It goes without saying that right now is hard on most everyone. I’m lucky. Lucky that I had a job during this time that still pays me while I stay at home. I will need to find another source of income during the coming months, but for the duration of March, April, and May I am glad to have a safety net financially. Not everyone close to me is lucky--my mother works at Wal-Mart and goes in five days a week.
I am someone who has many outlets for creativity including writing, painting, and drawing. I use creativity as a multi-use tool. It is a form of therapy, release, a skill to build as well as a reward. I structure my days so as not to give (further) into panic, fear, and anxiety. If I somehow manage to wake up before noon, get dressed, and sit down to do homework, at the end of a work-day I sit down to paint. I make this a reward for myself--there is no pressure to be productive, to fill a quota, to accomplish a goal.
My favorite time of day to do these parts of my routine are a few hours before sunset, when the light filters in through my window at a slant on my desk. About thirty minutes before, I fill up two glass jars with water, put out watercolor paints, colored pencils, and my sketchbook. I also queue up videos on youtube or episodes of podcasts to listen to/watch. Before, I might give myself ideas about what I should do so I’m not spending an hour just looking at a blank page. There are plenty of drawing challenges floating around with prompts for the duration of the month. I also generate more once I follow this routine for a few days and can break away from my inner critic.
I’m not too hard on myself if I don’t do this every day. It’s okay if I only do it for ten minutes. I remind myself that to create is an act of self-love, of pleasure and joy. Something to help me get through the more menial tasks of everyday, and something to build on. Everyday is different. Everyday there is something new and awful to learn on the news. So, I’ve made this time to sit down at my desk and do what I can to make it through another day.