Creatives in Quarantine: Dori Cawley ‘20
Being an artist, writer, designer, or any kind of creative right now is…difficult. Much of creation is tied to observation, and that’s an ability that is sorely limited in this current era where we’re largely confined to our homes. Recently, the @chathamarts Instagram has done an excellent job of spotlighting our students and their artistic work and we wanted to start showcasing them here as well. We’re catching up with some of our artistic-minded students and alumni to see how they’re adapting their techniques to suit the current moment. First up, recent grad, Dori Cawley—
Dori Cawley ‘20
Degree: BA in Media Arts with a concentration in Graphic Design and Film
Creative Medium(s) of Choice: Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop
Where to Find Dori’s Work: @doricawleydesign
“Where do you find yourself working/creating for the most part right now?”
DC: I’ve been doing a lot of random graphic design projects on my laptop while lying in bed.
“What struggles and/or anxieties have you encountered while making art in this socially distant era?”
DC: My biggest struggle during quarantine has been lack of motivation and inspiration. I’ve hit a lot of creative blocks in the last couple of months.
CHECK OUT SOME OF DORI’S RECENT WORK:
“What creative salves, self-care practices, diligent actions, and/or routines have been helping you through?”
DC: I end up taking a couple weeks off from creative work to do other hobbies I enjoy like playing video games or watching movies, and then I go back to doing projects. It allows me to build up ideas in my head from seeing other people’s creative work.
“What is a piece of art / writing / music / film / etc. that you’d recommend to other creatives right now?”
DC: For a couple of weeks, I was watching like three movies a day. The films that inspired me the most were Crazy Rich Asians, Little Women, and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. They all have a similar undertone of “do what’s best for you” or “do what makes you happy.”
“Are there any words of wisdom or solidarity you’d like to share with the creative community?”
DC: It’s okay to have creative blocks.
Special thanks to Dori for chatting with us about the weirdness that is creating in quarantine. If you are a student or alum that is an artist, writer, designer, or creator, let us know if you’d like to participate.
