takes up a bigger portion of your attention. It might be about creating better boundaries between your creative practice and the rest of your life so that you can focus better. It might be about building a creative community. For performers, it might be about putting on a play, concert, or screening that is accessible to a wider audience.

In October 2017, Fractured Atlas began meeting in race-based caucuses. Several months later, we shared a list of the resources that the White Caucus had been reading and discussing in the hopes that that resource list could help other white people on the long journey of anti-racism.