20+ Ideas to Stay Creative in Confinement
I know your inbox is exploding with a million and one things you should be doing during lockdown… Mine is, too.
What I’m mostly missing, though, is feeling genuinely inspired by rich and restorative creative options.
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If you’re like me, then I’ve got you covered.
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I’ve shortlisted below some of the most exciting, well-presented and original projects I could find. Short and long, fun and cathartic… there’s a little bit for everyone.
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Here’s a non-exhaustive list of activities to stay creative, connected and nurtured in times of the big C-word.
Get creative!
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- If you’re on Instagram, you can’t have missed the hilarious pictures of people replicating works of art, or even statues. Why don’t you take part? Head this way! @Tussenkunstenquarantaine
– - Make the monster version of yourself in the 5-minute self-portrait challenge organised by Japanese illustrator Yuko Shimizu @yukoart (Watch the “Quarantine” video to learn more)
– - Pick up your dusty guitar and set out to learn a super easy song
– - Create a virus diary. Draw the virus, it will make it less scary! No paint? You can use coffee, turmeric, beetroot… like in this adorable initiative by an educator at the Vytautas Kasiulis Art Museum, in Lithuania
– - Pick an empty notebook and commit to drawing something different every day. Anything at all! Small, large, simple, complicated… A bagel, your flatmate, a llama…. Anything!
– - Artist Grayson Perry will be teaching painting techniques on Channel 4 in the UK next week. He aims to get people “making art”
– - Join the creative community of the Isolation Art School, with weekly ideas, for kids and grown up kids =)
– - Out of ideas? Head straight to Rifke Sadleir’s Excellent Ideas for a well-needed dose of fun, random activities, such as “Colour code your bookshelf” or “Take intimate portraits of your house plants”. You can even submit your own ideas. @rifke.world
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Don’t forget to share your creations with us on Instagram
by tagging me @artlifetranslations
Travel the world from your bedroom
(I know, it’s not the same… but those get pretty close to the real deal)
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- The “Little page of calm” from the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa with art-related games and puzzles
– - Virtual Museums are showing virtual tours of museums around the world
– - Google Arts and Culture – we can’t deny the quality of their truly immersive pictures and articles
– - Here’s a list of 10 of the best virtual museums and art gallery tours from The Guardian
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Get on a course / Take part in events
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- List of online events for the creative industry on The Dots (workshops, classes, interviews…)
– - The Online Like Minds “Lockdown Business Festival” May 25th – 29th. For a tiny fee (£12+ VAT for a week of classes), some leaders in the creative industries, digital marketing, change management, business strategy, and peak performance aim to help SMEs and business owners cope with the impact that the lockdown has had on our businesses
– - The MoMA in New York is curating courses on Coursera, such as Fashion as Design and Seeing Through Photographs
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Discover arty podcasts
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- Gallery Girl, a new podcast dedicated to highlighting female artists, curators, practitioners and collectives who champion art with roots in West Asia and North Africa
– - For Art’s Sake about what impact museums have on people’s life”
– - More podcast ideas on Haste Magazine
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Need more concrete support?
The creative industry has taken a hard blow…
If you’re struggling, the links below might help
- Are you a creative in need of support? Ask the creative community on The Dots from a portfolio review to self-care tips, it’s all about looking our for each other
– - Turn to Springwell, a volunteer brand consultancy and community supporting and celebrating small businesses affected by the current crisis
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My personal lockdown project – although I haven’t started yet – is to make an indoors parkour for my cat!
I’ll keep you posted on that one ^^
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But, to be fair, there are days when I don’t want to do anything at all.
Not even binge on series.
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And that’s fine, too.
We are going to be OK.
While we wait for our dear museums to reopen (so I can have work!)…
–Do you want to hold each other accountable to stay creative in confinement?
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Which project should we take on?