Lyndsey Jones 琳赛·琼斯
Acellist， entrepreneur and scientist all have one thing in common — they are using the lockdown as a time to tap into their creativity to seek opportunities or solutions to projects they were working on before the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
Like millions of workers worldwide， Liz Hanks， a UK-based professional cellist who usually tours Europe， saw her work dry up as the outbreak spread. But she recognises that it has given her an opportunity to do something different: “The time right now is so unique in our lives. We have some time to think. Everything has slowed down.”
Now she not only teaches online and records music at home in Sheffield， South Yorkshire， but has also founded a project where solo musicians perform in their own gardens for free so that people can still hear live music. “I thought let's do gigs so someone has something to look forward to，” she says. So far， she has heard a banjo player， accordionist and electric guitarist taking part in “gigs in gardens” as well as playing the cello herself. “There's nothing quite like it — just hearing clapping， some from a long way away. It's quite magical and we are giving people some joy.”
A slower pace of life and learning to love boredom could not only lead to an explosion of people writing and painting masterpieces but also thinking about “creative solutions” to work problems， according to Sandi Mann， a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire， who is running lessons and therapy clinics remotely.
“Boredom is one of the most creative forces — there are benefits to doing nothing. You start thinking in novel and productive ways，” she says. “Get through the pain barrier and discover your creativity that is waiting to emerge.”
Lockdown could turn out to be one of the most creative times for humankind， says Ms Mann， author of The Science of Boredom. After all， William Shakespeare allegedly wrote King Lear during a plague， Sir Isaac Newton reportedly formulated the theory of gravity in quarantine in the 17th century， while Alexander Pushkin wrote some of his greatest works under lockdown in 1830.