Lindsay Morris

Photographer

www.lindsaycmorris.com

A Small Taste of Freedom

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Mia 17, 11th Grade "Th...hrough this pandemic."

Mia 17, 11th Grade "The Coronavirus is affecting my life by interfering with my mental and physical abilities. I can’t see my friends or my family members which is hard became I’m used to my daily routine; get up go to school see my friends and teachers, workout after school. Some of my family members have to file for unemployment. We all have to find new ways of living through this pandemic."

Brooke 19, College Freshman &am...imless destinations.”

Brooke 19, College Freshman “Vintage wheels, and I have no where to go. Trying to find a new purpose in aimless destinations.”

Kathleen 18, 12th Grade I am aw... go out for a walk..."

Kathleen 18, 12th Grade I am awake at 8 am to the sound of my little brother reciting the pledge. I make sure to teach him, and finish all his kindergarten assignments by 1 pm. After, that there are usually chores because the house is always a mess. I feel claustrophobic living with 9 other people in the house. We are either unemployed or “distance learning” in our closed rooms. I can finally start to teach myself around 3 pm. I have realized that home environments are not the same as school environments. I miss waking up at 6 am and dressing up for school. Driving to school. Seeing all my friends at school. In general I just miss being in school. I also miss going to sleep and not knowing what to except the next day. Now I wake up in pajamas and go to sleep in pajamas. I feel like a cave woman because my paranoid parents won’t let me even go out for a walk..."

Ruby 19, College Sophomore &...derstand how to get back there.

Ruby 19, College Sophomore “We are jolted. Pulled from what entertains us and keeps our minds from feeling like rot. But that’s okay, it could be so much worse. And although I usually find it frustrating when pain is compared to other pain, because it never makes it hurt less, this time it makes sense. We are alive and we have an opportunity to look inside. I am bewildered and heartbroken and fulfilled all at once. This confinement has brought me back home within myself, given me time to understand how to get back there.

Ruby 19, College Sophomore &... to get back there..."

Teens, Tailgates + the...at Release Them From Quarantine

Teens, Tailgates + the Wheels That Release Them From Quarantine

Lola 18, High School Senior &am...’m grateful for that.

Lola 18, High School Senior “Looking back on the plans that I was so looking forward to is extremely overwhelming. I was at my dream school, in my dream show, playing my dream role. Sometimes it feels like the Universe realized it was too good to be true...But now that I am home, I am glad to have this time with my wacky family. I’m not just saying that out of necessity. I realize that this is probably the most time I will truly spend with them before I go off into the world as a functioning adult. So I’m grateful for that.

Tiffany 17, 11th Grade &ldq...ble to stay inside..."

Tiffany 17, 11th Grade “...I personally have been struggling with schoolwork and with the internet not being the best, having to take care of the house and younger kids has not made it any easier. This stresses me out. I often see myself isolated and staying up very late at night trying to finish my work, which is one of the reasons why my sleep schedule is currently messed up. My schoolwork and grades worry me for my future since I am currently a high school junior. Also, at home my father is unemployed like many people now, but thankfully my mother continues to work for now at least. My mother works outside which worries her a bit because she has no medical insurance. On the other hand, if she wouldn’t be working, there would be no way for my family to pay the non-pardoning bills like rent, utility bills, and basic needs. Thankfully some help around the community like the food pantry has helped my family. I have been calm in the midst of the strict quarantine but I see other kids my age not doing so well being able to stay inside..."

Hannah 20, College Sophomore &a... really means to me.”

Hannah 20, College Sophomore "Lately I have been feeling a wave of emotions… one moment I'm numb to the entire situation and the next flooded with anxiety, usually followed by tears. I imagine this pattern is how a lot of people are feeling. I find it difficult to acknowledge the situation I find myself in because I am aware that this pandemic involves far more than myself when so many people have banded together to rectify a lost sense of community, yet somehow many of my friendships seem to be slipping through the cracks. I am thousands of miles away from what I would call home. I’m questioning what home really means to me.”

Ruby 18, High School Senior / V...extreme uncertainty.”

Ruby 18, High School Senior / Valedictorian “This time is certainly unlike anything I have ever lived through before. After thirteen years of school, it’s really weird to see your last couple months of school taken from you. It’s really sad. Getting out of the house and going for drives helps to keep me sane. Also, my friends and I sometimes meet at the beach and sit in our cars. We get to still feel connected and talk about our futures, which is something concrete in this time of extreme uncertainty.”

Kat 18, College Freshman &l... and pure happiness.”

Kat 18, College Freshman “The transition from being a newly independent 18 year old living in New Orleans to being cooped up in my house for days at a time has left me feeling overwhelming emotions. I am lucky to have a family, and I am grateful for our health, but I feel like an integral part of my life experience is being taken away from me as my school semester was cut short. I miss our adventures, and find myself spending hours a day looking through pictures and videos that bring me back to some of the best days I’ve ever had. It’s weird to feel lonely when you’re living in a house with 4 people, but somehow it seems there is a void that only my college friends can fill right now. Fortunately we have technology to help us communicate with each other, to which we spend hours a day planning our trips to visit one another and get back to NOLA as soon as possible. Although it feels as though my freedom has been stripped from me, I know that when this passes, and I am reunited with friends, the only overwhelming feelings I will have will be love, gratitude, and pure happiness.”

Brianna 16,10th Grade, &quo...doctors and nurses..."

Brianna 16,10th Grade, "On social media, I can see all the negative things happing due to the virus. Some people are not taking quarantining seriously, and some are over buying supplies. Both of these factors are causing more cases and worry. I am grateful to be living in a home where I am safe. Some kids around the world are not safe while in quarantine. If more people were to take this more seriously, kids would be out of the situation. There are people who should start thinking about others and not their selves. A video around twitter shows what it is to think about others. In NYC, Manhattan, there are people from their apartments cheering on for the doctors and nurses..."

Grace 18, College Freshman &...s me feel connected.”

Grace 18, College Freshman “I keep trying to remind myself that this is a reset for everyone. We are all doing this. I’ll wait; everyone will wait till it’s ok to continue our everyday. Staying home is a long and grueling task so what helps me most is car rides. Being in quarantine, it is easy to feel disconnected. Getting in my car and driving aimlessly with music helps me feel connected.”

Sofie 17, 11th Grade "...ound me getting sick."

Sofie 17, 11th Grade "Covid-19 has affected me in different ways, I feel as I have been less stressed and gotten a break from school. Not having to physically get up and walk around school for 7-8 hours saved a lot of my energy and time, I never enjoyed going to school. But I miss my friends and going out in general, I am not someone who can just sit at home and watch tv all day. I'm a very social person so only being around my mom and sister is a bit hard and we are all ready for this to be over. Though I have gotten to focus on myself a bit more, I worry everyday about those around me getting sick."

Halle 18, High School Senior &a...our years of school.”

Halle 18, High School Senior “My disappointment has reached an all time high as my class misses the experiences that seemed like a right of passage to all previous seniors. Since most of my hope that I will be able to finish out my last year with my best friends has vanished, all I can hope for is a better start to the beginning of my next four years of school.”

Han 18, 12th Grade "Ng...t until this is over."

Han 18, 12th Grade "Ngl [not gonna lie], it's been tough. I feel as if my senior year has been taken away from me, senior banquet, senior prank, March Madness, all of it. Classes are not the same. I don't get a sense of learning through video chats. Some teachers don't even have any. Anxiety keeps me awake, and I lose a lot of sleep. I get about 2 hrs a day. I don't enjoy online therapy because the wifi sometimes cuts off, and I don't get any emotional relief from it. Everything kinda feels pointless. However, there is some good. I talk to my friends a lot more and play video games. I do find some ways to entertain myself. That's the goal. To keep finding something to do so I don't have to be stuck in my head. I miss a lot of things. Car rides to Paneras with friends and late-night meetups for the hell of it. Planning a look for the day seems useless now, but again it gives me something to do. I only hope my mental stability will last until this is over."

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Thumbnail of Mia 17, 11th Grade "The_through this pandemic."

Thumbnail of Brooke 19, College Freshman &_aimless destinations.”

Thumbnail of Kathleen 18, 12th Grade I am awa_n go out for a walk..."

Thumbnail of Ruby 19, College Sophomore &_nderstand how to get back there.

Thumbnail of Ruby 19, College Sophomore &_w to get back there..."

Thumbnail of Teens, Tailgates + the _hat Release Them From Quarantine

Thumbnail of Lola 18, High School Senior &_I’m grateful for that.

Thumbnail of Tiffany 17, 11th Grade &ldqu_able to stay inside..."

Thumbnail of Hannah 20, College Sophomore &am_e really means to me.”

Thumbnail of Ruby 18, High School Senior / Va_ extreme uncertainty.”

Thumbnail of Kat 18, College Freshman &ld_, and pure happiness.”

Thumbnail of Brianna 16,10th Grade, &quot_ doctors and nurses..."

Thumbnail of Grace 18, College Freshman &_ps me feel connected.”

Thumbnail of Sofie 17, 11th Grade "C_round me getting sick."

Thumbnail of Halle 18, High School Senior &am_four years of school.”

Thumbnail of Han 18, 12th Grade "Ngl_st until this is over."

Public Project

A Small Taste of Freedom

Copyright lindsay morris 2024

Updated Mar 2021

Location Long Island, NY

A collaboration between photographer Lindsay Morris and Long Island, New
York-based teens, A Small Taste of Freedom captures the realities of adolescent
life—from everyday happenings to escape modes and coping mechanisms—
under New York State’s “stay at home” orders at the height of Covid-19.
Composed of portraits and audio interviews, A Small Taste of Freedom features
both the faces and voices of high school friends of Morris’s own son, as well as
members of a local museum’s Teen Arts Council, creating an elegiac time
capsule that speaks to the truth of Long Island teens as they navigate this
historic moment.

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Lindsay Morris

Also by Lindsay Morris —

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Arts Center at Duck Creek

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A Small Taste of Freedom

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PDN's David Walker interview on photo book publishing, featuring You Are You.

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Ricchina's Wedding

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Trained to Face Trauma