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Thursday 8 OcTOber 2020
Recovery through Creativity
a new series
ORANJESTAD — As the second wave of the corona virus decreases on Complete recovery on all fronts say nothing of managing the grief
Aruba, the focus on recovery is becoming more and more impera- is what our focus should be on. of losing a loved one, sometimes
tive. Recovery not only of the economy, but recovery of our lives, our Recovery in regaining peace of without being able to say good-
work environment, and our schools. Since March, when COVID-19 mind, recovery in diversifying our bye” (n.p).
reached the island, we have been in quarantine, isolation, and lock- economy, recovery in increasing
down. Many said “life as we know it will never be the same, welcome the health and well-being of our However, many studies confirm
to the new normal”. The impact of this pandemic has not only been people, recovery in providing our the breakthrough role of creativity
economical and financial, but it has increased social issues within our children the education and social in this pandemic. The use of cre-
communities. Local NGOs expressing that there is more hunger, more interaction they need to develop, ativity in how we deal with the cri-
domestic abuse, and more mental health issues amongst our people. recovery in being able to see our sis on a personal level, academic
Recovery for Aruba and the world will not only be about generating loved ones and spending time level, business level, and gover-
income and paying bills, but about survival within ourselves. with each other. Recovery of this nance level. Thinking outside the
pandemic will be a challenge, box to solve everyday issues and
but we cannot push it aside, be- help us transition to this new nor-
cause it will cost us too much. mal. Creativity can thus have an
impact on many aspects of life,
On October 10th 2020 we cel- but for now we will focus on the
ebrate World Mental Health Day. following three areas:
This year more than ever, the im- • The psychology of creativity
portance of shedding light on in times of crises (e.g., personal-
this matter is central to creating ity factors, motivations, emotions,
awareness and advocating to the positive thinking, resilience, cre-
needs of many within our com- ative adaptability, well-being,
munity. Last week we also cele- and life-satisfaction); dealing with
brated the 5th anniversary of the restrictions (e.g., island lockdown),
Sustainable Development Goals stress, boredom, education, work,
(SDGs) which focusses on elevat- dealing with fear, anxiety, and
ing human development through depression;
all aspects of life, including our • Creativity and resilience in help-
health and well-being. COVID-19 ing local NGOs adapt to the cur-
has forever impacted the lives rent and upcoming changes
of this world and many people posed by COVID-19 and help
are suffering in silence. The World deal with the increased socio-
Health Organization (2020) ac- economic need within our soci-
knowledges that “the past months ety;
have brought many challenges: • Creativity in times of crisis and its
for health-care workers, provid- influence on innovation and sus-
ing care in difficult circumstances, tainability (e.g. digital transforma-
going to work fearful of bring- tion, social innovation, and social
ing COVID-19 home with them; entrepreneurship).
for students, adapting to taking Over these weeks we will focus on
classes from home, with little con- how creativity can help Aruban
tact with teachers and friends, neighborhoods and communities
and anxious about their futures; not only overcome, but recover.
for workers whose livelihoods are
threatened; for the vast number Creativity vs Mental Health
of people caught in poverty or in Through the lens of the recovery
fragile humanitarian settings with approach, the creative arts show
extremely limited protection from up as often having a central role
COVID-19; and for people with in a person’s journey towards
mental health conditions, many health and integration.
experiencing even greater social
isolation than before. And this is to Continued on Page 9
