As Covid-19 reshapes digital content creation, Kate Adajar shapes her way back into visual arts
If there’s one good thing the Covid-19 pandemic has brought to our lives, it has given us time to take pause, reflect, and find new hobbies while in the middle of isolation. Some have turned into being a #plantito or a #plantita, many have discovered hidden baking skills, and others have found their way back to their first loves.
For content creator Kate Adajar, the mind behind entertainment site Random Republika, her first love is visual art, and the quarantine has given her time to again embrace creating art. In an exclusive interview with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, the 35-year-old artist talks about how the pandemic has affected her livelihood and how it has also paved the way for her return to the world of art.
Covid-19 hits blogging industry
Kate admits that event cancellations have directly affected her regular content creation, and the situation has even taken a toll on her mental health. “A lot of lifestyle and entertainment events have been cancelled or put on hold because of this pandemic, so there’s a huge decline in our coverage,” she says. “The uncertainty it brings has triggered confusion, anxiety, and mixed emotions in me.”
But she fought back by finding ways to create digital content at home and by rediscovering her artistic leanings. “The lockdown has also given me time to focus on and practice my art,” she says. “Being in quarantine has allowed me to look at my craft not only as a creative outlet but also as a form of stress release. It has suddenly become therapeutic and meditative.”
Do more of what you love. By doing so, we tap into joy that we owe ourselves and can share with others.
Born with a natural knack for the visual arts, Kate is into traditional and digital painting. On top of this, she also ventured into making plush dolls and polymer clay art. “I’ve always loved drawing and doodling. As a kid, coloring materials and scratch paper gave me the same joy that toys would give,” she continues. “My parents, who have an appreciation for the arts, also influenced me. My dad is an engineer by profession but he draws so well. Meanwhile, my mom has had crafting and sewing as hobbies for as long as I can remember.”
Creating cute, artistic polymer clay art pieces
Today, Kate turns images into cute polymer clay art pieces. She also makes mouth-watering polymer clay images of Filipino (quarantine) food favorites such as isaw, ube pandesal, and brazo de mercedes.
“I’ve been focusing mainly on doing polymer clay art, while doing some painting and plush-doll-making to break the monotony. I keep a list of ideas in a small notebook, which I use as a guide when I make art,” she says. “I use polymer clay that I mold into different characters or items with my bare hands and bake for a few minutes for the final output to harden. The baked pieces, depending on what I’m trying to create, sometimes require painting afterward.”
Despite the challenges the pandemic has brought to her life, Kate says that it has also taught her important life lessons. “Being forced to slow down from being on-the-go for the past few years has allowed me to pause and pay attention to the little things in life where I can draw inspiration. The situation has trained me to be more patient and resourceful. I have also learned to maximize whatever I have at hand and improvise when needed, given my limited access to materials,” she says. “I still consider myself a work-in-progress but recently validated by this advice I would frequently get: ‘Do more of what you love.’ By doing so, we tap into joy that we owe ourselves and can share with others. We’re all in this together.”
IG: @sliceofk