Since Covid-19, young artists have dealt with managing their time evenly and balancing out their work life while staying inspired and driven to continue working on their personal craft.

Young artists have struggled to maintain focus and find inspiration as they deal with the repercussions of the pandemic. Virtual courses have also interfered with their ability to create content.

Students at NECC have shared their artistic processes and the effects that COVID-19 has had on them.

Art & Design major Susan Elias shares that since the pandemic she has had little to no time to work on her personal craft outside of immediate course assignments. Virtual courses have also hindered Elias from dedicating time to her hobby.

She states, “When it comes to schoolwork, I do mostly design work because that’s what I work on. As for, personally driven work, I really haven’t had the time for that at all.”

In terms of balance, Elias has found a way to incorporate her personal artistic endeavors within her lifestyle. She says, “I’ve had like a couple freelance jobs outside of school. It’s client work, but still creative.

Despite the inability to dedicate time into her artistry, she has not lost motivation or inspiration.

“If I can’t fit it into my schedule, I’ll avoid it until I have more time. Any free time that I currently have is to relax or catch up with work,” she says.

However, Elias finds some positivity amongst the difficulties stating, “I think I’ve been kind of benefiting from being home, I think I like it better,” she says.

NECC student Mirrorajah Metcalfe is a Journalism major. In her free time, she likes to create personal videos.

“Eventually I want to make a movie/short film. Corona definitely affected it. I have less people to work with,” she says.

For Metcalfe finding the time and motivation is a lot more difficult because of the change in environment.

“I think it’s a lot easier to stick with your craft if your environment is full of things to have to do with your craft. It has both its positives and negatives as well. It’s positive because I’ve had more time to be alone and focus on things, but negative because I have less people to reach out to. I rely heavily on people and my interactions with them. Since I have no people around me, I have less stimulation, thus less inspiration,” she said.