NEW WORK CREATED IN 2020

People Are Often More Creative in a Crisis

1/7/2021

Bake Sourdough bread for the first time? Had a more elaborate garden this year? Got some landscaping and home improvements done that you have been putting off for years? Learn the guitar, write poetry, learn to dance... In Psychology Today, an article that was trying to answer the question why people are more creative in a crisis, they said that people want to apply their skills and resources to a problem. They also mention that fear is focusing and energizing, while creativity is a cure for feeling helpless. So it makes sense that you probably got more creative this past year - even if that meant learning how to become a teacher and to balance that with a job, family time, etc.
It worked for me! I didn't want to fall down a rabbit 'hole of dispair' - although admittedly, I had my moments! I went back to my brushes, my canvas, my ART with little expectation, some trepidation and a lot of curiosity. This turned out to be a pretty good mix.
I hope you got to try some new things out this year, and that perhaps you were able to ward off a sense of helplessness with a good dose of creativity. Please send me a story or a picture of YOUR amazing creative endeavors that happened or are happening for you during this pandemic! I will happily share your stories in my next newsletter (unless you don't want that, of course). Here I have included only paintings created during the pandemic. There were also a few workshops, classes and new pieces that I haven't included here. So you can say, I haven't sat around very much. It is good to look back and take stock of what you accomplished and not just what you were afraid of.