The pandemic has forced people to stay indoors, and refrain from social activities for months on end. But for some, the solitude has inspired them to tap into their artistic side, from painting to music to scrapbooking. While many have said art has become a way to cope, others said the personal growth experienced in the lockdown is reflected in their art.
Chinmayi Kaushik, a designer and illustrator in Bengaluru put out a comic series, titled ‘Emptiness’, on her Instagram. “Before the lockdown began, I used to get so busy that I would just burn out at the end of the month. Once the pandemic started, I was forced to stay at home, and there was so much empty time because there was less work. I realised for the first time that I was feeling empty, but I was filling it with work. With the lockdown, I didn’t have much work. I had to stop and face the void inside me, and it forced me to look for ways to cope with it,” she said.
Chinmayi has also found that hope in her work. She approached her second series, ‘Imagine a Better World,’ with a brighter outlook on life.
An experimental musician in Bengaluru, Roshan Machayya, found that the lockdown was a creatively productive time for him. He managed to finish projects that he had been working on for years, and even created new music. He says, “I put out one song, ‘Ignition sequence’, just when the lockdown was beginning.”
“I’m also releasing another single ‘Emptiness’, a symphony-driven song with deep ambience, heavy rhythmic sections and soulful vocals. Besides, I’m looking to put out two EPs (extended play, consisting of three to five songs). One at the end of August, and another in October,” he says.
Roshan notes that the lockdown created challenges in collaborating with other artists, and they were not able to jam together in a studio. “But, I will probably be using this experience to anticipate how to collaborate with artists from around the world,” he says.
For some, making art was a way to cope with their own mental health. Suparna, a student and vocalist from Hyderabad, said that she turned to making music because she had to move back home after a gap, and she needed something to help her cope. “I went back home after five years because of the lockdown. I was not prepared for it and I had a lot of problems with home. The first two or three weeks of the lockdown were horrible. Luckily, I had my instruments with me and I started making videos and putting them on Instagram. For me, it’s me channelling my negativity into something nice. I wrote my first song during lockdown! I wrote this over a girl I liked a lot. Never told her. It was pride month (June) and I felt like it was the right time to write something and words just came to me.”
With some artists, creating art became more important to them while in lockdown, and allowed them the freedom to experiment. Lakshmi Nagaraj, an advertising professional said, “I started art journaling recently, maybe around November last year. It became a really big part of my life during lockdown. I tried so many new styles and just let myself explore whatever I wanted without being scared of ‘not being good enough.’”
Lakshmi has been trying out various mediums from scrapbooking with the use of sketch pens and oil pastels, which she posts on Instagram.
Another person who has been experimenting through a different medium is Kinnisha, who has been using her practice of art to process her emotions. “(Art) was initially an outlet to deal with the stress of being in quarantine. It almost became an act of self-care to immerse myself in creative processes, in a way that was constructive and led to something beautiful in all the chaos,” she says.
Kinnisha has also allowed herself to explore different media. “I primarily paint with watercolors, but I have recently invested in cotton canvas and acrylics. I've really been enjoying the differences between acrylics and watercolors. I've also been exploring YouTube and other artists for inspiration and tutorials. I definitely wouldn't have done any of this if not for the lockdown!”