Why Being Quarantined Is the Best Time to Stay Creative
Work From Home is a new vertical dedicated to life and culture in the strange and unprecedented situation of self-quarantine that many of us are dealing with right now. From what to watch to how to get a fit off and how to not think about anything, this is our guide to the great indoors. For updates on the spread of Covid-19 and how to keep yourself safe and informed, consult WHO and the CDC.
The prospect of being confined indoors may seem like nothing but a limitation at first.
Personally, I’m on week two of working-from-home. I spent the first few days contemplating all the things I could not do. But reinvigorated by a solution-based mindset, I’ve forced myself to think of this quarantine as an opportunity, since being stuck indoors is no excuse to stop moving, and if anything, we have more time to devote to the things we love. In short, it’s the perfect time to be creating.
The DIY mindset has been embraced by many subcultures over time, from independent zine publishing to at-home T-shirt screen printing and bedroom DJing. Even in isolation during the spread of Covid-19, many creatives are doing well not to forget that we all still have a watching audience to perform for. Independent artists are embracing the DIY mindset by plying their craft via live stream. The digital space has become an increasingly important forum for brands and artists who are taking their platform from IRL to URL.
Domenico Formichetti of Formy Studio has been sharing a number of tutorial videos since beginning his quarantine, the most recent of which walked his followers through the steps of creating their own tie-dye T-shirts. “I decided to share my work and knowledge in order to inspire my community during this hard moment that we are all going through,” he tells Highsnobiety. “In this moment more than ever, we need to act and think like a real community. I found that these initiatives made by artists and brands are the best way to stay connected with people and to give to them the chance to spend time in a positive way.” Formichetti plans to continue steaming DIY tutorials over the next weeks, so stay tuned to his channel.
Jaimie Van Heije is an Amsterdam-based chef (and sneakerhead) who is quarantined like the rest of us, but he’s keeping busy by sharing daily recipes on his IG feed. He says that even when his restaurant opens back up, he wants to continue sharing helpful “how to” cooking content. “I decided to start home cooking just because I wanted to be helpful and share easy recipes with everybody. A lot of people picked it up and started cooking at home. It’s also a good way to show that it can be easy, fast and delicious to cook at home." Jaimie's home recipes are currently saved in his Instagram highlights. Don't miss his super-simple carbonara recipe.
While Domenico, Jaimie haven’t forgotten the importance of making things with their hands, especially during an unconventional period like a quarantine, many musicians are also making the best of their situation by live-streaming their performances.
Already entrenched in the world of streaming, music platform COLORS adapted their channel to share a series of home-recorded performances from our favorite artists around the world. COLORS explains, "The current situation forces everyone of us to continually re-think and adapt. What hasn’t changed is our mission to continue to use our platform to support artists and continue to give them an opportunity to share their art with our audience. As such, moving forward we’ll be using this livestream to share a series of home-recorded performances from our favorite artists around the world."
You've definitely got the time, but maybe you're only missing the inspiration.
In that case, museums like The Natural History Museum in London and the Musée du Louvre in Paris are offering digital tours and entertainment to preserve their cultural engagement. Don't forget that schools like Harvard, Princeton, and Yale have put over 500 courses online for your your viewing pleasure. Google also came through with landmark tours of historic locations like Stonehenge, Machu Picchu and the Egyptian Pyramids. The Guggenheim in New York has shared more than 65 artist profiles and interviews.
Soak it up!