Ways to Brighten These CoVid Quarantine Days
How Can Art Make Covid19 a Little More Awesome?
It’s an opportunity to upgrade!
Even a little thing like changing your phone’s wallpaper can brighten your tech world experience. Ditch the drab stock background and sashay into something brighter and more inspiring. I’m working to create some downloadable wallpapers, but for now, just go to the gallery, scroll until you find the painting that speaks to you the most, enlarge the photo and screen grab! (Yes, I’m granting you temporary permission to steal my images, lol.) Zoom and adjust, until your favorite part of the painting is in view, save, then use your phones settings to make it your background! If you don’t know how Google “How to change my phone’s background image”, you’ll be fine.
Express Yourself!
Go get a piece of paper and something to write with. It can be any type of paper, any size, any color, line or no lines, whatever you like! The writing tool can be a pencil, pen, marker, crayon, eyeliner, lipstick, house paint, ketchup, or hair dye. It really doesn’t matter and for this exercise the wackier the better. Now take that paper, and that creative medium and start with a line. Make it straight or wavy, thick or thin, light or dark, it’s your call! Over the next ten minutes or as long as you’re inspired just doodle. That’s right DOODLE! Make your lines anywhere on the page that you want, there is no right or wrong answer to this. Just keep doodling! PS> I know you all think this is a great and fun idea but how many of you will take the time to actually do it!?
Command your space!
Unless your home was just made over by an HGTV crew, you probably have some #housegoals. With all this time confined to our perimeters, it’s the perfect time to start day-dreaming about decor ideals. I know money is tight or you’re afraid it will get that way, but daydreaming is free and it’s oh so much fun. So let’s do it! Look at your space, your home, and remember that this is supposed to be a space that makes you feel like your happiest self. It doesn't matter if you’re a preppy neat freak who values organized perfection, or a grunge rock guitarist who finds comfort in a little bit of chaos. You may even be a grunge rock guitarist who follows the OCD methods of Marie Kondo’s Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up! This exercise is not about changing what makes you happy at home, it’s about emphasizing and redesigning what makes your home more YOU! Look at your space. Decide what you can edit out and imagine what you’d want to add (go to Pinterest if you have to for ideas). Some key things to remember- Art can be a supporting actor or the main character. Every room has a story to tell and paintings can tell an entire story or just pieces of it. The choice is yours. If you come up with any ideas that you need help with or want my services, be in touch. You know I’m here for you..
Visit an Artist’s Studio!
No, I’m not telling you to physically leave your house. NO NO NO. No breaking the stay-at-home order. BUT you can contact your favorite artist and ask them to give you a virtual tour of their studio. Lots of artists will oblige this request, in fact, I think we’d all welcome it! Nearly every phone has the capability to do a video call of some type. Find your platform (Facebook Messenger, FaceTime, Google hangouts, Zoom, even Instagram has a video chat option) and spend some quality time getting a close-up look at some art from a CoVid safe distance.
Window Shop Online
Everything is closed but the internet! In combination with your #homegoals daydreaming, do a little window shopping just like you’re gallery hopping through Chelsea on a Thursday night. The intention here is to LOOK at art. Just take it in. Feel it, wonder about it. Like it or don’t, but form an opinion, or not. Don’t take this too seriously, but don’t make the experience insignificant either. Consider this like a virtual museum walk. In fact, from the artwork you see, make a list of the ones you think might be museum worthy someday, and for bonus points make note of why. Post your critique for your friends to see and let them tell you you should be the next Jerry Saltz. There are plenty of places online to view collections of art from various artists and mediums. Artsy, Artnet, and Saatchi are kind of mega, and Etsy is a good source for those who want to see more craft-based functional art.
Become An Artist
Ok, easier said than done, but I can help make it a little easier and fun. Let’s try my traditional in person workshop, but from home! It really can be the same uplifting, therapeutic, group activity we’ve done in the past, but with virtual hangout platforms assisting us along the way. Send me an email to info@erikarachel.com and we can set things up. All it’s takes it a willingness to be creative, no prior creative experience necessary. If you don’t know what my workshops are like check out the workshops page for a taste.
Onward!
I think that’s enough for you to start with, don’t you!? I have a few more ideas brewing, so maybe I’ll post a sequel in a few weeks. I know some of you will be begging for something new to do by then, and I aim to help however I can.
Please reach out to me if you need anything that my expertise can assist with!
Stay Safe and Happy Ya’ll!