Lyndsey Jones 琳赛·琼斯
Acellist， entrepreneur and scientist all have one thing in common — they are using the lockdown as a time to tap into their creativity to seek opportunities or solutions to projects they were working on before the coronavirus pandemic took hold.
Like millions of workers worldwide， Liz Hanks， a UK-based professional cellist who usually tours Europe， saw her work dry up as the outbreak spread. But she recognises that it has given her an opportunity to do something different: “The time right now is so unique in our lives. We have some time to think. Everything has slowed down.”
Now she not only teaches online and records music at home in Sheffield， South Yorkshire， but has also founded a project where solo musicians perform in their own gardens for free so that people can still hear live music. “I thought let’s do gigs so someone has something to look forward to，” she says. So far， she has heard a banjo player， accordionist and electric guitarist taking part in “gigs in gardens” as well as playing the cello herself. “There’s nothing quite like it — just hearing clapping， some from a long way away. It’s quite magical and we are giving people some joy.”
A slower pace of life and learning to love boredom could not only lead to an explosion of people writing and painting masterpieces but also thinking about “creative solutions” to work problems， according to Sandi Mann， a senior psychology lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire， who is running lessons and therapy clinics remotely.
“Boredom is one of the most creative forces — there are benefits to doing nothing. You start thinking in novel and productive ways，” she says. “Get through the pain barrier and discover your creativity that is waiting to emerge.”
Lockdown could turn out to be one of the most creative times for humankind， says Ms Mann， author of The Science of Boredom. After all， William Shakespeare allegedly wrote King Lear during a plague， Sir Isaac Newton reportedly formulated the theory of gravity in quarantine in the 17th century， while Alexander Pushkin wrote some of his greatest works under lockdown in 1830.
The world is in “a great big scientific experiment” where despite the distress caused by the outbreak， people will try to look on the positive side. “The backdrop of illness is that as humans look for positivity， they channel creativity，” Ms Mann says.
“Allow yourself to be bored and see it as something good. Embrace boredom and your mind will occupy itself. You could end up painting — or writing — a masterpiece.”
Some people， such as freelancers， may be able to tap into creativity more readily than others because they are used to seeking out opportunities as part of their normal work routine.
“I’ve always had to be creative to keep things going and find new business opportunities，”says Balvinder Powar， a Madrid-based leadership trainer and entrepreneur who has worked as a freelancer for about 10 years. “But now is the time to push what was on the backburner to the front and open up new income lines.”
He has used his confinement in Spain to focus on pursuing new projects， such as helping IE business school students in Madrid develop a way of producing food. “This is a time to keep trust going with your business relationships，” adds Mr Powar， who is writing a proposal for a book on leadership， as well as broadening his own training by taking a course on neuroscience.
“It’s also a time to prepare yourself for what’s coming next. Set aside one or two hours a day to research and think about what you are good at and train yourself up，” he says.
大提琴手、企业家和科学家有一个共同点——他们利用封城这段时光挖掘自身创造力，探索发展机会，为新冠病毒疫情肆虐后搁置下来的课题项目寻找解决办法。
定居英国的专业大提琴手莉兹·汉克斯以往总在欧洲各地巡演，现在，她跟全球各地千百万工作者一样，也目睹自己的工作随着疫情的蔓延不断蒸发。但她认识到疫情反倒让自己有机会干些不同的事情：“眼下这段时光在我们的一生中非常独特。我们能有一段时间好好思考。一切都放慢了速度。”
如今，汉克斯在南约克郡设菲尔德的家里，不仅开通在线授课、录制乐曲，还发起一项活动，请独奏艺人们在自家花园里义务弹奏，让人们足不出户仍然能够聆听现场演奏的音乐。她说：“我当时想，不如搞点特约演出，让人有个期盼。”迄今为止，汉克斯听到过一名班卓琴手、一名手风琴手还有一名电吉他手参加“花园特约演奏会”活动，她也架起大提琴亲身上阵。“这真是太新鲜了——只能听到鼓掌的声音，有些掌声从很远的地方传来。非常神奇，我们给大家带去了一些欢乐。”
中央兰开夏大学心理学高级讲师桑迪·曼认为，放慢生活节奏、学习热爱无聊不仅可以激发人们创作更多文字和绘画杰作，还可以激发人们思考工作难题的“创造性解决办法”。桑迪·曼开设了远程课程和远程诊所。
她说：“无聊是最具创造力的力量之一——无所事事好处多多。人们的思维变得新颖而富有成效。突破痛苦障碍，发现自己蓄势待发的创造力。”
桑迪·曼说，封城阶段到头来可能是人类创造力最旺盛的时期之一。桑迪·曼著有《无聊的学问》一书。不管怎样，威廉·莎士比亚据称在黑死病期间创作出《李尔王》，17世纪牛顿爵士据悉在居家隔离期间构想出引力理论，而亚历山大·普希金最伟大的一部分作品正是在1830年封城期间创作完成的。
桑迪·曼说，世界相当于在进行“一项宏大的科学实验”，验证人类在疫情造成痛苦的情况下仍会努力把目光投向积极的一面。桑迪·曼说：“疾病情形下，若心向乐观，人的创造力便会源源不断。”
“尽情地百无聊赖吧，把它看作好事。欣然接受自己的无聊，内心就会自动丰盈起来。说不定会成就一幅或一部杰作。”
自由职业者等群体挖掘自身创造力也许相对容易一些，因为挖掘机会对他们来说习以为常，这是他们日常工作的一部分。
巴尔温德·波瓦尔是一名定居马德里的领导力培训师、企业家，他做自由职业者差不多已有10年光景。他说：“我一向必须创新才能维持生意，找到新商机。不过，现在要做的是把先前排在后头的事情提到前面来，开辟新财源。”
在西班牙不能外出的这段时间里，他主要做的事情是筹划新项目，例如帮助马德里IE商学院的学生研究一种食物制作方法。波瓦尔又说：“这时候应当维持与商业伙伴之间的信任。”他正在为一本有关领导力的著作撰写选题策划书，同时攻读一门神经科学课程来拓宽自己的培训范围。
他说：“这时候还应提高自我，为接下来的打拼做好准备。每天抽出一两个小时研究和思考自己擅长什么，然后着重训练提升。”（于晓华译自英国《金融时报》4月22日文章）
