Although creative collaboration has become more difficult as a result of restrictions on gathering ,the additional time that has arisen for many over the past year has created an oppurtunity to explore interests and hobbies there wasn’t time for before.
Though collaboration and in person endeavours have become more difficult, social media has provided an outlet for those wishing tolearn more about different pastimes and connect with people already in these communities and subcultures.
While the situation has been damaging for many, some have found it to be a beneficial experience thats help them both stay entertained and grow as people.
Karina Rivera had had a passing interest in photography but found she never had the time to pursue it before the Covid pandemic and the subsequent lockdown that occurred in 2020.
With this time she found she was able to both practice and connect with other people around her shehadn’t previously met with the same interest.
“I couldn’t really go anywhere too public so I started off just taking pictures in my neighborhood. Lots of birds and trees. Than I brought thepictures to people I met online and they gave me advice on how to edit them digitally. It reall ytaught me alot,” she said.
Once restrictions started loosening up she started going to a wider array oflocations, mainly outdoors.
Recently she was able to meet a friend she’d met on Instagram in a state park and take pictures with her.
“I’m really glad I spent my time the way I did. I met so many new people and learned things I never would’ve been aware of otherwise,” she said. ” I’m gonna start branching out further in the future, they’re a couple other people I wanna meet up with soon.”
A few music scenes have also gone through a rebirth of sorts as a result of the increased attention payed to music production through the pandemic.
Many have taken to learning a new instrument or creating music with the time they have to do so.
Some have even begun to take themselves seriously as musicians and attempt to build a following.
Altough collaboration had to be done digitally, some were able to meet and start projects with other musicians.
Logan Werner, a high school senior, had long dabbled in music and know how to play a few instruments, though he’d never gone to far in collaborating with anyone else before when it came to music production.
At first he bought the equipment needed and attempted to create music on his own but found he wasn’t skilled enough to do everything independently.
This led him to start participating in forums dedicated to finding and collaborating with other musicans online.
“I was pretty hesitant at first because I thought it’d be too hard to collaborate with people long distance, but eventually I realized it was probably a good idea,” he said. “I tried getting together with people I went to school with but my interests were a little too niche.”
He’s since met several musicians with whom he collaborates on a regular basis with.
“Meeting them’s taught me alot about production I wouldn’t have cared about before. I wasn’t experienced enough to do it all on my own,” he said. “Now I’m able to focus on what I want to focus on and not have to worry about the aspects I don’t know anything about. It saves me alot of time and in the long run I think it’ll make th eproject a lot better than it would’ve been otherwise.”
He continues to produce music and plans on eventually releasing his work in some capacity.
The opportunities provided by boredom and isolation over the course of the past year have proven to be not completely negative when it comes to the various interests and hobbies people have decided to immerse themselves in.
With more time that was once occupied by in person classes, many have found pastimes that will occupy and inspire them long after a return to social normalcy.
