On Thursday, Jan. 29, WCC’s Creative Community Club (CCC) met for their inaugural meeting. This new beginning presents an exciting opportunity for anyone at WCC looking for more space to work with others on artistic projects, and it marks the first time since 2013 that there has been an art-related club at WCC.
“I wanted to create a therapeutic environment,” said Club Coordinator, Nathan Gruman, “where people can unlock insight into themselves; struggles, strengths, and how they can improve alongside other club members in a safe and open community.”
With seven attendees in the first meeting, a distinct sense of community was developing. Participants listened to one another and suggested ideas for how the club could provide new avenues for creative expression.
In subsequent meetings, attendance continues to grow as new members are welcomed with open arms.
Gruman formed the idea for the CCC while talking with a friend about what he wanted in his life, which began with an opportunity to be surrounded by musicians and then broadened to include all creative people.
“I wanted something like that,” said Gruman, “a community to surround myself in, and that is what then drove me to create the Creative Community Club.”
Gruman expressed his hopes for a place for people to connect about creative arts. He wants to help form a place of comfort, where WCC artists can keep doing what they love, even while going through the stresses of school, work, and life as a whole.
Members George Lopez and Tristan Morrison also decided to join this club for that larger community, but also to find a way to make more space for their own creativity.
Morrison said he plans to spend time “finding where I’m creative in and to share that experience with other people as well as learning from others.”
Morrison spoke about how people can find creativity in at least one thing in their daily life, such as cooking and experimenting with flavors. Morrison pointed out that this is creativity, and being able to incorporate creativity into activities we all have to do is important.
The group also mentioned art forms such as drawing, painting, doodling, and jewelry making – as well as simple things like listening to music. They pointed out that you don’t have to be able to play an instrument, but simply immersing oneself in music is a creative act.
Lopez said he hopes to “talk about creativity, hear what others think about it, and get inspired to do more cool things.”
Gruman has also mentioned how he hopes to do simple creative projects as a group in different mediums to spark that creativity.
Overall, the CCC hopes to be a place for people to come together, to make new friends, and speak about their creative activities for the week. They welcome any understanding of creativity and want to learn from one another. The CCC will meet every Thursday from 11 p.m. to noon in Syre Hall 212.
This article was written collaboratively by Bryce Harbin and Soren Chavez.
