The world is in “a great big scientific experiment” where despite the distress caused by the outbreak， people will try to look on the positive side. “The backdrop of illness is that as humans look for positivity， they channel creativity，” Ms Mann says.
“Allow yourself to be bored and see it as something good. Embrace boredom and your mind will occupy itself. You could end up painting — or writing — a masterpiece.”
Some people， such as freelancers， may be able to tap into creativity more readily than others because they are used to seeking out opportunities as part of their normal work routine.
“I've always had to be creative to keep things going and find new business opportunities，”says Balvinder Powar， a Madrid-based leadership trainer and entrepreneur who has worked as a freelancer for about 10 years. “But now is the time to push what was on the backburner to the front and open up new income lines.”
He has used his confinement in Spain to focus on pursuing new projects， such as helping IE business school students in Madrid develop a way of producing food. “This is a time to keep trust going with your business relationships，” adds Mr Powar， who is writing a proposal for a book on leadership， as well as broadening his own training by taking a course on neuroscience.
“It's also a time to prepare yourself for what's coming next. Set aside one or two hours a day to research and think about what you are good at and train yourself up，” he says.
大提琴手、企业家和科学家有一个共同点——他们利用封城这段时光挖掘自身创造力，探索发展机会，为新冠病毒疫情肆虐后搁置下来的课题项目寻找解决办法。
定居英国的专业大提琴手莉兹·汉克斯以往总在欧洲各地巡演，现在，她跟全球各地千百万工作者一样，也目睹自己的工作随着疫情的蔓延不断蒸发。但她认识到疫情反倒让自己有机会干些不同的事情：“眼下这段时光在我们的一生中非常独特。我们能有一段时间好好思考。一切都放慢了速度。”
如今，汉克斯在南约克郡设菲尔德的家里，不仅开通在线授课、录制乐曲，还发起一项活动，请独奏艺人们在自家花园里义务弹奏，让人们足不出户仍然能够聆听现场演奏的音乐。她说：“我当时想，不如搞点特约演出，让人有个期盼。”迄今为止，汉克斯听到过一名班卓琴手、一名手风琴手还有一名电吉他手参加“花园特约演奏会”活动，她也架起大提琴亲身上阵。“这真是太新鲜了——只能听到鼓掌的声音，有些掌声从很远的地方传来。非常神奇，我们给大家带去了一些欢乐。”