The Word is Bond has asked independent musicians from all walks of life to share their experiences coping with COVID-19 during this very tumultuous time. Our fourth voice is indie rapper ScrmmbledEggs. He’s a student MC who overcame his introversion shortly before the pandemic happened. He shares with us his tips for staying active while self-isolating. 

Guest Post by ScrmmbledEggs

I’ve gone out of my way to self-isolate most of my life. In school, I generally avoided crowds and parties for one reason or another. It was only a few months before the pandemic when I started to actually (somewhat) confidently put myself out in the London hip hop scene. I was starting to get tired of this bad habit, so as one could imagine, I wasn’t too happy with being forced back into that old lifestyle. At least this time around, I knew how to do it while avoiding cabin fever, and I’d like to share with you the secret.

One thing I’ve learned from life is that the solution to an obstacle you face is often simple in concept and difficult in practice. To maintain mental stability when in isolation, you need to just do something, without regard for how big or small the task-at-hand is! Set aside the PS4 controller, turn off the Netflix, and do that one chore you’ve been putting off because of your job (if you’re currently employed during the pandemic). If you’re not employed, create the task and see it through. You’ll feel less stressed after. The difficult part is getting over the thought that it’s going to be boring or “too much work,” but the mind can be deceiving. Yes, there might be a little work involved, but if you’re going crazy from not being able to work, why are you using work as an excuse to not do actual work? Now is your chance to take the time to expand your mind, or more aptly put by Del Tha Funky Homosapien, “upgrade your brain matter, ’cause one day it may matter.”

For people who have home recording studios: Create with freedom from societal pressure! The best part about this time is there are no deadlines as the sole motivating factor. If you can get good at self-regulating, then you’ll come out of isolation with greater discipline. If you don’t have a recording setup, then there’s no excuse to not write. There’s nothing stopping you from gaining inspiration from other artists/artforms. Obviously, do all these things at your speed and discretion; there are no deadlines except for the ones you make for yourself in these scenarios. Personally, I’ve been taking the time to determine a new direction for my music.

Is this really the end? If so, here’s some jams to bob to: