During the COVID-19 pandemic the world shut down. To help stop the spread of this aggressive virus, everyone had to stay home and Scott Carlisle, a San Diego based photographer, used this socially distanced period as an opportunity to explore his and his partner’s new small San Diego County town. This project shows a pedestrian’s view of homes, decorated mailboxes, and Little Free Libraries. For the holiday season of 2020 many people made the tough decision to forgo the common yearly pilgrimage of visiting loved ones so they could protect them from the virus. Rather than passing presents to one-another beside the Christmas tree, US Postal Service mailboxes became the preferred means for the ritual exchanging of gifts, while Little Free Libraries remained a connection point for members of the neighborhood who could temporarily not meet face-to-face. Each of these photographs is a small glimpse of the personality of the people who live within these homes and how they express themselves both knowingly and unknowingly to passers-by. Through working on this project, the artist feels he was able to discover a very personal side of his new small town and create snapshots for himself and others who find joy and adventure in some of the simpler aspects of daily life while providing for the common good by staying healthy, socially distanced and safe.
