Written by Madelyn Hill

Ever since the emergence of COVID-19, times have been hectic for nearly everyone, pushing many people to get creative and find a way to spend their time. Anna Miller and Jerrod Niles discuss their quarantine hobbies and give an inside scoop on how these activities have helped them build their new normal. 

“This gave me a sense of structure,” says Niles about the racing game that he has been playing since the beginning of quarantine. 

Niles talks about his new-found love for a racing game with an at-home simulator. Niles hooks up his chair, puts on his wheel, and it’s go-time. In an interview with Niles, he takes us in his room and demonstrates the game and how to put it all together.

“I started quarantine with a rookie license, and now I think I am at a ‘B,” says Niles when giving the progression of his game. 

Niles has a new-found passion for this game which contrasts Anna Miller’s revival of an old hobby. 

“I used to play when I was a kid, but now that all my friends started playing, I just bought a guitar online,” says Miller.

Miller began playing guitar towards the end of quarantine, and says she has never been happier. Miller has begun to make new tunes of her own and wants to continue her relationship with the art of playing music.

Living isolated has been an enduring experience for nearly everyone on the planet, but some people have been able to make it through with the power of busying their minds. Niles and Miller are just two examples of the many people that viewed the pandemic as an opportunity to grow. The last year has given people a chance to be creative and use their imagination, thus birthing the opportunity to discover new passions, or to rediscover the passion for the activities from younger days.

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