Lockdown: Creative birthplace or prison?

2020. Where our lives as we knew it changed. Social distancing. A daily walk...only one. Zoom meet-ups with family and friends. Microsoft Teams calls: singing lessons, dance lessons, GCSE lessons etc. It really was like life was a film, not the good kind sadly. Not only did the world we knew before close up, it also became a self-regulated prison. Want to go on a walk? Only one a day. Want to meet up with your friends for a coffee? SOCIAL DISTANCE. It was all we knew at the time. Although, was it really a complete and utter hell, or a much needed escape?

I formed a survey of around 30 people, ranging in gender in the 16-25 year age group, in which, I asked whether they believed lockdown was a 'much needed escape', 'a prison' or 'a bit of both'. The results illustrated that 12% believed that it was a much needed escape; generally, reasons followed a similar pattern, many people wished to take more time for self-care and regulate their own timetable, instead of being tied down, like something from Groundhog Day. 23% of the survey, however, completely disagreed with this statement and felt like lockdown was a prison, being barred away and controlled by a higher force. Some from the survey explained that by seeing the same people everyday, they felt a lack of 'proper' socialisation and the feeling of isolation stemmed further into mental health issues. Yet, it can be difficult to contempartalise a whole year, in and out of lockdowns in to one catagory? Is it not? Well, 65% of people from my survey resonated with this. The year of 2020 was definitely not a smooth ride, with peaks and troughs of lockdowns, with new cases daily. The desperation for freedom was much needed from many, whether you were an introvert or extrovert. To go outside, without the fear of the pingdemic ruining your day.

Personally, I have always been a very creative individual. I took up piano lessons when I was 7; that was the springboard for my music interests today. I loved playing the piano and even got to re-write the lyrics to pop song '7 years' and play along for year 6 leavers assembly. I remember it vividly, I felt like I had accomplished something amazing and I wanted to feel that way as much as possible. When I entered secondary school, my creative interest continued. I joined choirs, created my own music, sang in concerts, these things which I still undertake 7 years on. Although, when March 2020 came around, school told us we would be staying at home for a while, just until things were safer with the Covid-19 outbreak. Let's just say the excited Marnie, who thought we were getting another 'extended' half-term holiday, was not expecting what happened next. No school. But worst of all, no music lessons. Music was the one thing which I could never live without. The act of singing and performing with a group of people and collectively being creative is such an fantastic feeling. The realisation of those feelings being taken away for an (wait for it...) 'unprecedented' amount of time was truly awful.

I asked the same group of people a similar question, however skewed towards the more creative side of life in lockdown. Was this time a 'creativity booster' or a 'creativity killer'? 76% of the survey answered that this time was a haven for new creation and creativity. In their opinion, lockdown allowed extra time to perhaps buy that instrument you have always wanted to learn, finish the song that has been sitting in your notepad for months or even start learning how to kit! many felt that time was nothing but a concept in 2020, we had the freedom to mix up the routine and try new things. Yet, like everything in life, not all people have the same experience, right? Well, 24% of people felt that lockdown was a creativity killer, a sponge that took all the joy and imagination out of something previously enjoyable.

Life in Lockdown was so unexpected, the not knowing what would happen one day to the next was daunting. I am not saying everyone had their routine all sussed out before this time, however, it certainly did 'rock the boat'. To have this insight on my demographic in lockdown was so enlightening, to delve into how people truly felt- behind their masks, both physically and metaphorically speaking.

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