Abstract

Artistic leisure kits, such as paint by numbers, became a popular item in demand throughout the pandemic. As I was dealing with the anxiety of uncertainty and the overwhelming amount of information, I decided to investigate the popularity of leisure kits and their possible incorporation as a transitional strategy within an art classroom. People writing about these kits claimed they might fulfill the newly acquired leisure time that appeared due to the mandatory isolation, while simultaneously releasing tension and dissipating overthinking. Due to their increasing popularity, I wanted to find out what people experience when working with leisure kits, and if they might help lead to creativity. My research question was, does completing leisure kits provide any learning outcomes, and if so, what are those outcomes? Using research-creation methodology and heuristics, I discovered the potential of leisure kits for the increase of confidence and motivation, the experience of flow, and the decrease of art anxiety that support the creative process. I immersed myself in the process by completing three different types of kits to gather information through the discovery phases. In parallel, I interviewed the people who inspired me to explore this avenue, specifically, those who tried kits for similar reasons I did. The interviews allowed me to gather additional information about their thinking process through making, their potential learning experience, and the results achieved. Learning outcomes also emerged, such as problem-solving skills, motor stills, and the questioning of pre-conceived notions of art practice and the necessary skills to achieve them.