The world has been staying home for weeks. We’re bored, we’re restless, we’re terrified about the very state of the world. Many of us have to worry about our loved ones getting sick, or about losing our jobs – and for many of us, we’re turning to the arts to get us through.
While in quarantine, people have turned to books, music, art and a multitude of other creative endeavors to fill the days while the stay at home orders are in place. For some, it’s a means of coping with stressful and overwhelming circumstances, while others are simply looking to find ways to pass the time.
All over the Internet, I’m seeing people trying out new skills for the first time or picking up old forgotten hobbies, whether that be painting, embroidery, or baking.
And even if you’re not creating art, odds are you’re consuming more of it than usual. Streaming services like Netflix have reported that people are starting to watch more entertainment media, catching up on shows they haven’t seen before.
Many museums and concert venues are even creating live streams and virtual walk-throughs of their art or performances, making sure that people are still able to see art from their homes.
I myself have focused most of my energy not spent on schoolwork on creative tasks; I’ve started tackling an endless “to-read” list, trying new things in baking, and even branching into gardening. With nowhere to go and too much downtime, these things are here as a way of keeping me sane and positive.
Our lives are typically so busy that we overlook these things. Art, music, film, they all get pushed to the side as we go about our daily routines.
It feels to me like most of our lives have been shaped around this idea of productivity, to spend every hour of the day pouring our energy into school or work, because that’s what we’ve been taught successful people do.
In school, art and music and literature were the sort of things that got looked down upon, shirked as frivolous, useless practices that were less valuable than more practical endeavors like business and math. In English and art classes, the question “when are we going to use this in real life?” was asked at least once a year.
Well, the answer is right here; now, when our lives have been uprooted and the world is almost unrecognizable, that productive tendency is no longer sustainable. Now, we need things that are going to make us feel safe, to give us something to look forward to.
We’re using them in real life right now.