Liam Cole

My COVID-19 experience was defined by the pastimes I engaged in during it. Like many others I went through waves of anxiety, loneliness, and solitude. It was also a time where I got to rediscover pastimes I had not participated in for a long time as my career had always taken priority. I came to realized that the best way to cope with these emotions was with the things that had always brought me joy; the things I had stopped making time for before the global pandemic. With increased isolation and free time, I was able to devote plenty of time towards doing COVID-themed art and playing video games. It was these coping strategies that helped me get through it all.

A SOCIALLY DISTANCED LOCAL POP-UP ART MARKET

A photograph of a chalkboard sign that reads: "Pop-Up Market: welcome everyone! Wear your mask, sanitize your hands, one household at a time." Beside the sign is a basket containing a bottle of hand sanitizer and same COVID-19 face masks. The sign is located on the driveway of the home in Kitchener, Ontario, which hosted a socially-distanced art market before the holidays.

 

This is what reignited the flame of my interests. My partner and her mother both work as artists, so as COVID raged on and shifted their business to being online it affected how many artworks they were selling. In late 2020 they decided to curate and host a pop-up art market in their driveway and backyard (the image included is that of the welcome sign). Hand sanitizer and extra face masks were provided, and community members could come and browse an all outdoors art 'gallery.' At this point in the pandemic I had mostly just been overworking as a way to avoid feeling any unpleasant emotions for too long, but I knew it wasn't sustainable. It had also been years since I had even attempted a sketch as I didn't make time for it anymore. It was in helping facilitate this art market that I became inspired to do art again. I began sketching for an hour or so after work every day, just putting the first idea that came to mind on paper. What surprised me was how much my art reflected how I was feeling. I was feeling burnt out, depressed, afraid for the future. My artworks were of figures in a state of shock or decay, abandoned buildings, and movie posters remade with a COVID theme. Through these sketches I became more aware of how I had been feeling, but more importantly I began feeling much better. By channeling my experiences into art I was able to better process what was going on, and I started to cope in a healthier way. For some examples of my COVID-19-inspired art, view the Gallery at the bottom of this page.

 

 

In addition to returning to my art, the pandemic also led to me spend more time playing video games. I received my first game system when I was 4 and have been playing games almost every day since. However as time went on, I had less and less time for it. As university and a full time career took the majority of my time, I moved away from playing video games. The pandemic made me want to escape, and games provided me with an avenue to do so. They gave me endless universes, stories, and atmospheres to explore that existed beyond the chaos and uncertainty that was COVID-19. In numerous bouts of getting sick, I ended up with many long periods of self-isolation at home. Aside from my art, what kept me sane was playing video games. I started making time for it again. I started playing games online with my friends and brother again, which allowed us to stay together despite being apart. In 2020, I had played over 2,000 hours more than I had in 2019. The photo included is what a typical day of isolation looked like for me: playing games on the couch while my cat, Juno, slept in my arms. Although it may seem mundane in hindsight, spending time with pets and video games were really common activities that people used to get through the pandemic. For myself it gave a sense of connectivity, relaxation, and an ability to maintain social relationships. I had previously thought of video games as a cure for boredom, but it had become a cure for the deeply unpleasant emotions that often came with COVID. Spending time with my cat and playing video games with friends was a major way I coped with the pandemic. 

PLAYING VIDEO GAMES WITH JUNO

A photograph of the contributor holding a video game controller while their cat takes a nap in their arms. The controller is red, and is emitting a blue light. The cat, Juno, is curled up and asleep. She is small, and is light grey with dark grey stripes. The image highlights that spending time with pets and play video games were common coping strategies for those living in lockdown or experiencing quarantine.

USING VR TECHNOLOGY TO OVERCOME "ZOOM FATIGUE" IN REMOTE WORK

An article from the site Mashable talking about how their office used VR (virtual reality) technology to overcome Zoom fatigue. The journalist discusses how through VR technology, their company used a service called Spatial to digital recreate their office space so that they could virtually attend their meetings in a physical space. The article covers how users were able to decorate their space how they wished and were able to use avatars based on their own likeness. The article concludes by reflecting how using a VR space for meetings was more beneficial to their office team's morale and health, but the technology still needs improvement.

During the pandemic, workplaces, schools, and universities shifted to working remotely from home. As the pandemic dragged on, many people (myself included) expressed what we called "Zoom fatigue," meaning a sense of emotional and mental burnout from an excessive amount of virtual work. Working remotely causes us to lose that feeling of connectivity you get through social relationships. What captured my attention was the article's headline. It ran on Mashable and can be read here. I hadn't heard of video games being used in the context of remote work. I always associated video games with what you do after work, not something that helps you at work. The author discusses how instead of hosting remote meetings through popular technology apps like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, they held their meetings in VR (virtual reality). They could decorate their virtual office and interact with their coworkers' avatars in real time. I was really impressed with the positive effects listed. The author wrote how beneficial it was for their team's morale and mental health to have their remote work happen over VR. The article made me feel hopeful for the future. VR technology is still in its infancy. Having the capabilities of digitally recreating an office space so that working remotely can feel more "human" is a great advancement for the industry. It makes me hopeful that if another pandemic comes along, it won't feel as lonely and isolating as this one was.

 

An infographic discussing alcohol and cannabis use during COVID-19. The main purpose of the infographic is to express the increased risks associated between alcohol and cannabis use and COVID-19. The graph states that excessive alcohol or cannabis use weakens the immune system, which makes people more susceptible to the virus. It discusses conditions that may lead people to increased substance use such as social isolation, stress, and loneliness.

COVID-19, ALCOHOL, AND CANNABIS USE
 

When it comes to coping strategies, it is worth discussing how not all of them are healthy. The infographic above details the relationship between COVID, and alcohol and cannabis use. The report was posted by the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA) website. The report cautions readers that alcohol and cannabis use can increase during the pandemic (and did, according to this Statistics Canada report which found that 24% of adults in Canada increased alcohol consumption and 34% increased cannabis consumption). The infographic states that COVID can cause feelings of anxiety and isolation, which can lead to increased substance use. It also warns that excessive or high-risk (such as binge use) can make people more susceptible to COVID-19. During the pandemic, stores that sell alcohol and cannabis were always deemed essential services, and even incorporated curb-side pick-up (for cannabis stores) and delivery (for both). I believe it's important to include this information in the topic of coping strategies during COVID as the intense pressures and emotions that accompany a global event such as this can lead to increased substance misuse and addiction. During the pandemic this was increasingly problematic as addiction treatment centres struggled to operate as they had before, as illnesses reduced staffing, and public health restrictions reduced resident capacity. Some addiction treatment facilities were able to shift to operate virtually through services like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, but many were not. More information on challenges treatment centres experienced during COVID can be found in this CCSA report. With substance use on the rise and access to treatment on the decline, it was important for infographics such as this to be published online and hopefully make people more aware of the dangers in engaging too excessively in potentially unhealthy coping. Perhaps this pandemic highlighted gaps in addiction service provision and more government and public resources can be devoted towards preparing for a future pandemic - such as investing in virtual technology.

 

COVID Q&A

Describe the moment you realized how serious COVID-19 was:

I realized how serious COVID was when my work adopted a public health policy of wearing medical-grade face masks at all times. At the time I was working as a social worker with folks experiencing addiction and homelessness. In that work, being able to read facial expressions and emotions is vital to being able to build trust and rapport with clients, so being mandated to wear a masks that covers our face was a big development in the pandemic for me. I realized how serious it was as public health took priority over rapport-building. In hindsight it makes complete sense, but at the time I was shocked by the policy update, but it was a sign of COVID being taken more seriously. 

What did you learn about yourself or the people you live with during COVID-19?

I learned not to take being able to see my friends for granted. I am fortunate to have very close friends with whom I've known for many years. It was difficult not being able to see them in-person during the pandemic. It was tougher still when some of them contracted the virus from working on the frontlines, something I was also doing. (They have all since recovered, but it was still quite shocking). Through Zoom calls and playing video games online, we were able to maintain consistent contact with each other, though it is not the same as hanging out face to face.

Other than wearing a mask, what was the biggest change you made to your daily life? Do you think this change will remain when all lockdowns are lifted?

Oddly enough, wearing a mask was one of the few big changes to my daily life during the pandemic. I was unable to see family and friends in-person, but I was working so frequently leading up the COVID that I did not have that much time to see others anyways. I was working completely in-person, doing exactly what I had done before, just now with a face mask and 6 feet of distance between myself and anyone else. What was difficult was feeling like I had to pretend everything was normal when it was not. I was jealous of those whose lives were different, in the sense of working from home and having more spare time than they know what to do with. I was envious as my life hadn't really changed. I was still going in to work every day and putting myself at risk. As for changing when the lockdown lifts, my life is completely different now. I went from working full-time in healthcare as a social worker to being a full-time university student (again). What will change is my virtual classes will eventually become to in-person.

Have you learned any new skills during the pandemic?

For me the pandemic hasn't been about learning new skills to much as re-learning old skills. My pandemic experience was all about re-learning and re-engaging with the pastimes I had shelved away as work slowly took priority over all areas of my life. The pandemic helped me realize that what's most important is what brings me peace and joy, rather than what contributions I'm making to society through work.

How do you feel about university education in the last year?

I have a somewhat unique experience in that the summer of 2021 was my first semester of university during the COVID age. I had completed a previous undergrad about 5 years ago, but I had decided to return to university during the pandemic to study a new field. The experiences overall are quite different as this is a History program and previously I had taken Social Work, but even more so was this semester taking place exclusively online. I actually really enjoyed online learning. It was great not having to worry about gas money or parking fees. As my work had been entirely in-person, I had only a mild case of Zoom fatigue, so online learning was a pleasant change of pace. I did not feel like I was missing out on "the university experience" by taking my courses online, but perhaps that is because I have had that experience before.

List one positive thing and one negative thing you'll take away from 2020:

One positive takeaway for me is getting back into art. One negative takeaway is feeling burnt out. Mostly due to the pressures from work caused by the pandemic, I experienced an intense burn out I hadn't before. It wasn't all negative, as it gave me time to reflect deeply on my interests and my career. This helped me realize that I was not doing something that satisfied me or brought me joy. It was a snow-balling effect which led to reapply to university, becoming the third-generation Guelph student in my family, and studying a subject I'm really passionate about.

What is the best movie or TV show you've watched, or the best book you've read, in the past 18 months:

Bo Burnham's musical-comedy special Inside on Netflix. Written, recorded, and performed entirely in self-isolation over the course of a year, Bo performs a variety of songs about or inspired by his COVID experience. He locked himself in a small cabin with nothing but some instruments, his laptop, and his camera. He filmed and edited the entire project by himself. Many of the songs touch of the impacts it had on his mental health, loneliness, social media use, and the internet. Not only is it an incredible piece of media, but it dives unbelievably deep into the effects of a year alone. It is an essential viewing to understanding what it was like to experience COVID while the pandemic was going on.

How large of an impact do you think COVID-19 has had on your mental health?

As alluded to in my introduction, the largest impacts of COVID on my mental health were waves of depression and anxiety. These concepts were not new to me, during COVID they were emotions that came to me frequently. Pressure from work, uncertainty about the future, friends contracting COVID, self-isolation, and loneliness all contributed to this. It was in resuming my passion for art that I was able to channel these emotions and handle them in a healthy way.

How has technology impacted your life during lockdown?

This pandemic has been a period where there is much uncertainty, where there was no end in sight for a long time, and where things got a lot worse before they started getting better. It was a time where I went through feeling anxious and alone. But it was also a period where I was able to learn new things about myself. I learned I am still able to enjoy doing art and can still find inspiration, something I had thought was long gone. I learned that setting aside time for self-care on a daily basis is incredibly important, not only for when there's a pandemic, but for regular life as well. I learned that video games are a completely valid form of self-care, as well as being tools for distanced social connectivity and even workplace innovation. Perhaps if I hadn't lived through a global pandemic I wouldn't have learned these things about myself. Through my art and technology like video games and Zoom calls with family and friends, I was able to not only survive this historical event, but I was eventually able to thrive in it.

How has the pandemic brought wider acknowledgement to systemic racism in Canada?

In regards to COVID specifically, what comes to mind is accessing vaccines. Booking vaccines and accessing vaccine information has become digital, which is convenient for some, but creates unequal access. Many groups don't have equal access to technology. Particularly groups of older folks and immigrants with language barriers. These groups don't have the same access to technology, or the same understanding of how to use it. This is incredibly problematic as Ontario's plan for reopening relies on vaccination rates, and certain groups of marginalized folks are falling through the cracks due to this technological divide. On a different note, most recently there was news of the remains of 215 children were found outside a residential school in B.C. We had a discussion in class around this topic and education on Canadian history in general where many classmates (including myself) had an experience in schooling where Indigenous history was either not taught at all or the damaging effects of colonialism and systemic racism were minimized. In the COVID age, we as a nation are becoming more aware of systemic racism, however the question remains what will we do about it?

In what ways do you envision society changing due to the pandemic?

I think most of the changes will be in our attitudes about public health. I think wearing face masks in public will become more common, especially if the person is sick. I think hand washing and hand sanitizer use will remain consistent. It is hard to say right now as the pandemic is still ongoing. It could be that nothing changes and we rush back to "normal." Another big change could be around the use of technology. I think that using virtual platforms will become more commonplace. Working from home has been proven to be a viable option in most cases, so perhaps it will help increase accessibility in the workplace.

Now that you are done with both the course and your additions to the archive, is there anything you'd like to reflect on?

I think I've covered most of what I'd like to say already. I honestly wasn't sure how I felt about taking a course about the pandemic while also living it. I'm really thankful for the experience to learn more about past pandemics and know that humanity has always pulled through, and that the last 18 months hasn't been anything that we as a people haven't experienced before. I'm thankful to be able to talk about and share my COVID-inspired art. Most of all, however, I feel hopeful for the future. I feel confident in my ability to handle global catastrophe should it ever come again. Despite feeling lonely at times, I know now I'm never alone.

Gallery

Below is some art I completed during COVID-19 during periods of self-isolation or quarantining. They both products of my self-isolation, and representations of my experience during it. Click on any image to be re-directed to its archival entry for more information.

 

  A black-and-white sketch on white paper with ink pens. It is a closeup of a minimally detailed face. One of the eyes is closed in a wink. Below the eyes is a mouth with only a bottom lip and crooked teeth. There are no other details on the face. Between the eyes is handwritten text reading, "But nothing is as good as the feeling of waiting." This sketch was completed by the artist during a self-isolation quarantine during COVID-19 while waiting for COVID test results.          A pointillism sketch of Willem Dafoe's character in the 2019 film "The Lighthouse." The sketch is black-and-white and is a close-up on Dafoe's character's face in a state of shock, panic, and disbelief. The sketch was completed in COVID self-isolation after being inspired by the film, which centres around being socially isolated and experiencing the effects of cabin-fever.         A sketch on a whiteboard of a man looking at a sparkling bottle of hand sanitizer. Text above the image reads "Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Holy Sanitizer." The sketch is a satire of the opening scene of "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc" where Jones is scratching his chin while looking at a golden idol.   A black-and-white sketch on white paper with black ink. It is a recreation of the album cover "New Junk Aesthetic" by the metal band Every Time I Die. The sketch features an aged figure with their hands covering their face. However the subject of the image is bordering on the psychedelic as its eyes are seeing through its hands. It has a beard filled with grime, and chapped lips. The arms are covered in unidentifiable details of lines and dots. The hands and arms also have a similar dirtiness and grime to them like the beard and mouth. Sets of adjacent lines beam outwards from behind the figure.
A black-and-white sketch completed with ink. It features a figure standing knee-deep in a swamp looking up at a lighthouse in the distance. The figure appears to be consumed by the swamp. Their legs morph into tree roots that are submerged in the water. Skulls emerge from the figure's shoulders, which are carrying a backpack. The lighthouse emits a fractured light upwards and outwards. There are trees on either side, which fragment into triangles at the top. The sketch was inspired by the film Annihilation (2018), and was completed during a bout of self-isolation by the artist due to COVID. A black-and-white sketch of an abandoned building in ruins. There is a hole in the ceiling where vines hang down, some reaching the floor. There is a staircase on the far left side leading to an unseen area. There is a bridge leading from the middle of the sketch outwards to an open doorway. The walls are cracked and falling apart. The stairs are covered in rubble. The ceiling features circular patterns, and is also cracked and crumbling. A black-and-white sketch with ink. The image is a semi-self portrait completed by the artist during the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a small figure hunched over in the middle of the page: their head is bowed, their legs are crossed. One hand is on the back of their neck, the other is holding their legs. Curly hair covers their face. There are dozens of eyes filling the rest of the page, larger than the figure, in a circular pattern, all looking towards the figure. Small text in the top right corner reads "Too Small for Eyes." A sketch completed on a whiteboard. It reads on the right side in red: "Coronavirus Phase 2: Judgment Day." It features a figure with the likeness of Arnold Schwarzenegger with black sunglasses, a white shirt, and a black jacket. His face is frowning. He has short hair. There is a blue text bubble on the left side reading, "Wash your hands if you want to live." This sketch is a reference to the movie Terminator 2 while commenting on COVID terms like "phase 2" and guidelines like washing hands.