Artists Undistilled Challenge seeks to spark creativity while creating positive habits

By Isabella Escobar

The Five Towns College Counseling Center is presenting the Artists Undistilled challenge, an initiative centered on the theme ‘Swap Your Vices for Your Vision.’ The challenge invites students to examine their own creative process by stepping away from personal habits they typically rely on for comfort, distraction, or motivation and focus on who they are in their most genuine state of mind.

Hajra Naeem, Five Towns College’s Mental Health Counselor, outlines the core purpose of the event. “The event was created to help students discover hidden truths and realizations about themselves through art. We then decided why not expand the scope of submissions and call to ask students to try and abstain from whatever vice they would like to curb, from sugar to nail biting to reducing their social media consumption.”

The event is open to all participants and welcomes all artistic media, including short films, photography, drawings, and any other mixed-media work. Those interested must submit their piece by Friday, February 6th, culminating with a gallery event on April 9th featuring student-submitted artwork alongside mocktails and open discussions about sobriety with local artists.

“If there is something that you feel is hindering you, from anxiety to biting your lip, this event is for you. This is a chance for artists to find out who they are and what message they want to convey to the world through their art,” said Naeem.

Students looking for more information are encouraged to contact the Counseling Center at hajra.naeem@ftc.edu or 631-656-2132.