January is International Creativity Month. From music to crafts to home decor, some members of the WO student advisory board share their favorite outlets for creativity and how they bring their unique visions to life.
CREATING COZINESS
“I love to go shopping for decorations for my house and filling my space with things that make me and my husband Asher smile and feel cozy. I started doing this when I moved to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to start optometry school and it has been helpful to me in times of stress. I love both thrifting and retail shopping—my favorite places are Black Market Vintage in Tahlequah and TJ Maxx. Here was my Christmas setup from TJ Maxx and the purple smiley face coaster is from my sister’s shop in Norman, Oklahoma, called Shop Poppy!” —Cate Hoselton, Northeastern State University Oklahoma College of Optometry class of 2027
Vordenbaum’s Christmas setup with trinkets from TJMaxx
Vordenbaum found a blue pitcher, which she adorned with dried flowers, and a vintage chemistry book at Black Market Vintage. The coaster is from her sister’s shop in Norman, Oklahoma, called Shop Poppy.
MUSIC THERAPY
“I’m not the most creative person, so finding a creative outlet is always something I’ve struggled with—but I love to make music playlists! I’ll do basic themes like throwbacks or country, but will also do ones that I feel fit a specific mood or season. This year I made a fall playlist and I really enjoyed listening to it. Some of the songs I put on there were “There She Goes” by The La’s, “Sweater Weather” by The Neighbourhood, “September” by Earth, Wind & Fire and “Dancing in the Moonlight” by King Harvest. I made my mom a playlist of songs I thought she’d like and gave it to her for Christmas this year. It’s an easy gift idea for birthdays, Mother’s Day or Christmas.” —Hope Santangelo, The Ohio State University College of Optometry class of 2026
“My creative outlet is painting canvases that mimic or combine ideas proposed by others. For me, this is a great way to take my mind off of school and focus on the now or, better yet, what is in front of me at the moment. I discovered this hobby when my best friend Kate Tropsic invited me over for a paint night and encouraged me to join her by giving me my first canvas! Now it is something I continue to do for fun.”—Gaby Malave, Indiana University School of Optometry class of 2026
KEEPING KIDS BUSY
“My creative inspiration comes from my two little boys. They love crafting, drawing, painting and building. Their imagination is endless. Also, before the start of our third and final year of academics, my friends and I made vision boards to jumpstart the year on the right foot!” —Ashlee Payne, New England College of Optometry class of 2026
CREATIVE WRITING
“My creative outlet is writing! I discovered this hobby in college when I took a creative writing class, strictly to fill my fine arts credit. Unexpectedly, I found I really enjoyed the class— it was a much-needed change of pace from all the science-based lectures I was taking! I owe my discovery of creative writing to my undergraduate professor at the University of North Dakota, Rhiannon Conley. She taught me that not everything I write needs to be perfect, and writing can be something I do for fun or even stress-relief. I was able to combine my love for writing and optometry last year when I wrote an essay for ICO’s creative writing contest.” —Abby Wilhelmi, Illinois College of Optometry class of 2026
Abby won ICO’s creative writing competition in 2024 with her piece “The Eyeball Family Reunion.” Read that story here.
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