CLEVELAND — The coronavirus pandemic has left many people with a little extra time on their hands, time that one Northeast Ohio woman is using to find her true talent.

What You Need To Know

  • Lauren Maclin found her true talent during the coronavirus pandemic

  • She started using oil paints for the first time while home from school

  • She now dreams of drawing on her talents to become an illustrator 

Lauren Maclin is in her senior year at the University of Southern California.

The public relations major is studying virtually at her Cleveland home because of the pandemic, and using her free time to explore something she’s always been curious about. 

“I’ve always admired visual arts, but I thought it was just something I’m supposed to admire,” she said. “It’s not something I’m supposed to do.”

She said she’s always had a creative side, but just started using oil paints for the first time while home from school.  

“It’s something I can do on my own at home, let me try it. And I did and I was like, ‘Whoa! This is so fun!’ So, I just kept doing it,”  Maclin said.

She’s now pursuing her passion. 

“I feel like 100% this is what I’m supposed to do, and I’ve never felt like that before, like 100%,” she said. “And I feel like that’s kind of changed my confidence level, so that’s dope.”

She now dreams of drawing on her talents to become an illustrator. 

“It would be cool to storyboard or make concept art,” she said. “That’s really cool. Also, character design is really cool.”

She started last summer with sketching by teaching herself some fundamentals from books.

Maclin is enrolled in three art classes. 

Jenna Perry at Blick Art Materials said Maclin is among several people who have turned to the store for supplies to tap into their creativity. 

“A lot of people have been wanting to learn how to be creative and express that side of themselves,” she said. 

Perry said the store has seen more new faces since the coronavirus outbreak with oil paint supplies one of the top sellers. 

“I definitely think that was because people were needing something to do,” Perry said. “They were kind of going stir-crazy, so crafts were a savior for a lot of people.”

People like Maclin, who’s now driven to develop her artistic talent, have become a perfectionist in the creative process. 

“I’m really conscious of what people see,” she said. “I have to be really good so that I can justify my age or I can justify how late I am to the party type of thing.”

At age 22, Maclin said she’s learning you’re never too old to try something new.

“Life can be short, but life can also be long,” she said. “And we have the ability to make it what we want.”