CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Studio arts senior Sam Denecke (front), english junior Lauren Eggert-Crowe (center), and pre-visual communication junior Miranda Cornelius listen to a question during Monday's meeting of the creative minds club.

New club aims to share creative ideas and talents

If you recite Shakespeare in the shower, spend your afternoons photographing the clouds, or do your homework with glitter crayons, you might want to check out the Creative Minds club.

Open to all students, regardless of major, the Creative Minds club aims to show that creativity comes in many different forms.

"People have such a narrow definition of what creativity is," said creative writing senior Mia McDonald, president of the club.

"We have people who are willing to look at the world in many different ways, and that's what creativity is."

Monday evening, about 30 people showed up for the club's first meeting of the year.

Members of the club include writers, artists, movie buffs, philosophers, photographers, actors and scientists.

They represent a range of majors ÷ from studio art, to English, to political science, to business.

Members say it's the diversity of students that makes the club appealing.

"Having varying majors gives you more opportunities for different insights into different opinions," said Jenny Beatty, a media arts and studio art junior.

Daniel Zamora, an English and criminal justice senior with a passion for philosophy said, "Our club is extremely diverse, yet everyone can appreciate everyone else's mind."

McDonald started the club two years ago with a friend to give students a supportive, enthusiastic environment in which to share their creative talents and ideas, as well as meet other people who are passionate about their interests.

"It's an opportunity to feel like a part of a friendly environment where you get recognized for what you do," she said.

Club members are encouraged to bring their interests, topics of discussion, artwork, writings and other creative projects to weekly meetings.

Beatty said she enjoys getting feedback on her artwork from club members and said being a part of such a supportive group has made her feel more confident.

"I've made some of my best friends here," she said.

Vice president Jenica Saul is a pre-veterinary science senior who loves movies, reading and astronomy. She likes how the Creative Minds club gives her a breath of fresh air from the academic world and said she would encourage students of all majors to join.

At the meeting on Monday, students passed around a plastic Halloween pumpkin filled with candy, played the "sentence picture game" and were introduced to what Beatty called "the big kids' toy box."

The large cardboard box, decorated in tabloid headlines like "The hairpiece from hell" and "Female bigfoot breast-fed my baby," contains stickers, crayons and other art supplies, and serves as a suggestion box for club activities and projects.

McDonald said the club tries to do a different activity at each meeting. In the past, those have included origami, word games, and scavenger hunts.

They also organize activities like camping trips and outings to movie screenings, art galleries, plays, museums and coffee shops.

The club hopes to become officially recognized by the university this year, which would give them funding to use toward more events and activities, said McDonald.

The next meeting of the Creative Minds Club is Monday at 8 p.m. by the stage on the UA Mall.

For more information, e-mail creativemindsclub@yahoo.com.