Creating through COVID-19 - An Art-Based Autoethnographic Account

Abstract

The experience of painting during the COVID-19 period initiated this art-based autoethnographic account. The pandemic affected various fields of life; the discussion is thus pursued from a few interrelated points of view: of an individual coping with the COVID-19 crisis on a personal level, of a painter, of an art therapist, of an art therapy lecturer and supervisor, and an artist involved in community interventions. Artmaking and viewing artworks can enhance communication with the beholder and encourage others to reflect verbally and artistically without words. At times of enforced isolation and loneliness, it is essential to have non-verbal forms of expression available when terms are not always general. At times of global crisis, the implications of making art and aesthetic experiences can be individual, intersubjective, and communal. The unique impact on creators and beholders of art creation during a global crisis is discussed in the author’s artworks. The research is art-based: a combination of autoethnography and art-based research. Emergent experiences showed that artmaking likely helps the creator in times of uncertainty and confusion. It can function as an anchor and a tool for reflecting and working through ongoing crises.