Launched in August of 2022, The Creative Process (TCP) was established to help students further discover and engage in community following the extended isolation experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the direction of Geneva College Counseling Services, TCP is a non-directive, therapeutic art group offering instruction and supplies to create artwork in various mediums. However, students are reminded that the experience is less about the art and more about stepping away from the daily stress and connecting with others.  

To answer the question “What do we do?” in this gathering, a simple tagline was adopted: “Get together. Make stuff. Talk.” That practice has been maintained throughout as the group has grown in size forcing the shift from one day each week to two and now three. Students are welcome to participate as much or as little as they desire and are able based on their schedules. The conversations that unfold in the safe space of the art rooms are often light-hearted and inviting, crossing perceived social barriers and taking participants on the journey from strangers to acquaintances to friends all while they are working with paint or clay or pastels. And when the topics or tone grows weightier or more serious, there is an established sense of trust and camaraderie to support it.  

In a 2024 study published in Frontiers in Psychology, researchers posited the following: “Given that art education serves as an effective means of expressing personality and oneself, it fosters self-esteem, self-confidence, and personal growth, demonstrating tangible practical value in promoting mental health, and encompassing the essence of mental well-being.” And using a highly-structured, scientific method, they concluded that “...art-making has the potential to foster positive personal development and significantly reduce stress levels among college students.”  

This experience is echoed week after week in The Creative Process as students allow themselves to create, leaving worries at the door and finish the hour expressing a sense of feeling lighter, less burdened, more relaxed, and happy. Students are regularly heard reporting to their classmates and professors of the positive interactions along with joy associated with their participation, their creativity expressed. “It’s so much fun!” “Look what I made!” “I’m not really an artist, but I keep going back because it gives me a break from everything else; a chance to breathe.” 

By Toby Shope, Staff Counselor of Health & Counseling Services