Feeling creative?

Then head to The Workspace, an area in the basement of the Memorial Union run by the Student Union Board, where creativity runs amok.

Theresa Cannon, program advisor of fine arts for the Student Union Board, says The Workspace is an open studio for students and community members to pick up a hobby or just check out an interesting art.

The classes offered almost every semester include ceramics, jewelry, photography, screen printing, yoga and salsa and merengue dancing.

Classes recently added for the spring lineup include belly dancing, beginning guitar, basic beading, Persian tile design, calligraphy, paper marbling, origami, basic birdhouses and creative writing.

Cannon says she, along with her graduate assistant and Workspace employees, brainstormed ideas for the new semester and looked for people in the community with an expertise in one of those areas.

Yoga instructor Susannah Johnston-Wagner is one Workspace employee who played an active role in the brainstorming. She teaches postures, meditation and stress reduction.

“It’s really good for relieving stress, and it helps people to relax,” she says, “I also teach breathing techniques for relaxation.”

Johnston-Wagner became hooked on yoga many years ago because it was such a great stress-reliever, and it gave her the freedom to do it almost anywhere.

“I just really loved it a lot,” she says. “It was something that was easy to do, and I didn’t need special equipment. I could do it in my home whenever I wanted to.”

Learning yoga by video is difficult to do, which is why the class offered at The Workspace is so helpful, she adds.

“It’s also really good because you get energized by doing it with other people,” she says. “It’s supportive for your own yoga.”

Jasmine Friedl, junior in graphic design and a Workspace employee will teach beginning guitar next semester.

Her class is also supportive of the students’ interests, leaving them with “a motivation to keep going with it … kind of an encouragement that they can become good at it if they want to.”

Lisa Ric-McKelvey says she is excited to teach belly-dancing and looks forward to sharing her passion for Middle Eastern dance with other people.

“I’m very excited about teaching; I love teaching this class,” she says.

Although the list has been compiled and the classes are scheduled, the Student Union Board is open to new ideas, Cannon says.

“We’re really flexible, so if there is something that people want to learn about, they just need to let us know,” Cannon says. “As long as there are three people and a teacher, we can have a class.”

Taking a class is a great way to learn something new without the risk of failing, since these classes are for fun and carry no credit hours, Cannon says. They’re also affordable, costing $2 a day for students or $3 a day for non-students. So, if something strikes your fancy, it’s not going to break you, she says.

Brian Messenger, woodshop instructor and supervisor, says students do not have to register for classes to come in and experiment with the “pretty amazing variety of tools” at The Workspace.

Cannon adds that The Workspace is unique, providing a forum for creativity most other schools do not have, including Simpson and Northwest Missouri State, where she received her degrees.

“I think what impresses me most about The Workspace is the phenomenal amount of tools, equipment and supplies that are easily accessible to a student or community member,” she says.

Ric-McKelvey agrees, calling The Workspace a near pot of gold.

“It is a hidden treasure — literally. There are things The Workspace provides that I didn’t even know about,” she says. “They offer a wide variety of classes. It’s a good opportunity, and I would hope people would take advantage of it.”