Art in Isolation: Using Your Time Wisely and Gently

If you’re a creative, odds are you want to make the best use of time spent stuck at home in isolation. Over the past week, I’ve received a number of invitations to participate in virtual projects, whether writing prompts, online play festivals, or video projects. There’s no question that great art can come out of difficult trials. But it’s also necessary to take a step back and realize that making art requires a certain state of mind. It’s natural to want to use this time wisely, but we also have to use it gently.

You’re Not Paralyzed. You’re Processing.

Over the past week, I’ve experienced every flavor of emotion: disbelief, sadness, fear, love, and even occasionally peace. On one hand it seems like I suddenly have what I’ve always wanted: time to make art. But this isn’t normal time. It’s not the type of time that is conducive to creation.

The mind get’s stuck sometimes. It becomes fixated in fear. Sometimes creativity simply isn’t possible. If you’ve found yourself in the same situation, know that you’re still doing hard work, even if you’re lying balled up on the couch. Your’re doing the hard work of processing a new reality. This will take time, but it is the first phase of creation. Any great art made about this moment will come after this essential first step.

Art Has No Deadline

For an artist, there is no minimum amount of work that is acceptable in a given day, but it can be useful to set goals if this motivates you. Personally, I’ve been trying to set specific blocks of time for every project I’m working on. If all I can do during those blocks is sit and stare at my screen, that’s okay. If I can get out one solid scene, I consider that a success. I hope more will come as I continue to process. But maybe it won’t. Fortunately art has no deadline.

Productivity is Not Value

Our society wires us to value ourselves in terms of how productive we are and how much money we make. For artists, who tend to make very little for their work, this puts all the burden on productivity. The problem with productivity, though, is there is no finish line. There’s no way of knowing how much is enough, so it never is. This is always an unhealthy way to measure your value, but it’s even more so now. You don’t have to be productive to feel good about yourself. Feel good about yourself because you are doing what you need to get through this. Feel good about yourself because you are a child of God. You have your entire life to make art.

Turn to Prayer (Whatever That Means to You)

As a Catholic playwright, I find that my best work happens when I take the time to pray before writing. In isolation, I’m finding that I need to make even more room for pray and meditation if I want to get into an artistic head space. Whatever your belief system, take a step back a listen to what your heart needs. Ask God or a Higher Power to sit with you as you process your emotions. Then, find your center. Art cannot be forced. Art can only flow from something beyond ourselves, when our hearts and minds are ready.

*In an effort to be gentle with myself during this time, on Thursday I will be publishing an article I wrote prior to COVID-19 coming to NYC. I will be back to publishing timely content on Monday, March 30th, a week from today.