Lock-down Creativity

It goes without saying that Lock-down has been stifling at times. All the things we took for granted, suddenly taken away without notice. The daily monotony of looking after 3 young children and a household full of chores and meal preparation duties quickly became harder than i’d imagined, I found myself longing for something ‘other’.

As someone who has worked in a creative industry for the past 12 years, I realised I actually gained alot of energy from my work and the process of thinking in a creative way. When this was taken away I felt stumped and quite like I didn’t fully exist anymore - dramatic but true! I could no longer go out after an intense day at home to release any frustrations, or chat with friends and unwind. So it got me thinking on how to try and relax and feel like I had left the building, without actually having done so. Sm and I decided I needed time in the evenings and at weekends which was for me to just be creative, the kids were not allowed to bother me and I had the whole (2mx 2m) study to myself!

I got the paints out and started painting, drawing, mark making. No clear intentions of what I was aiming for but I was allowing another side of my brain to have a voice and experiment. It was indeed like therapy and one I absolutely relished. Now lock-down is easing I find I am doing it less, but it is still there waiting if I need it and I feel like the prints I made will always remind me of that intense moment of lock-down life.