Crafting During Difficult Times: Coping with Creative Challenges During a Pandemic

By: Allison Tunis, B.F.A., D.V.A.T.I.

Craft can be a way for many people to relax, unwind, create, and imagine. However, what happens when the world around us becomes so stressful that it interferes with our creative process? The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic has had devastating impacts on our daily lives and sense of safety, making it difficult to manage stress and maintain positive mental health. This, in turn, can impact our abilities to engage, manage, access, and connect with art. This article will explore some of the challenges creators might face during times of high stress, and offer some suggestions for how to respond. If you are finding in this unprecedented time that creating is more difficult than usual, know that you are not alone and that many are journeying alongside you.

One of the most common things I have heard from other artists and have experienced myself since the pandemic began is a loss of motivation to create. With the world being in chaos, my head is often full of anxieties and I find it difficult to slow down, to think, and to plan. In these types of situations, I like to think about what I get out of my art practice, such as a sense of accomplishment or processing deep feelings, and whether that is compatible with what my overall “needs” are in the moment. It might be hard for us to feel motivated to do something if it is outside of our mental or emotional engagement capacity. For example – if we think about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid, with our physiological needs for things like food, shelter, sleep, etc. at the bottom and “being the best you can be” at the top, if our art practice is trying to fulfill higher level needs when we are lacking more basic needs, it is going to be more difficult to succeed. This could be mitigated by attempting alternative types of processes in order to more align with our needs – which may be more focused on feeling safe, relaxing, distraction, or feeling positive in times like this where there is a lot of fear and negativity in our everyday lives.

During this pandemic, we are now also facing unforeseen circumstances where we are often juggling multiple obligations at one time – we may be parenting, educating, taking care of parents or pets, working from home, AND trying to create, all at the same time. Self-compassion is key to this and pretty much all challenges. We are not super-humans, and may not be able to maintain the same practice that we had before the pandemic. Change and adaptation may be necessary, even temporarily. Adapting to circumstances may include practices such as involving art and craft in our caregiving or education practices, ensuring that we take frequent breaks and have backup plans to allow for self-care, and lowering our expectations of productivity and creation.

“We often have to be gentle with ourselves and adapt to our realities, instead of attempting to continue doing things as we would normally have done.”

Isolation and loneliness is something that has increased significantly for many people this year, and many craft artists may not be meeting up in the same ways as before. In-person events and classes may be put on hold or have to be reimagined. However, there are endless possibilities for connecting with others both virtually and in controlled in-person circumstances – such as getting together to craft outdoors while practicing social distancing, visiting a virtual gallery tour, planning regular craft meet-ups online, or exploring social media to both share our own and support others’ art. Thinking outside the box will help us all to adapt to our new reality, and still connect with other artists and community members.

Accessibility of arts and crafts is a growing concern for many. During this time of lockdown, we may be unable to access some of the things they need to be able to craft, such as materials, tools and equipment, technology, or instruction. Connection and collaboration is necessary to respond to these issues; creating groups or relationships that support each other could be an answer – snail mail or drop-off materials swaps, sharing access to a press or a printer, or finding a buddy who is able to shop for us if we are unable could allow for better accessibility for people who are struggling. Finances can very much be a barrier to people at even the best of times, and the pandemic has increased financial instability for many. Consider donating extra supplies to create a swap group, shelters, or to youth groups.

There has been so much upheaval in our lives recently, that creating should ideally be a safe place to retreat and find comfort. Difficult times impact our feelings of safety and our mental, emotional, spiritual , and physical capacity, and it means that we often have to be gentle with ourselves and adapt to our realities, instead of attempting to continue doing things as we would normally have done. Looking at our challenges, our feelings, our needs, and our realities honestly and reflecting on opportunities to adapt or connect in new ways will hopefully help us to continue to create, share, and support our communities.

Artist and art therapist Allison Tunis has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Alberta, and a graduate diploma in Art Therapy from the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute. She works mainly in cross-stitch embroidery, but also explores mixed media involving acrylic painting, gel transfers and beyond.

In the spring of 2020, Allison Tunis led a webinar for the Alberta Craft Council - Craft as Therapy, a discussion about craft as a therapeutic tool for mental health. The webinar was presented by as part of the ACC’s ongoing Monday Meetup series of online events. Watch the webinar here.