2020 brought with it a drastic shift in lifestyle as Covid-19 redefined the way we live. Yet, it seemed to be an invitation to young kids who embraced their creative instincts, from making skate films to publishing newspapers.
Good Old Days
16-year-old Boulder High School student Sawyer Reivich partnered with his crew of friends and fellow skaters (called Good Old Days) to produce something of their own. Their 30-minute short film “Honest to God” was filmed and edited during Covid and highlights the “true joy of skateboarding” Reivich shares. Between picturesque shots of Boulder’s landscape and the knee-scraping, rail-splitting scenes of the featured shredders, the video debuts a care-free attitude of what liberation looks like in the concrete grooves of the city.
Silas Ure, a featured skater and collaborator on the project, shows us that perhaps youth is not wasted on the young, saying “ In 20 years we will have adult responsibilities to deal with, but for now, we don’t have anything to worry about. We just get to skate fast and have fun.”
“Thanks to Raul Pinto at Satellite Boardshop, we were allowed the opportunity to host an outdoor, socially distanced premier of the film,” says Reivich who works part-time at the store. Good Old Days are busy working on more videos to document their shared passion; proving Covid can’t keep them down.
Young Publishers
For many parents, finding ways to educate and entertain their kids at home was the enduring challenge. But Natasha Wright, a wife and mother of three young boys, found a way to do both. Named the Curious Climbers Gazette, her family started producing their own newspaper during Covid as a way to encourage her kids to write, think critically and stay curious. Zander (nine), Keegan (six), and Wesley (4) are each involved in the operations including compiling the paper’s joke section, brain teasers and human-interest articles highlighting local geologists, food scientists and US veterans. The two eldest boys conduct all the interviews themselves. They also hand-deliver monthly issues to friends and family across their Lafayette neighborhood and offer digital copies via email. After sparking the interest of the boy’s teachers, they even launched their school's first issue of the Lafayette Curious Cougars News in November.
Healing Tunes
Stella Corzine is a 14-year-old musician who attends Louisville Middle School and has been playing guitar and writing songs for four years. Drawing from pop, country, and folk genres Corzine, has been honing her writing skills that have only flourished during Covid. Her recent song titled “Stolen Lives” was born from the emotions encountered during the pandemic.
“I’ve drawn inspiration from the news, my family, and my community,” Corzine shares. Finding new ways to share her passion, Corzine has gone from performing for people to performing in front of a camera. But her dedication to the craft continues as she pursues guitar lessons, copyrights her original songs, and creates art that connects people during quarantine.
Maggie's Mountain
Another young creative committed to her passion for art is 10-year-old Maggie Dwight. As an avid athlete, both a skier and mountain biker, Dwight spends most of her time in the beauty of Colorado’s great outdoors, especially at their family cabin in Eldora where her business idea blossomed, which led to her online store through Threadless.com. Here, her hand-drawn artwork is printed on everything from tee shirts, coffee mugs and face masks with adorable fox faces, the family’s cabin and hand-sketched mountain peaks. Dwight’s entry into running a small business means she is learning the basics of financial independence while promoting everyday items that appeal to the masses.
Despite the adversity caused by Covid, we can all look to these young minds for inspiration as they creatively define narratives of their own.
Get in Touch
For your own subscription to the Curious Climbers Gazette, reach out to Natasha Wright at: CuriousCougarsNews@gmail.com.
To watch the skate film “Honest to God,” head to the link in the Instagram bio of: @GgoodOldDayss
Check out Stella Corzine’s music via her Instagram page: @StellaCorzine.music
To peruse Maggie Dwight’s online shop, head to: MaggiesMountain.Threadless.com