Opinion: How The Pandemic Has Inspired Many Of Us To Be Creative During Quarantine

I’ve come to realise the opportunities that present itself to me when stuck at home in quarantine, and it is a detail we should be proud of and never forget

Staying home for a week was never a problem. So when the President declared a lockdown across Metro Manila in March, I thought it was an opportunity to free myself from tiring car rides while keeping me and my family safe from COVID-19. As someone who constantly needs to change her pace, I found the WFH set-up a brilliant idea.

Then, as weeks turned to months, I began to see the consequences of being in quarantine during a pandemic. One of which was the fear of an invisible threat that thwarted every chance I could get to peacefully live through the day. Like everyone else, my family and I turned to the news in hopes of hearing about COVID-19's end and keeping safe within our walls. But what once kept me safe eventually confined me in ways I had never expected — suddenly, it was harder to pull myself out of bed.

Slowly, the walls drew nearer until there was no chance of moving. It was terrifying, not only because it was happening to me but everyone else in many ways. But as the walls drew closer and tightened above our heads, we never really succumbed to it, did we?

Fear might have jarred us for a moment while we remained quarantined, but we found a way around it.

Above Photo: Unsplash

While we couldn't explore outdoors like we used to, may of us traversed someplace else — the mind. For months, we've witnessed and contributed several wonders that we've all grown to love. Imagination, after all, has enabled us to create many significant and useful things over the years, just as it has allowed us to produce various things today while in quarantine.

It began with music; people found a way to keep us company. Because we were all under quarantine, artists like Chris Martin held a concert via Instagram live stream including artists like Pink and Keith Urban. Since then, an onslaught of virtual concerts began. Some of the most memorable performances were by Josh Groban, John Legend, David Foster, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Ariana Grande, Evanescence, and more. These artists even raised funds for those who were badly affected by the pandemic. But it didn't stop there as artists collaborated with their fellow artists of other genres creating bop after bop. And until today, the music industry never stopped producing music that we'd all soon listen in the future that will remind us of this significant year. My friends and I have tried the same as music became our saving grace.

Above Photo: Pexels

Although some rules had been lifted during quarantine, allowing many of us to return to work and visit stores, we remained cautious. Which made us think of ways to wear clothes that would keep us safe and presentable at the same time. Many have sported chic loungewear while others stunned us with fashion masks. Truly during this time, we've expressed ourselves in various memorable ways.

We also refused to cancel special occasions and events. We managed to throw online parties with friends and loved ones without risking our health. At home, we've tried fun activities to keep the family engaged and discovered ways to keep ourselves happy with take-home feasts and bottled cocktails.

Above Photo: Unsplash

Then some of us came up with decadent concoctions. The birth of ube cheese pandesal, baked sushi, Dalgona coffee, are only some of the delightful food and drink creations made both by long-time chefs and food enthusiasts at home during the quarantine. We've tried different recipes in the kitchen and it has taught us patience and the art of creating something sumptuous apart from valuing food merely to fill our stomachs. And because we had kept an open mind and further understood ways on how we can help local businesses, we've supported them to the core — whether they're friends who have only begun their brand or a business whose products we love. Which is why despite the strict health and safety measures to appease the pandemic, some businesses still flourished with these ingenious creations that some of us have grown to love.

We even extended a part of ourselves through the act of refurbishing our own homes. Because aside from keeping the house clean and safe during a pandemic, we also wanted it to be a personal and special space that we'd love to countlessly admire and revisit. There's more attention given to every furniture, every corner, every space we encounter. And considering our growing love for plants, we've come up with ways on how to tend and display them — making each plant part of the house's personality.

Above Photo: Unsplash

It was at this point that I'd grown to understand and value the house that I had inhabited for almost a year during quarantine. The walls that overwhelmed me might have been limiting, but it had challenged me to think outside the box.

Ultimately, while we were confined within the walls of our home, we were always free to roam and it has led us to many great things — a brilliant detail we shouldn't ever forget.

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quarantine creativity

Tatler Asia

Opinion: How The Pandemic Has Inspired Many Of Us To Be Creative During Quarantine