“I know this might sound cliché, but this is a great time to figure out who you are,” says 16-year-old Jetta from Atlanta. As if coming of age isn’t hard enough, the lockdown has made it even more challenging for this generation of teenagers. But creativity can often thrive through trying times. It asks you to make the best of it and to use all the resources available to you. As it turns out, there is lots to be learned from 16-year-old jewellery-makers, magicians, DJs and other creative types across the world right now.
Yes, there’s no going to the park to meet up with your mates after school, as a young skateboarder from Johannesburg tells us. But, there is the possibility of styling completely new looks from your own wardrobe, as a 16-year-old from Ho Chi Minh City shows us; photoshopping yourself into an exotic location, as a girl from Tbilisi does; or going for an ice cold swim in a nearby lake with your dog, as one Cork-native has done… Being in (temporary) lockdown might not be so terrible after all.
Directing a film remotely was a first for i-D. Shot entirely on camera phones, we shout out to all the mega keen — and sometimes reluctant — mums, dads, and siblings that made the film possible. A truly unique experience getting to collaborate with people all around the world — from Denmark to Dubai — from the safety of our room. How do their experiences at 16 compare to yours? Watch the new episode below!