Ms.Rona, Ms.Rona–

My, how you’ve made a mess of the world we once knew! It seems like things just can’t go right, we’re constantly in this whirlwind of mess and it’s so hard to find the beauty in what you’ve created around us.

But lucky I have been able to. Ever since Corona has plagued the world as we know it, I’ve had a lot of more time to myself over the past few months: free time that I haven’t been able to experience since I was young, and honestly? It has helped bring back that childlike creativity in so many ways! The most notable being my skills as an artist (skills I barely had any idea about). 

Since middle school, my favorite courses have always been science and art. With art in any medium–whether it be ceramics, textile or 2D work–it was always my favorite.

My most fond memory of art class back in middle school has to be when one of my textile projects had been chosen to be on display in a restaurant! My little heart was swelled, and I had truly felt like a real artist at that point in my life. Up to my Senior year of high school I had taken an art elective, and made sure to take it as serious as an AP Biology course. If that doesn’t tell you how passionate I was about it, I don’t know what will!

We all know an AP course is nothing to play with. Even though I had passion for it, it seemed to completely die once I got to college. I didn’t pick up a pencil and paper to draw a single thing (if it wasn’t for my creativity course back in my Sophomore year.).

It was like I had became so distant and abandoned an old love with no formal goodbye (yes, the dramatics are necessary!). I didn’t realize how much I missed it until Phase One of the shut down. Once everything that had consumed my free time was gone when I was left with nothing, but time and thoughts,I craved an outlet that wasn’t just writing. Boy, did I find it! Before I knew it, I had an entire paint set and sat down to get familiar with the new medium after so many years. Every single day, it was something new. Just like that, I was cranking out piece after piece. 

In short, quarantine sucks, Corona is absolute Hell, but there was a silver lining to all of the time away from work, and school. I found an old hobby and rekindled that flame. Ever since it has been the best stress relief there is in the midst of all this craziness. But even though it’s for fun, keep in mind the words of Ms. Badu: “Keep in mind that I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my shit!”

[image from Vogue.com]