Quarantine: a period of isolation where people face disconnection from the real world. To cope with the boredom of quarantine, students at Huntington Beach High School have improved their personal experiences with creative changes made at home. Many have either reawakened past hobbies or discovered new interests. Because COVID-19 has infected our community, to ensure everyone’s safety, people are staying remotely in their homes and have been using up their free time by participating in arts and crafts or other forms of entertainment.

Being at home all day is a routine unfamiliar to the busy world of students. However, quarantine has gifted us downtime from the constant cycle of studying and stressing. Aislinn Fulton, a junior at HBHS, has found her peace of mind through film photography. “I think quarantine was good for me because I learned a lot about myself and it helped introduce me to things I might not have tried before or out of quarantine,” Fulton said. Despite the chaotic circumstances of COVID-19, this session of solitude has allowed students to settle down and focus on the stability of their health. Fulton lightheartedly stated that “having a creative outlet during quarantine has helped me stay sane and limit my stress and having an alternative way to capture and get through all the craziness of it all helped me too.” Film  photography served as a diversion from the foreign shift in society and invoked creativity in Fulton.

With the unexpected turn of events with the pandemic, students have had to familiarize themselves with online schooling and adapt to a new learning environment. During this adjustment period, life can seem hectic as students are juggling school work while trying to manage their personal lives. Jordyn Kao, a junior at HBHS, found her happy place through the art of cooking and sharing recipes on social media. “Cooking forced me to take a break, I was able to take my mind off of anything that made me anxious or upset and put focus into something delicious, nutritious, and pretty,” Kao said.

Besides the changes in school, being stuck at home has gifted us ample free time. Kao expressed that cooking made her grateful for quarantine because she had time to enjoy what she truly liked. “I had something to do when there was nothing to do and it helped me feel connected to myself and others,” she added. Being confined in our homes has restricted the ways we can socially interact with other human beings, therefore, Kao posts her food photographs (as she also practiced photography during quarantine) on her social media account to share her hobby with the world.

Despite the global turmoil, quarantine has allowed us to reconnect with our artistic selves and branch out into new creative forms of expression. In particular, students at HBHS have taken this time to rekindle their love for a certain hobby or find a new tool of enjoyment for themselves. From the World Economic Forum (WFO), a nonprofit organization aiming to improve the state of the world, Joey Camire expresses that “despite our losses, maybe when we emerge from this pandemic, we will be holding the new ideas we need to create a better future;” amidst a difficult time, HBHS students still create, hone talents, and expand on their artistic perspective from the safety of their home.