This nation-wide lockdown and quarantine sucks.
We all know it does, this isn’t a unique thought or a bold opinion to have. We are all just sitting in our homes with nothing to do, while literally thousands of people around us die daily from a seemingly unstoppable virus.
We are essentially living in Hell.
But, even in Hell there are some bright spots, no? Well, at least for me there has been. Like most everyone right now, I have a newfound abundance of time at my disposal. I don’t have to go to work, go to class, go to band practice or play any gigs with my band right now or anytime soon. Because of this, I’ve found all sorts of new things I enjoy that I would have been too busy to discover before.
So for this reason, thanks COVID-19, I guess.
I listen to music all the time. If I’m plugging away at some schoolwork, driving in my car, playing video games or doing the dishes, I’ve got tunes playing in the background. But, I tend to get stuck in a loop of listening to the same 10 artists or so, and I’m normally too busy to be bothered to invest the time into finding new artists. When listening to an album or an artist for the first time, one must give the music your undivided attention – at least I do.
Nowadays, I can do just that and I recommend everyone to do the same – branch out and break your typical music rotation, it’ll do you good. Just in the past 24 hours, I’ve found two new artists whom I love already – Shoegaze/Dream Pop bands Starflyer 59 and American Wolf. I cannot say I never would have found them without Coronavirus, but I’ve certainly found them sooner than I would have otherwise.
But the new discoveries don’t need to stop with music. Over the past few years, I haven’t had the time to play video games like I did in my youth. Well, I sure as heck have the time now. I’m not encouraging anyone to sit and stare at a screen for 12 hours a day, but if you’re a fan – don’t feel guilty if you want to indulge a bit more than usual right now.
During this time, I’ve rediscovered my love for the ‘Doom’ franchise by beating “Doom 3” and the brand new “Doom Eternal.” I also recently jumped headfirst into a game I’d been meaning to play for quite some time – “Control.” Before the lockdown, I never would have been able to enjoy such time consuming games.
For artists, this time can be rather productive. As a musician, I’ve been able to devote hours each day to songwriting. In that sense, the past 5 weeks or so have been great. I’m sure painters, and aspiring painters who never had the time to get started, are also utilizing this time to hone their crafts. Now, there’s nothing stopping you from picking up that guitar that collects dust in the corner of your room, or from putting pen to paper and writing a story or from tossing paint on the canvas and creating something beautiful.
No one is happy to be locked in their house for the foreseeable future. We all want to get out and resume our normal lives. But, why not make the best of a truly awful situation while we can? It’s time to get more in touch with your artistic side and to enjoy the things that the grind of ordinary daily life kept you from.
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/eb2VgxNPjoc
The Pointless Blog 