It occurs to me that one of the most important aspects of staying home is the ability to access and create art. I’m seeing it every day.

The joke is our forefathers were asked to go to war, and we are asked to sit on the couch… we can do this! Of course, we can. It’s even easier with a million shows to watch and movies to stream. The internet has billions of places to go to see the northern lights, museums, and more.

I’m lucky enough to be able to work from home. I sit in my basement and take care of the things I used to do in the office. I write my articles, my box art copy, my magazine ads, and interact with my co-workers via Microsoft Team and Zoom. It’s different, but it works, and I know we are all going to get through this stronger and more together than ever before.

One of my simple joys is walking the dog in my neighborhood. This week I found chalk art on the sidewalks, and it made me happy. I was inspired. It made me want to do some chalk art in our little neck of the woods.

My daughter is a few hours away, dealing with not being able to teach her middle schoolers and finding ways to cope with the new normal. Her solution was to go outside in the sun and draw. She’s able to do that because where she lives is a seriously small town, and she can walk out her door and be downtown in minutes. She’s grabbing a few pencils and a sketchpad, finding a nice bench or a patch of grass and drawing.

Being creative is vitally important. Viewing art keeps us sane, and making it brings joy to ourselves and others.

How are you being creative? What art will you bring into the world?