As an autumn chill fills the air and calendars fill with assignments, it is easy to fall into unhealthy cycles of nonstop studying, which often prove unsustainable in the long-term. When we try to relax by doing something artistic, for instance, our brains can still be constantly in “work mode”—speaking from personal experience. Thus, our creative pursuits quickly become yet another source of pressure and anxiety.
However, two offices at Vassar College are building a community for intentionally unstructured art time. This past Thursday, Sept. 24, marked the first session of Doodling at the Greenhouse. The event was a collaboration between Vassar’s College Counseling Service and Olmsted Greenhouse to use art as a medium to connect with nature and calm the mind.
I had not been to the greenhouse yet, but doodling was the perfect reason to check it out. I always made art as a child, spending countless hours scouring books filled with blank images of cute animals, fairytales and places from around the world. I even brought my colored pencils with me to college, but they have remained in my desk drawer since the start of the semester.
As I stepped into the greenhouse—nestled between Olmsted Hall of Biological Sciences, the Bridge for Laboratory Sciences and Skinner Hall of Music—I was hit with a wave of calmness before I even arrived at the doodling event section of the space. After winding my way past countless pots and plants that reached up to my waist, I felt fully immersed in how the glass building here serves as a warm haven for its leafy residents. I stumbled upon a place where the plants cradled a central table and creatives with their lush shades of green.
“There’s no rules when it comes to doodling,” said Assistant Director of Training at Metcalf House Alison (Ali) Krause Christensen, one of the organizers of “Doodling at the Greenhouse.” The table was replete with art supplies: Markers and colored pencils were scattered around alongside drawing prompts that participants could use if they needed a spark of inspiration. One prompt I remember fondly was to draw a “stress monster” that represented your anxieties, as well as your stress monster doing something to alleviate that agita.
When I think of coloring, I imagine bound books with line art, where you work through each image at a time until there is a portfolio of neatly colored scenes. This event, wonderfully, was not what I imagined. Papers littered the table, both blank and with coloring patterns. I picked a page with plants, desiring to recreate a page that reflected the verdure around me to bring back to my dorm.
For Greenhouse Manager and Science Support Technician Alicia Contelmo, it is wonderful to see regulars who come to Doodling as a monthly ritual, but also to encounter new faces every session. As a newcomer, I felt welcome to join the circle of chairs around the coloring table, especially with the cart of tea and treats to complement our relaxing artistic endeavors.
It was comforting to have a place that encourages you to slow down instead of generating a sense of competition. “Creativity can be such an important part of people’s sense of wellness, and serve as a tool to counter the anxiety that comes with the constant drive towards productivity,” Krause said. “Giving ourselves permission for play and creativity feels like a critical component of a full life.”
A 2022 scientific study entitled “The effects of coloring therapy on patients with generalized anxiety disorder” found that coloring therapy can help reduce symptoms of anxiety and depression and increase positive mood. During her career, Krause has recognized firsthand the emotional and mental benefits of engaging with artistic practices. For her, it affirmed the importance of a low-pressure environment like Greenhouse Doodling that facilitates creativity and community building on campus. “It could be very grounding when people thought it was hard to find the words to express their emotions… a way to almost release something through art,” she highlighted.
Vassar’s mantra of “going to the source” passed through my mind as I doodled. Around me, I watched the sun’s rays flood into the greenhouse, washing the leaves in a chartreuse glow. On paper, that nature manifested in the hues I chose to fill my page with. It was soothing to watch the paper soak up the saturated pigments, flooding empty ferns and ginkgo leaves with shades of green and yellow.
Krause recognized that while it may seem counterintuitive to color when your to-do list is longer than the page you are filling in, it is vital to incorporate a healthy dose of an “anti-doing” philosophy into one’s life. Creative spaces and activities like Doodling at the Greenhouse provide ways to add this way of thinking into your daily routine. “These are tools to achieve that, but when you’re practicing it, it doesn’t feel like that motor [of productivity], it feels like [you] can just be there without a certain goal,” Krause said.
“There was a therapist before me who started it,” Krause recounted when discussing the event’s origins. “When she left, I think she felt that it was something that I’d enjoy doing. It was a gift that I got to take it over.” Similarly, I am appreciative of the opportunity to visit the greenhouse and intentionally take a peaceful pause in a busy schedule. Even though we are often surrounded by verdure on Vassar’s campus, it is grounding to remind oneself of nature’s beauty through simple yet vital practices, like coloring and doodling.
The next ‘Doodling at the Greenhouse’ sessions are Oct. 29 and Dec. 3 from 3 to 4 p.m. I would highly recommend going to let your creativity bloom! Until then, I am inspired to take out my own coloring books and turn to a fresh page.