It’s a common refrain when devastating things happen: Creativity will thrive in these conditions. I’ve seen it said in recent days as tours are canceled, TV and film production is postponed and creatives are forced into self-isolation because of the coronavirus.

Just think of all the great songs and books and screenplays that will come out of this.

There’s an expectation that, because artists are stuck at home, they will create amazing things. I understand wanting to find the silver lining in a terrible situation; it’s a natural coping mechanism. But it ignores how poorly designed our infrastructure is for supporting artists.

I am a co-founder of a record label and Talkhouse, a media outlet for musicians, actors and filmmakers, and have worked with creative people in nearly every imaginable capacity for the past 15 years. The last few weeks have been a waking nightmare for all of us. I’ve lain in bed thinking about our community. Not once have I thought, “These artists are going to make some great stuff!”

The observation that Shakespeare wrote “King Lear” and “Macbeth” while in quarantine during a plague has frequently been touted as an example of creativity blossoming through crisis. But as Daniel Pollack-Pelzner noted recently in The Atlantic, “Shakespeare’s model provides little solace: Write while you wait out the closure; lean on wealthy patrons for bailouts; exploit your rivals’ demise.” The reality is that artists are losing so much right now, and they stand to lose even more. Many, if not most of them, do not have access to affordable health care. They live paycheck to paycheck.