Lockdown Limits

The Covid pandemic has been stressful all across the globe but how well each one of us has grown out of it has been for many a saving grace. During lockdown, so many experiences woke up within ourselves the hidden chef, artist, or a gardener. From making Dalgona coffee to playing Balcony bingo many found creative ways to entertain themselves and others. Find out how some people refound their creativity in “Lockdown Limits”

Creativity is to bring an idea to life, especially when it is a product of an imagination, daydream or brainstorm. It can also help us to find ways to solve everyday problems in an efficient way.

During lockdown, this strange period, somehow allowed and encouraged people to explore making and building, crafting and creating. Here we have, three creativity trends that many people channeled in lockdown.

Fluid Art

An abstract art formed made by pouring paints onto a canvas to create a unique runny consistency artwork using acrylic paints. It exploded among people quite recently, yet the technique has been around since the 1930s and it was a Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros who stumbled across this technique in his studio which he described as “ accidental painting ”. Back then the art became significant but wasn’t hugely popular.

The technique got its massive resurgence when the entire world went under the unexpected circumstances of having to stay inside.

Social Media was all jam-packed with people sharing their work with some making it a secondary source of income. Between all the different types of art, an Instagram page by @traceyann_art got the attention of many. She stood out with her work by not only using acrylic paint and canvas but also resin, pigments and glitters to bring out the most creative element of their work.

Plant Collection

The plant market i.e collecting plants has been similar to the Art market, both are platforms for buying and selling one-off works.

Bulupriya Sharma, a 28-year collector, and grower in Imphal in India is a popular name among plant collectors and buyers. She started collecting rare plants a few months before lockdown and nourished them ever since.

Her love of the natural world started when she raised a monstera variegated plant from one leaf node into a three feet tall plant. She grew to love her collection as a parent would love a child, these plants were her babies. Soon she realised that her collection was worth a good amount of money and decided to auction. She encouraged people around by sharing about the benefits of the rare plants. Social media for her took her creative hobby into an essential business.

Bulupriya says,“I love collecting rare plants from around the world and my collection is driven by my passion for collecting and growing rare breeds at home.”

Embroidery

Last but not least is the trend of “Embroidery“: a timeless craft done by decorating fabrics with needle and thread. There are multiple techniques to practice such as cross-stitch, crewelwork and French knots.

Sasha Zaitseva, born in Ukraine; an embroider created works representing her own culture. Most interesting is the material she chose to work with, an unusual tissue rolls. So successful and loved was her work that she then move down to create similar patterns for mask making and like Bulupriya Sharma she also went on to turn this creative hobby into a small business.

She created a non-existing mask, that celebrates the freedom of no belonging to any cultural or national identification.

A creative mind is a fun mind; and the key is to let our minds wander and daydream. Creativity not only manifests itself as art-works but also as problem-solving, which we all know are great life lessons and very useful in troubled times. .

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