The pandemic in the United States was epic and took a toll on many people’s mental states. But it also encouraged innovation. Here are 3 creative projects that helped others stay busy in lockdown and cope.
1. Meet Robin and Lonny Kocina
I talked to Robin over Zoom. She designed a creative project for a company called ‘Post and Paint.’ People can send in a favorite photo that is then transformed into a custom painting by a fine artist.
Robin and Lonny’s part of the proceeds goes to a charity they’ve been involved with for years called Hands of Freedom. It’s a non-profit organization that helps impoverished women and children in India.
Struggling artists, who can’t attend festivals and sell their work now have a way to work with customers who want to preserve photo memories they can hang on their walls.
Lonny is an artist himself. You can see some of his work as well as that of another fine artist named Keith Grove below. Click on images to view the gallery.
Cat Photo 
Cat portrait 
Grandsons photo 
Grandsons portrait
What is innovative about the site is that the artists aren’t using computers to generate a painting. They are creating fine art using photos as their inspiration.
The work is paid for by the customer upon approval. If the customer does not choose to purchase it, the artist can sell it at a later time to someone else who will appreciate it.
Creative projects like this one will live on even after artists start displaying their work in public again.
Traveling artists have taken a hit
My sister is an artist who makes her living traveling from one art show to another. During the pandemic, all of the art festivals she had planned to attend as a vendor were canceled. She is now selling some of her art on Etsy.
2. Mexican Train online – an interactive game
Corey Maass is a web developer. When the lockdown started, he created a free, online version of the dominoes-based game Mexican Train. Initially, he set it up for his family to enjoy and play together. However, his mother-in-law, who lives in the Villages retirement community, posted it on their Facebook group.
The site now averages 50-100 games per day and people are really enjoying it. In only two months, over two thousand games have been played online.
To help maintain the site, Corey asks for donations but it isn’t mandatory to play. So far, he has dozens of testimonials from fans of Mexican Train.
If you love playing games, make sure to check out his site https://mexicantrain.online
3. A game for Boomers and Millennials
Tom and Krystal Welland, who are Millennials have come up with a game called OK Millennial. They love playing party games with their friends but always felt awkward playing them at family gatherings between generations.
They are currently seeking funding for it on Kickstarter. If you’re into games and want to find out more about it, check it out here. It’s a game of hilarious generational stereotypes.
Please pin this on Pinterest for later.
Do you know of others who used their time to develop creative projects during the pandemic that are fun and unique? Please leave a comment below.
There is no end to the creativity quarantine has genereated!
That’s so true, Carol. People are coming up with fantastic and creative ideas.
I love those paintings! What an adorable gift to give someone. Will have to look into that.
So glad you like them Laurie. They’re so cute!