By Luca Gross
With the semester coming close to the end, and final exams inch closer on the calendar, relieving stress is important and Jamie Ryan, a junior childhood education major with an art minor, wants to help.
The Plattsburgh State Art Museum hosted Stress Free Art Day in the lobby gallery of the John Meyers Art Museum Thursday, April 7. This event was free and open to students and the public.
Ryan set up this event, with the help of the Art Museum, hoping it helps attendees relieve stress or give them something stress free to do.
“I wanted to start doing these events to have stressless activities to do at the end of the day,” Ryan said. “Since we don’t have these activities on campus I think it would be good to incorporate into student life.”
There were three tables filled with students and members of the Plattsburgh community. Those who took part were given the opportunity to create little rainbows out of tweed and string.
Stress can come from plenty of places, whether it be personal issues, school situations or problems with friends, stress can sneak up on you. As we approach the end of the spring semester, final exams can add onto that stress.
There are several ways students can relieve stress, some of the things Ryan does herself include visiting relaxing spots around campus and other easily accessible activities, like going on a walk.
“I really like the Saranac Trail. It’s really relaxing. Journaling or even making voice memos and getting everything out. Maybe hang with a friend. I also like visiting the art museum. Some of the art here is very interesting,” Ryan said. “I really love watercoloring. It’s just very relaxing. You can experiment with the colors and how much water you use. I also like drawing my sketchbook. I’ll go outside and draw a landscape or whatever I see.”
These are Ryan’s personal go-to’s, everybody is different and will have something different that will help. Art therapy can be anything that someone uses as a creative outlet to relieving stress.
“Finding what makes you happy, or what helps relieve stress at the end of the day. Something like this event, or sewing, knitting, coloring, sculpting. Everyone just has to experiment and find what helps them,” Ryan said.
The attendees were hard at work measuring and cutting lengths of strings. One member of a group sitting at one table, Natalia rarely gets involved with art but was having a good time with her friend Stefanie.
Ryan plans on continuing to do events, such as this one, where students can come and just make something without the pressure of a grade or limiting time constraint.
The rain outside may have made the day gray for some, but the rainbows made by the members of the event is a reminder of the clarity and brightness of what follows a storm.
