To help students find their passion for art, the new Doodle Club gives members an opportunity to express themselves and relax during meetings after school, offering a judgment-free environment.
After school, students participating in this club can take the time to improve their skills and focus on themselves after a day of schoolwork.
According to Doodle Club advisor Kate Ball, students can use this club to find a “real talent” when they draw and members could even find this as “something they want to pursue in a career.”
Finding their talent during this club is one thing members focus on, but many also take this time to be social and gain new connections.
“I put it out there when we wanted to meet next and [members] all said the following week,” Ball said. “They must have had fun and a lot of them were talking and just relaxing with friends. I know a few of them didn’t know each other so members were able to meet a bunch of new people that they weren’t already close to.”
Sophomore Emily Hagan has seen people gain friendships while socializing with other members in the club since she founded the club earlier this year.
Hagan wants this club to be a “casual time,” making sure members can focus on “doing their own thing,” which is one of the reasons Hagan first put this club together.
“I wanted to create a safe space for students to express themselves and relax after school,” Hagan said. “I don’t really try to tell members what to do because I don’t want them to feel pressured, I want them to feel comfortable.”
Along with a comfortable feeling, Hagan also believes this is a great place for people to relax.
This is something that club member Emily Milnes enjoys.
“Meeting with this club helps me take everything that was taught to me today and just push it aside for a bit and do what I actually like doing,” Milnes said.
Milnes said the club has given her an opportunity to not feel pushed to work on certain types of projects and that the club has been a great place for her to feel supported with what she decides to create.
Sophomore Sarina Morrison said she feels like the overall atmosphere is one thing that keeps her coming back to the club.
“I really enjoy the atmosphere, a lot of clubs can seem tense because there are a bunch of people with conflicting interests and not many people really get to know each other, at least from my experience,” Morrison said, “but here it seems like everyone has the same reason to be here and I really like that, and they really show it.”
Members are looking to help grow the club, make new friends and show students how art has been helping them in their lives.
“I would want more people who enjoy drawing to find this nice space to relax and draw because it would always be nice having new members,” Milnes said
Hagan gives time to members who want to overall grow their art skills and find a place where the social aspects meet what students joined the club for.
