Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the artists

Gautam Rawat

It’s hard to put into words how it feels to be an artist during this time. There is so much that we are undergoing that no one was prepared for. Globally people are dying, economies are on the verge of collapse, theatres are closed, ballet companies can’t perform or rehearse, dancers all over the world are going unpaid—with no promise of upcoming paychecks. Careers in the arts are decidedly of an uncertain nature, and so in that sense.



Threat as it does to many of livelihoods and mediums for expression right now. Still, all one has to do is look around and see where people are finding shelter from anxiety and where they find the ability to still be exposed to growth from different perspectives. Art, music, dance, movies, and television shows. Stories are being told through many different mediums that make life within our bland surroundings have color. If anything, the global pandemic has shown us all the level of resilience that the art within us can provide.

The time in quarantine has taught us a lot. We have had a small insight into what it’s like for people who are housebound, which we feel has expanded our empathy. We have had the chance to really connect with friends and colleagues all over the world that we hadn’t been in touch with for a very long time. Also, we’ve shared precious, unexpected moments with people we love, which brought us even closer together. The comparison that we’ve heard used all over the news and in conversation most often compares this pandemic to war, and although we understand the notion, the comparison hasn’t really felt true to us. In a war, people are desperately looking for ways to kill each other, and this feels the exact opposite.

This is actually the first time since I’ve been alive that I’ve seen the entire world rooting for one thing and trying to save each other.



Quarantine also gifted artists with the gentle but vital reminder that they make art because of the magic they feel in the process of making it. If other’s can eventually feel joy from something they’ve made then that is a wonderful repercussion, but for me, the true joy of making a thing comes from the feeling of an idea cautiously loitering around the front steps of the imagination, then the spark that ignites as you ask it to come to life through you.

To be clear, social media is not the bad guy because social media is a tool a device, or implement used to carry out particular functions like Dance Lessons for Wedding Dance which takes on the nature of those who wield it. Social media has served as a platform for a multitude of creative people to present their work to viewers that might have been otherwise out of reach. In that way, social media has made an invaluable contribution but as with any tool, for the sake of efficiency and avoiding injury, it is important to understand the potential hazards of operating it. More and more our compulsive use of social media calibrates our motivations by conditioned immediate satisfaction and feeds an insatiable need to keep up appearances of everlasting happiness and linear success. We are in a crisis, and if all that you do during this time is to apply kindness to yourself and others then you have done well!