Everyone across the globe are worried about contracting Covid-19, and when you’re stuck inside most of the time, your mind can’t help but wander. Emotions will no doubt run on an all-time high, particularly feelings of depression and vulnerability. Stress, hard times, and worrying about the future after this pandemic? That’s perfectly normal, and you’re not alone. Experts say art can be soothing for the mind, so turning to creativity in a time of crisis can alleviate the toll on your mental health.
Many people are tapping into their creativity as a method of coping: by making art! Think everything from photography, illustrations, paintings, calligraphy, digital design, and even writing, music or videos. All of these fun creative forms are keeping us humans distracted from the anxious feelings caused by the pandemic.
Photography
Photo by rawpixel.
If you enjoy taking photos, transform your feelings into photography edited digitally, as a form of storytelling. You don’t have to go outside – self expressions turned into portraits or still life, or captures of pets can be perfect subjects for your lens. Don’t own a DSLR? Nowadays, when everyone wants to be as portable as possible, you can make use of the smartphone in your hand right now. The era of tech has provided us many ways to edit images digitally. Create a digital album where your friends and family can access if you so wish, and view your expressions on display. People tell stories so that others can learn from those moments they have lived through. Even if this virus outbreak isn’t a time anyone would want to relive again, it has made a mark in the history of humanity, and you can document it in your own creative way.
Illustrations And Paintings
Art by Serafima Manekina.
Drawing can be a perfect form of expression during these trying times. From mediums as simple as the traditional pencil and paper, to tech-savvy Procreate users, everyone and anyone can draw. Maintaining sanity by spreading positivity via simple sketches and sharing them online can be an addictive habit. Researchers have long since discovered positive effects in using drawing as a visual stimuli, which is why child therapists use drawings as a means of communication when working with children.
Watercolor illustrations are a soothing form of creative coloring, but there are many more painting styles you can use.
The best part about drawing is that you get to fill your creations with color. Painting your illustrated art can also be a great technique integrated with your creative process to improve mental health and well-being. Interested in creating other digital art forms, such as logo creation? While art therapy includes a broad range of mediums not particularly limited to illustrations and painting, these methods are used to treat anxiety, depression, stress, and emotional difficulties.
Video-making
People turn to videos as a way to escape their current reality – which is why movies, Netflix, and Tiktok are so popular. While watching videos created by others can be a great way to pass the time indoors, have you ever given thought about making your own? If video creation is a new thing to you, have fun picking up a fresh skill that could potentially boost your creativity and a open doors to a new hobby.
Calligraphy
Photo by rawpixel.
When you hear about making art with words – what usually comes to mind is stories or a pure written form of text. But here’s an art form comprised of quotes or sayings that you can physically create with brushes, markers or pens. Explore more about the basics of getting started with calligraphy, or discover calligraphy-themed art in our library.
Writing
Photo by Michael Simons.
Last but not least, if none of the above mentioned methods strike a chord in you, writing has been proven to be a therapeutic method for coping with anxiety. There’s always a form of power in the written word. If the humble pen and paper bore you, an acute tech sage, there are a plethora of handy apps available on the Apple store and Google Play.