Ways To Be Creative In Lockdown

Who says the coronavirus has stopped us from travelling? Lockdown has given us the opportunity to journey on the greatest trip of all - to discover ourselves again - that person you used to be. When you can’t physically travel, there is plenty of space inside you to discover - so many set-aside memories, talents and things you always wanted to try. What did you used to value? What did you want to do or feel in your life? Do you even remember? Tune in and find yourself, - then, when you can actually travel again, your experiences will be deeper and more memorable because of this unexpected pause in activity.

When you are going to discover yourself again, you need time. Your mind will agitate to get busy, but resist, and try to do an activity quietly. After 30 minutes, I find I can settle down and start to concentrate.

You need to create something that is meaningful to you. I love the colours in paintings so wanted to try art. I am so bad at it; it’s embarrassing. But then I read some good advice: create something but never show it to anyone or display it anywhere unless you can take criticism (‘this looks like your child drew it’, someone once said to me. I was devastated). You are creating just for yourself.

Here’s an example. I was coming home on the train from London one pre-coronavirus evening. The sunset out of the window was glorious - rich blues, purples and reds, bright yellows and oranges - only the ninnies under the window didn’t even notice and just talked about trivial stuff when the beauty of life was right in front of them. I was sitting across from their table so I could see the scene unfold with my very own eyes. When I got home, I did a little painting of it - a beautiful colourful sunset, but I put the unseeing people around it in black and white. The whole picture isn’t anything for anyone to look at it, but it means so much to me. It brings back the lesson I learned that day instantly, plus I got to play around with paint colours.

Other things that help me are singing, reading books I used to love once again, yoga on Zoom and walking or cycling in the mornings. The air is so fresh and fragrant in the morning - you can’t help but think everything will be fine if mornings like the ones we have been having keep coming. I like to think of Philip Larkin’s poem then:

What are days for? Days are where we live. They come, they wake us Time and time over. They are to be happy in: Where can we live but days?

Gardening is another way to grow even when the world seems stagnant around you. Whilst we couldn’t go to garden centres, I tried to make new plants from cuttings of things I already had, to put elsewhere. I also used the seeds that the wind had blown in, or the birds had dropped from on high. Oak acorns are my favourite. Since I have nowhere to put an oak as my garden is very small, I bonsai them or basically just never move them out of the pot they landed in. I have such pretty small trees now to admire.

I also do silly things like rock painting. I write inspirational thoughts on them and throw them somewhere in the gravel in the driveway. Then I forget I ever did them, and when I run across them months or a year later, the thought inspires me again.

Keep a coronavirus journal. Just jot down thoughts, draw little pictures and write down cute things your children (or husband?) say. You will find you come to know yourself a little better day by day. The experience of lockdown might not want to be a trip you wanted to take, but what an experience. Don’t miss the chance to learn what you can from it.

As Lao Tsu wrote:

At the centre of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.

I hope these ideas inspire you during these difficult times.

By Elizabeth Scanlon Thomas