Living in isolation took on a new look with Covid-19. People tried to find creative ways to deal with the experience. Some coped and some did not. Whether the past couple of years raised awareness of the situation of many people who live a long-term isolated existence is a question I cannot answer.
Disclaimer: The following content is the author’s unresearched ideas, not expert opinion. It should not be relied upon as established fact.
One Perspective
To clarify isolation in the context of this post, it is not necessarily being alone. It is being limited in access to the everyday activities of life as society knows it. The limitations are well known to those with health conditions that limit them physically, socially, mentally, and emotionally. Over time, contact with other people lessens and support communities disappear.
The following video is a short piece to highlight the filling in of time with mundane activities and to convey the shaky emotions that come from feeling trapped by your environment.
One Experience
I am entering my thirteenth year of isolation. With that much time under my belt, one would think I have coping with isolation down pat, when the truth is it varies from day to day.
Over that time, I experienced all the limiting health conditions listed above, even though my limitation is with physical mobility. It is accompanied by chronic pain that limits the length of time I can commit to social interactions. Consequently, my mental health and emotional wellbeing also suffered.
The Role of Creativity
This is where being creative became a saviour. By focussing on the positive energy of designing and developing a new creation, my mind was distracted from the negative impact of pain. This led me to make being creative the central focus of my isolated life and I developed a desire to learn more about the creative arts.
Over the 13 years, I started with thread crafts, then studied creative writing, and am now more than halfway through a course in digital designing and animation.
Where Things Stand
Still isolated, I long to share my creative journey with like-minded people; to talk about the processes and purposes of creations and find friendships that support each other. Limited in my capacity to do that in the physical world, I am reaching out online in the hope of finding those like-minded people.
With this goal in mind, I made a New Year’s resolution for 2022, to develop an online space for that interaction. If anyone reading this wants to connect with me, please go to one of the following and leave a message or comment.