• On Creativity

      In sixth grade, my daughter, Camille, made a papier-mâché  “Ellacambit”. For those of you who are wondering, an “Ellacambit” is an elephant/rabbit combo forged together with the help of a little bit of Cami ingenuity. I gotta admit, he was a pretty fabulous creature. He joyfully graced our kitchen table for quite a while. We eventually “lost” him to an encroaching mold infection.  We mourn him still.  The job of the artist is making tangible the inner workings of the imagination. The Greeks refer to this process of bringing something into existence as aition. Creation is not just about making something happen, it is a matter of letting something come forth and setting it free. Acts of creativity capitalize on the process of making the invisible visible. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi wrote about normal human…

  • College for Creative Studies News

      We were recently featured on the College for Creative Studies’ news and events page in an article titled, Short film explores game-changing CCS sociology course that helps students tap creative potential. We’re honored to be recognized and look forward to future semesters of “Consciousness, Creativity and Identity”.   “If you walked into Molly Beauregard’s classroom toward the end of each session, you’d find the room swathed in stillness and calm. You’d see every student sitting face forward, eyes closed, deep in silent meditation. The scene wouldn’t strike you as particularly unusual if this were a wellness room or a yoga class, but it’s not. It may well be, however, the first academic course of its kind at an American college. For more than 15 years, Beauregard has taught sociology — mostly,…

  • The Story of My Life

    I have found that difficult situations can often yield positive, unexpected results. The moment I first realized that “things happen for a reason” was when I was fifteen years old and enrolled in basic art class. I scoffed at the idea of having to be in “basic” art. Nevertheless, I made the best of the situation. One of the assignments, the “altered book” project, proved to be quite challenging. Despite my frustrations, this project more than any other confirmed my enthusiasm for both art making and synchronicity. I chose to work with an old physical science book. While pondering what to make of the book, the light bulb above me went out. Being a quick thinker, I unscrewed the light bulb and devised my plan of attack. Over the next several weeks I drilled a hole in…

  • Movement

    A certain professor once told me that I needed to start finding intellectual pursuits that furthered my growth as a human being and kept my mind off of others. She also said that people were a matter of the heart, and all I needed to worry about was how to love them better. Three months later and I am just now starting to really understand what she meant by that. This past year has presented some personal life challenges that forced me to look at people in a different light, and it wasn’t positive. I became discouraged and sour, introverted and detached, and very not my usual self. And as a naturally self-aware person, I could only let the charades continue for so long. So, I decided to make some…

  • His Cup Overfloweth — Role Reversal

    Every now and again, life tosses you the opportunity to take part in a role reversal. It can be a powerful experience. Fortunately for me, a favorite former student is teaching ceramics in Detroit. At the risk of making a total fool of myself, I decided to sign up for class. It turns out that working with clay was just the tip of the educational iceberg. Class with Henry is full on performance art! This afternoon Henry and I met for a cup of coffee to discuss the “philosophy of making a cup”. Henry believes in a relationship between personal creativity, social responsibility and connectivity. He spent the bulk of last year building a kiln in the city of Detroit. His desire is to use the kiln as a “sort…