Finding inspiration is hard for any artist at any time, but especially so when most have been flung out of their routines and stuck at home for weeks. Artists are needed now more than ever to keep the public entertained, so here are a couple of local artists finding ways to stay inspired digitally

“When we got the announcement that we were going to transition to EDL, I immediately knew I wanted to focus the curriculum on allowing spaces to relieve stress, process change and create beauty,” visual arts teacher Kearci Moir said. “I know for me as an artist, I always feel accomplished, rested and excited when I finish a piece, and those are all great things to aim for in this time of stress.”

With the limitations that come with staying home, some students are shifting their focus to social media sites to safely access and share their work. Sophomore and artist Sana Ahmed uses social media as inspiration for her painting, music and dance.

“As basic as it seems, I use TikTok and Pinterest,” Ahmed said. “There’s a lot of artists both for art and music who use that platform to show their work; usually it’s something I don’t see that often, and I get really inspired by how unique and free their work is.”

Other resources to delve into while sheltered at home include virtual reality museum visits, online galleries of public domain art and social media art challenges.

“To stay creative, I have been looking through older photos and been using Instagram as my source of inspiration for creating,” senior and photographer Maddy Noh said. “From looking at popular photographers to my fellow peers, I am able to get encouraged to create.”

While staying inspired and productive with your art is important, be sure to use art as a method to de-stress rather than adding to other present anxiety.

“We are all adjusting to this strange new world and grieving normal life,” Moir said. “It’s important to listen to yourself and not feel like you need to be productive 100% of the time. I know there’s a lot of pressure on social media to use this time to create, which is great, but if it just adds to the stress that you’re already feeling, then that’s not the point and not helpful. For me as an artist, it’s been reminding myself that making art brings me joy and helps me cope, but so do other things, too!”