Escapism, or the process of using media to “escape” one’s own circumstances, is often attributed to music, movies, and books. During the global pandemic, we have seen an increase in art production, mostly by amateurs, people who have decided to devote their time in isolation to bettering their artistic capabilities. 

One of the examples of this is the wide array of art content on the video sharing app, TikTok, who’s algorithm and format is perfect for sharing how people create their art, and are able to share the final results. A trend on the platform, the glass art trend, caught on with the simplicity of the process and the accessibility of the materials, only requiring a square of glass, paint, and a printed picture of the subject, whether it be an animal or an anime character. Some users even used a random generator to inspire their art, with nouns and adjectives like “crazy detective” or “pretty farmer”, the artists were able to perfect their ability to create character designs in a short amount of time.

Randomized art has always been interesting, artwork that can’t be replicated especially. Such as the form of acrylic pour art. A form in which the artist uses large amounts of wet paint to swirl around the canvas, creating spirals and thin lines, that couldn’t be replicated. This can be an expensive and time consuming art form, but the results are extraordinary. The idea that the artwork is one of a kind, completely and utterly unique, adds to the experience of creating it. While the price of the paintings has slightly decreased, there was a trend on TikTok in which these paintings were sold for more than two hundred dollars, and were an interesting way struggling artists could stay afloat. The best part of this trend was the accessibility of the project, only taking paint and a canvas, and talent wasn’t an issue.