• 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,…

  • a poem

      There is an inherent sadness in humanity, this particular kind of turmoil that spurs our uncertainty, from uncertainty. It causes conventional men and women to cling recklessly to their egos and self proclaimed artists to drown in their identity, desperate to be clever, as if wit can do anything but breed with itself when it lacks the concept of compassion. My limbo generation slides in and out of consciousness, with their standards distorted and excuses within reach. Meanwhile a vast and endless universe opens its doors to anyone, anything willing to be a part of it. You may feel on top of the world but in reality you are floating, only a speck, in everything, and I wish you could see how beautiful you are. Rachel Pendergrass

  • Homemade Pop Tarts

    Often times, I find myself rushing out of the door in the morning, cramming down whatever I deem acceptable as a meal so that I can get something in my stomach. I wanted to create something easy to make and easy to eat, on the go, that wouldn’t leave a mess in my car while driving to work. As I was pondering finger food for breakfast, I had seen many at-home pop tart recipes on the web but all of them required making the dough. Don’t get me wrong, I love making things from scratch but there are a few things I don’t mind buying already made, like pie crust. Additionally, buying the crust pre-made makes for a faster creation of these wonderful little tarts. These pop tarts are easy,…

  • Introducing Nicole St. John Hamborsky

    My name is Nicole St. John Hamborsky. I’m a photographer and artist currently living in Grosse Pointe Park, MI, in a house that I purchased with my parents. I graduated from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit last year and am currently working for a well known computer company as a mobile technician. This past year has been a big one for me; I bought my first house, I started my first committed relationship, I got my first job out of college, and I finally quit smoking. I like to think of myself as healthy both mentally and physically and I am continuously working to improve myself daily. When I met Molly Beauregard I had no idea what joy and pleasure I would experience by being a part of…

  • Figuring It Out

    When I first read the following quote, it really stuck with me. Mahatma Gandhi said, “A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, nothing else.” I think why this impacted me is because of how relatable it is to the way people’s lives are looked at sometimes: a series of actions or experiences and expectations. Interestingly, through Molly Beauregards Consciousness, Creativity and Identity class and making sense of my own feelings about it, I feel Gandhi might have been wrong. I have been told for a long time that people are who they are because of the situations they have gone through in their lives. I heard over and over variations of Gandhi’s words. And I believed this too. It made enough sense. I could rationalize…

  • Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

    April 2014 Book of the Month “A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend.” ~Author Unknown This book is an old friend. Molly and Chelsea have decided to read it together this month. Please join!! Written in 1922 by Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha, is a gem of a book. The story recounts the spiritual journey of self awakening that a man named Siddhartha undergoes during the time of Buddha. This classic novel grabs the readers heart and opens it to the infinite potential of who a man can become.

  • How do we escape it?

    How do we escape it? Bad things keep happening to us. An automatic payment went through and our checking account was overdrawn, allowing the bank to dole out any number of fees. Someone cut us off in traffic, so we slammed on the brakes and spilled our coffee. The babysitter cancelled, so we’re stuck at home with the kids. We took on a huge project and it blew up in our face. We were bullied when we were little. We didn’t get enough attention growing up. Men are only interested in having sex with us. Women are only interested in controlling us. Our boss is only interested in paying us the least, while demanding the most. And so on, and so on. There are so many situations in which we are the victim.…

  • Becomming the 2014 Auto Show Poster Winner

    As a metro Detroiter, I’ve been going to the auto show for some years now. I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to illustrate the auto show poster. The theme is celebrating 25 years so I decided to capture something that has been constant with this event all of the years it has been in existence: the logo. I captured the logo as a woman, using the modern colors of the logo to create a piece that wasn’t necessarily about one specific car, but the event as a whole.  I used the techniques I’ve learned from my fashion illustration courses that have shaped my own love for illustrating models and haute couture. With this in mind, I created this piece as a symbol to show the glamour and beauty…

  • Entities

    Every now and again, I am blessed with a student whose joyful energy infuses my whole classroom with sense of happiness. It is lovely when this happens as I have always believed emotions are contagious. Last semester, one Mr. Christopher Fry entered my classroom and my heart in one fell swoop. It was impossible not to be charmed. Fortunately for me, Chris a gift that keeps on giving. Despite his entry into “adult world”, we are able to keep in touch through his lovely girlfriend. Jen is enrolled in class this semester. She shares Chris’s ability to influence every space with her sweet sensibility and kind heart. Last week, Chris came to visit. He shared this picture with me (above). I immediately asked if I could share it with the Tuning the Student Mind family of friends.…

  • 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…