A big thing right now is finding strong enough inspiration during these trying times that will give you a desire to create. A lot of creatives have found new ways of finding inspiration, and it’s been a surprise to realize that sometimes inspiration comes from the things that we might not deem as interesting upon first glance. Although I’m into photography, I’ve found myself finding inspiration from books (that have no actual visuals), paintings, and even clothing. You just have to know where to look and have an open mind.

Some creatives find comfort in solitude. Some strive when they have nothing but time. Being able to focus entirely on their art without any distractions is a gift (considering some have the ability to ignore the current state of the world), and they use this as a time to focus and create.

For others (myself included), that may not be the case. I myself am an artist whose process has always been uncertain and fickle, never sure. Inspiration and motivation comes to me in pieces. Nothing comes to me in sequence, nothing in its fullest form. A spark of inspiration throughout the day has me running for my camera, or to whatever tools are immediately available to me to write down my last thoughts, in hopes that it won’t leave my mind.

This pandemic forced me to realize that the uncertainty and inconsistency of my process insinuates that inspiration comes externally, therefore it is dependent of my surroundings. I know that is the case for many other creatives, where they need an external source of inspiration, rather than finding it inside of us. This past year proved to us that we are in no way in control of the outside world, but we do have control over ourselves. What we do have control over is our ability to acknowledge our own story, our own ability to remember past experiences, to use what we’ve learned and to act with intention. These are things that we all have control over as creatives and as people living in a time of such unpredictability and uncertainty.

I had the honor of speaking to Ariana Pina, local artist and creative, about finding the inspiration needed to create something, even with the lack of stimulation due to the changing environment. “Before the pandemic, an important part of my creative process consisted of hanging out with friends on my free time. I loved being around them in their element, getting to see their creative process. I’ve always struggled with staying motivated and being in those positive, stimulating environments was inspiring me to create something. My source of inspiration wasn’t necessarily limited to being in a specific environment… Being around my friends/acquaintances in any kind of setting is enough for me to be inspired in some way, because they’re just really cool people with interesting things to share.”

“Now that I’ve had to Quarantine and social distance, I haven’t seen any of my friends at all really. I’ve had to adjust my attitude towards gaining inspiration, in the way that pre-Covid, I wasn’t necessarily out ‘looking’ for ideas or inspiration. Now I have to look with intent” she says.

It’s hard to find new ways of staying active and creative, especially when you already have a way of doing things. In the “before times”, we all had a certain system in which we would work but all of that went out the window with this pandemic, and that might not necessarily be a bad thing. I believe it is important to break out of habits. It is important to put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. It is important to do new things you don’t feel confident with, as that is how you grow. To challenge habits is to grow, and growth in itself can be art.

“Recently I’ve been realizing how other artists have taken advantage of their self-isolation in such productive ways, personal to them and their work. A lot of people I’ve noticed online have been able to create despite the extremities brought by this Pandemic which has honestly kind of lit a fire in my ass… I’ve reminded myself that I love creating and I’m becoming acquainted with new people, art, ideas etc.. from around the world, more now than ever” says Pina.

“I’ve been screenshotting photos online, writing down concept ideas, and creating mood boards to ensure that I actually apply my ideas, as opposed to discarding them!” she says.

Creativity is many things. It is making new connections, with yourself or a great other universal energy. It is connecting with new ideas. It is embracing fear, doubt, and our inner critic. It is staying open-minded. It is challenging ourselves to do things we do not regularly do. It is being able to acknowledge that we truly aren’t doing enough. It is pushing ourselves to do more, for the things that we love doing.

After years of speculating, months of teasing, and hours of waiting, we finally got an official release date for Sony’s Playstation 5. The Playstation 5 released here in the U.S. on Nov.12, and people have been going crazy. Following the release of its predecessor 7 years later, the Playstaion 5 has already made a massive impact with the world, and to those lucky enough to have had the opportunity to purchase one. I am not one of those people.

I remember being 17, and always keeping up to date on new video games and new consoles that were releasing. I would always check for updates and news articles on multiple websites, to make sure that I didn’t miss anything. Now that I am older (and I mean much older) it seems as I don’t have much time anymore to keep updated on any of those things, so I find out about things late, like the old man that I am.

Although I don’t quite keep up with news regarding video games, I still play video games on my free time. The older I get, the less free time I have, hence why I don’t know anything, about anything anymore.

About a week ago, a friend contacted me saying “Are you planning on purchasing the PS5 ?” Which I responded with “I didn’t even know it was releasing.”

His question sparked excitement inside of me, as I began to remember what it was like to own a gaming console, and what it was like to be excited about a video game again. 7 years ago, I stood in line at a Best Buy until it hit midnight, so I could purchase the Playstation 4.

I was so excited that I thought about doing the same again. I planned to go the night of release to Best Buy again, as I assumed they’d have plenty in stock.

I was wrong.

I called a Best Buy and to my disappointment, they told me that they only have a handful in stock, and there were already people waiting in line outside, rain and all.

I was confused as it was Tuesday, but the console didn’t release until Thursday. In a sad, and tired voice, the Best Buy employee says to me “Yea, they’re going to camp outside until Thursday morning to purchase one.”

My hopes of waiting in line outside for the sake of nostalgia went straight out the window, along with the Best Buy employee’s patience.

My next move was to attempt to purchase it online, as my friend told me that they were going to be releasing them online as well via Target, Walmart, and Best Buy’s website.

I waited until that morning, surprisingly anxious for this release. 2020 has been nothing but stressful, and it felt nice to have something to look forward to.

The morning came and I had my laptop, my phone, my mother’s phone, my mother’s iPad, my girlfriend’s iPad, my girlfriend’s phone, and my girlfriend’s laptop, all open and ready.

Safe to say that I was prepared.

30 seconds into my mission, and I am already starting to lose hope. Best Buy and Walmart’s website weren’t loading at all, and Target’s page was completely frozen. But I refused to give up.

I kept refreshing the page in hopes that something would work, but everything continued frozen. About a minute had gone by now.

Target’s website finally brought me to the page where you can make your selection and add things to your cart. I successfully added the console to my cart, skipping through all of the other offers they try to throw in your face as a last-minute sale.

I do not want protection. I’ll be extra careful.

Seems like my efforts are being rewarded, as I have successfully added the item to my cart, and I am on the “My cart” page where it still shows my item ready to be purchased. I hovered my little white cursor over the “Checkout” box, and I triumphantly clicked it, with a smile on my face.

Nothing happens.

Maybe I didn’t click it hard enough. I clicked it again, waiting for the page to change.

Nothing happens. Again.

I continued to click on that tiny little red box as if my life depended on it. Nothing was changing, and that little box was just staring back at me, refusing to let go of this webpage, as if mocking me.

10 minutes went by, and nothing changed. I go on Twitter, to see if anybody else is having the same issue as me, and to my surprise, the topic is actually trending on Twitter nationwide. Over 15 thousand tweets, regarding the #SonyPS5 .

I decided to read through some of the top tweets, and I was shocked to see that even some of the bigger verified pages were having the same issue. There was anger and frustration all over the country, and it felt nice to not be alone.

About an hour later, Target and other companies alike all went on social media to address their server issues, and they all apologized for the inconveniences.

Apologizing does not get me a new Playstation 5.