Quarantine happened in what I felt was the worst timing for me — it was when I had all of my motivation to do well in classes and my stimulus was at its all-time high, a huge 180° difference from the previous semester. Then, everything turned remote, and looking at the screen every day, having the same interactions with the same two people (my sisters) started to drain me. Out of everyone in the house, I was the only one actually quarantining, and I grew less and less motivated to do anything as the days went on. As the semester ended and I started my summer courses, I continuously felt mentally drained because of the lack of a break I had from my schoolwork along with minimal social interactions.
It wasn’t until I reconnected with a friend of my sister who is an architect that I was able to stimulate myself. I did not realize it, but I slowly became more motivated. I was working on my portfolio in the summer as well and drawing along with photography helped me get through it all. It gave me a calm distraction from the chaos of quarantining and politics because I was doing something I love for hours on end, and the cherry on top was that I was productive as well.
I did not realize how much drawing, and art in general, helped me get through all of the obstacles of quarantine until watching this video. I was mentally drained, and I still tend to find myself drained from time to time, but when I pull out my camera or take out my drawing pencil, I can do what I love without any distractions. As Ian Birky said, art and music are ways for us to still thrive even though our stimulation is constricted.