As the COVID-19 pandemic has progressed, many of us have experienced mounting pressure to be productive—to take advantage of the hours saved on travel and leisure to study more, work harder, and pursue personal projects. These pandemic goals can often feel difficult to achieve as remote classes have challenged us to adapt to new ways of learning and staying engaged. But what if instead of prioritizing productivity, we prioritized creativity?

Being creative requires reimagining what we are not supposed to focus on. By letting our minds wander, we can make sense of our thoughts and experiences in new ways. While the pandemic has limited the places we can visit, it has also created new opportunities for us to engage with people and ideas. Now is the time to start thinking outside the box.

We asked our illustrators to show us the unexpected sources of inspiration they have found during the pandemic. We hope these illustrations, developed from doodles sketched during Zoom classes, inspire you to do something creative for your next pandemic project too.