Lockdown number one was bliss. I didn’t even really notice lockdown number two, but lockdown number three has me in a career-induced crisis. Despite the unpredictability of the arts industry, especially during a pandemic, the fruits of lockdown have meant my ambition to become a writer/director has never appealed to me more than it does presently.

During a pandemic, most sensible people would be deterred from pursuing such a precarious career in these precarious times but, for me, the capriciousness of times like these only increased my enthusiasm about the chance to go out there and do something with my passion for the arts.

I’ve always loved the arts. I see them as an integral part of my life. Over the period of the last year, lockdown has enabled me to indulge in all that the entertainment industry has to offer – whether it be Netflix binges or National Theatre Live performances – to the point that I am now thrilled by the prospect of working in the industry itself. If we have learnt anything during this pandemic, it is that very little in life is guaranteed. At a time in my life now, where I feel confident in who I am (or at least who I am becoming), I at last feel prepared to pursue my passions, the realisation of my capabilities having emerged from the dreary days of isolation.

After nearly a year of sitting at home with nothing to do, I vividly remember waking up one morning, with the sudden bursts of motivation to sit at my laptop, and just start writing, catalysed undoubtedly from my epiphany the night before. As lockdown number three was reluctantly announced, I had realised: this time around, I was not going to sit static. I was instead going to focus on the one certainty I did have, which was influence over my future. With that in mind, I began pouring my emotionally unstable heart into script writing.

“An essential aspect of my newfound commitment to my ambition is the acceptance of the erratic nature of working in the arts. ”

However, it is important to pause my enthusiasm for the future to acknowledge the current state of the entertainment industry. The ramifications of delays in the production of so many plays, films and television shows are devastating. Many freelance creatives are now unemployed, and the majority have been excluded from the furlough scheme.

I encourage those reading this in a similar position to me to not deny the struggles of others, despite our optimism, and to be prepared for the risk of situations similar to this becoming our realities too. Having not entered the world of work in the arts yet, it is easy for me to develop an idealised notion of what it is like to work in the arts industries; romanticising the days over lockdown I have spent developing script ideas and teaching myself how to work scriptwriting software. An essential aspect of my newfound commitment to my ambition is the acceptance of the erratic nature of working in the arts.

“It is this ability to portray shared human experiences, especially when humanity feels as though it is at its lowest ebb, that makes a career in the arts so appealing to me”

Nevertheless, optimism, when appropriate, is nothing to be ashamed of. It will be compelling to see what new projects are produced from the gift of time that lockdown gave us, and the inspiration they promise to ignite in myself and others. It is vital for the struggles of the pandemic to be illustrated to the public through creative means. It provides a much needed opportunity for people to relate to and reflect upon the unprecedented nature of their lives, and for many people, I hope that being able to look back on these experiences will provide much needed peace and closure.

It is this ability to portray shared human experiences, especially when humanity feels as though it is at its lowest ebb, that makes a career in the arts so appealing to me – a fact I have only come to realise in these trying times. Having the opportunity to illustrate emotions and experiences of one group in society to another lies at the very core of my passion for the arts, inspired by the chance to genuinely help facilitate understanding between people from all walks of life, teaching the key skill of empathy through the merging of art with reality.

Who knows if I may achieve success or not in my ambitions? I appreciate there are so many other career paths out there for me that I would wholeheartedly enjoy. Taking this into consideration, I am actively encouraging myself to remember that there are such a variety of careers out there, and to not be afraid to try one, and move on to another, whether in the creative arts or not. I encourage others to do the same. Tunnel vision benefits no one: passion and ambition are not confined to one single thing. Nevertheless, if lockdown hadn’t happened, I doubt that I would have been incentivised to at least try to pursue my until-now-secret ambition to have a career in the arts.