Rekindling Hobbies During Lockdown

After many years, ECP coach Darren has taken up drawing again but, unfortunately, he doesn’t believe it has started well.

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WEP Drawing

Read and check you understand this vocabulary before you read and listen to the text:

to pick up: to start something after a pause

insane: crazy

lockdown: when large numbers of people are ordered by the state to stay at home

to pick back up: to lift or take a pencil in his hand again

portraits: drawings of people showing the face

to rekindle: to start something again

kind of: in a way, more or less.

to get back to: to return to doing something

lockdown lifts: when the period of enforced confinement ends

to get up and running again: when businesses start operating again

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I have tried to pick up drawing again, says ECP coach Darren, but, unfortunately, it hasn’t started well.

Last week, my colleague Rob asked me what I was doing to pass the time while self-isolating. I replied by saying that I was exercising quite a bit. Apart from the obvious (like spending time with family) sport and exercise has always been the most important thing in my life. I literally can’t live without it. I would go insane if it was taken away from me.

However, I also had another hobby until I was nineteen years old. I used to draw a lot and I wasn’t bad at it. I produced one or two pieces that my mother thought good enough to frame and hang on the wall of our house.

But then life got too busy and I never drew or painted another thing until a couple of weeks ago. The lockdown encouraged me to pick up a pencil and draw. What a disappointment. My effort was weak. It was terrible. I suppose that’s what you get for abandoning something for two decades.

But for others, it has been a positive experience.

Two weeks ago, Shane Gillen from Dublin decided to pick back up the pencil and start portrait drawing, for the first time since exceeding at art in school.

Since then, the Dublin man has completed some very impressive portraits of famous Irish people.

Shane said that he rarely has time to work on artwork regularly, so coronavirus lockdown is the perfect opportunity for him to rekindle his love of art.

The 32 year old said that people are championing thriving during the pandemic – doing something new or turning a hobby into a business.

“I knew I could draw but I hadn’t gotten around to it. We’re all sat at home so I just decided to pick up the pencil again,” he said.

“Life kind of gets in the way and I would have doodled but not too much so about two weeks ago I just decided that I’d try some portraits.”

“Drawing has always been a hobby of mine, but with a busy schedule I’ve not had much time to focus on it. I thought, what better time than isolation to get back to it.”

“I use a pencil to draw the guide drawing and then layer that with an ink pen. That’s all I use. I’ll find an image of who I want to draw and copy it from my computer screen.”

“I’m currently planning on doing one a day until the lockdown lifts. I’ll likely have a little less time to focus on it when things get up and running again.”

Written by ECP coach Darren after reading this article

Let’s chat about that!

Write your opinions in an email and send them to your ECP coach!

  1. Have you rekindled an old hobby during the lockdown?
  2. What hobbies do you miss most that you can’t do right now?
  3. Will you make more time to do the things you most enjoy once the lockdown is lifted or will you return to a busy lifestyle?
  4. Has the lockdown given you a greater appreciation of the arts? 
  5. Is exercising part of your daily routine these days? If so, why?

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