Students joined together for an afternoon of relaxation and creativity in the Unity Room of LMC’s Student Union on December 4 for the Crafts & Conversation activity hosted by Active Minds. The event provided a much-appreciated recess as students prepared for finals.
In the room, a table had been set and decorated with supplies for students to use for their crafts. After signing in, visitors were given the option of writing themselves a card or decorating a mason jar using colored paper and glue, evoking the feeling of a stained-glass window painting.
The idea behind the event was to provide students a place to focus on their mental health during a potentially stressful time.
Student Sarah Capperauld who organized and hosted the event stressed the importance of feeling like “you’re in a safe place,” and “you are able to confide and open up about your anxiety.”
“The whole point of the community conversations is to have mental health related questions that are asked, and to have a conversation about them,” said Capperauld.
Capperauld was asked to help with the event due to her experience handling anxiety on a daily basis, and her affinity for developing creative outlets.
“I love arts and crafts, and I love hosting things like this,” she said.
The activity began with Capperauld asking students about what colors appealed to them and whether they feel those colors represent them, which helped tie into the mason jar decoration.
According to Capperauld, paper was chosen due to its availability and the simple satisfaction of ripping it.
“You don’t have to think about it, you just start placing it and you can space it out, and it’s actually really nice,” she said.
Student Emma Haddadin used three types of tissue paper for her jar: solid red, solid green and patterned red. These colors were chosen to match the upcoming holidays and because green was one of the colors Haddadin listed at the beginning of the activity.
Haddadin became interested in attending after seeing a poster for the event and figured it would be an entertaining social event.
“It’s a good way to meet new people and have fun,” Haddadin said.
Student Tashianna Brown, whose favorite color is pink, crafted a mason jar to match. Brown also shared that she planned on decorating additional jars.
“It’s really relaxing and fun to rip up the paper,” Brown said.
According to Brown, she first learned of the activity while visiting the LMC website’s event calendar in search of upcoming activities.
“I believe it’s very beneficial, and it’s okay to step back from your assignments for a little while,” Brown said. “It doesn’t have to be too long to do some art, [it’s] healthy for you.”
