One consequence of the pandemic is that it has led many people to imagine themselves as someone else. Those whose work has dried up – actors, musicians, curators, librarians, flight attendants, and so on – have suddenly had to adapt to a world that has no place for the things they do and thus no place for people like them. What if this new world is not just a temporary blip, but the shape of things to come? Who will I be in this future world?

It is not just those who consciously identify themselves with their work that might ask such questions. If I am a tradie or a hairdresser whose business is on the brink, I face an upheaval in my life no matter how important being a tradie or a hairdresser is to my identity. If I need to find a new means of income, my life story is going to change. I can then imagine different stories panning out, different versions of my future self.