The COVID-19 pandemic has completely upended how we live, work, and play. But it’s also given many of us some free time to try our hand at new hobbies or rethink our old ones.
For creative types, being forced to stay indoors and practice your art can be a huge gift.
Erin Sullivan, a.k.a. “Erin Outdoors” is a travel photographer and writer whose goal is to “communicate the wonder of this Earth and to inspire connection so that ultimately, we might take our role as stewards a bit more thoughtfully.”
Throughout her career as a nature guide, she says she learned how to problem solve on her feet, even in the most challenging conditions.
That’s probably why she found a creative way to practice her art while under quarantine. Sullivan recreated the majesty of nature using household items such as food, bed sheets, and an ingeniously-placed paper bag to make realistic-looking photos.
“As a travel photographer, I spend a lot of my time outdoors and photographing interesting places around the world. When our stay at home order went into effect last month, I wanted to challenge myself to stay creative in my craft without leaving my house,” she told Bored Panda.
The results look stunning, but for Sullivan, the photos were therapeutic as well.
“I had the idea to create outdoor adventure scenes out of objects in my house,” she said. “I shot a few scenes as experiments before I ever shared the project publicly and found that creating this series of images helped me keep my imagination active and my creative practice alive.”
Here are some of her images you can find on her Instagram page.
“Jello Lake”
via Erin Outdoors / Instagram
“The Gomacro Mountains”
via Erin Outdoors / Instagram
“The Glowing Gore-Tex Cave”
via Erin Outdoors / Instagram
“Tinfoil Lake”
via Erin Outdoors / Instagram
“Cotton Ball Clouds”
via Erin Outdoors / Instagram
“Broccoli Forest”
via Erin Outdoors / Instagram
Sullivan has challenged other social media users to create their own indoor adventure using #OurGreatIndoors.
Here are some of the best responses.