CHENNAI: In times like these, I think of a quote by one of my favourite authors, Neil Gaiman — “When things get tough this is what you should do: make good art”. “Well,” I thought to myself “things are tough, good is subjective, and I have nothing but time on my hands.” And so the 21 days of creativity challenge was born.
My challenge has only a few rules: Do one creative thing a day. Take your time. Do what makes you happy. Try at least two new things every week. Other than that, my time during the lockdown has been an open playing field. I usually post my final art photos on Instagram, but I did not want to make this an Internet challenge, although I know there are some out there on similar lines.
I see it as more of an opportunity to explore what I can do with limited resources and often limited skills. It could mean exploring new mediums and genres, or learning new software or just trying to cook with limited ingredients. Every day brings something different — new horizons to study in the face of stifling times, and that makes me excited for every brand-new day.
It’s easy to feel helpless in this new normal, but by doing just one creative thing a day, I’ve got both motivation and away just to let that frustration out. If nothing else comes out of this, I can at least say, confidently and contently, that I made good art.— Shivangi Narain