Boredom Be Gone with Creative Quarantine Hobbies

Dheeksha Bhima Reddy, Staff Writer|October 21, 2020

Courtesy of Vismaya Sista

Freshman Vismaya Sista uses her long periods of free time in quarantine to look around the world, whether it be in a smaller scale of her backyard or the world within the comfort of her car, and capture the stillness of the world around her. She said she hopes her pictures are a source of inspiration for people looking to get into photography.

As the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surplus of time at home, many students spent time catching up on TV shows and staring at their cell phones for hours, while some engaged in unique hobbies and discovered talents they never knew existed. 

Sophomore Grace Cho has been very musically inclined. However, due to challenges balancing schoolwork and practicing her current instruments—piano, clarinet and recorder—she never had the opportunity to learn another.

“I was watching YouTube, and a person was playing guitar, and I was absolutely intrigued by the guitar,” Cho said. “Thankfully, because of quarantine, I was able to have enough time to finally pick up the guitar that had been laying in my room for a long time.”

Sophomore Janice Jang picked up flower pressing as the thought of wasting beautiful weeds from her garden did not sit well with her and her sibling. She instead decided to dry the flowers and place them in a clear, acrylic board to display the natural artwork.
(Courtesy of Janice Jang)

While some students picked up more practical talents through the lockdown, others chose a more visually creative approach. Sophomore Janice Jang decided to utilize parts of her garden and display it in a beautiful way. 

“When we were cleaning the backyard during quarantine, my sister and I noticed that the weeds were really pretty and didn’t want to throw them away,” Jang said. “Eventually, we decided to start flower pressing the weeds.”

Flower pressing consists of drying petals and leaves in a flower press to exclude light and moisture, making them appear flat and vibrant, often resulting in unique artwork. 

“I would suggest others to just try it out,” Jang said. “Although it might take a long time, it is really pretty to look at and super fun.”

Sista explained how she is able to capture the stillness of life, a place undisturbed by the restlessness of humans, during this interesting period. She is able to show how beautiful the world can be, despite the horrors that come along with the pandemic. (Courtesy of Vismaya Sista)

Another student who expresses her creativity through visual media is freshman Vismaya Sista. Although she picked up photography during the summer of 2019, she never had the opportunity to find an inspiration behind her photos.

“During quarantine, I saw how everything around me was still and that nothing was being disturbed,” Sista said. “This was the perfect time to capture the frozen world around me, something that wouldn’t be possible in any other period.”

Sista said that quarantine helped her understand her passion of showing new perspectives of the world and capturing unique moments through the lens of a camera. 

“If you want to pick up a basic hobby, look around you,” Sista said. “What interests you? What do you want to do? What do you have fun doing? And set aside time each day to see how you like it.”