How to Get Into Sports If You’re Really an Artist
If you are a creative who wants to live a more active life, taking inspiration from those around you is a great way to start.
Are you a design major stuck in front of a computer, prototyping your life away? Are you stuck in a studio for days on end, trying to finish an important art piece before the deadline? Creative types often want to be more physically active or be involved in sports, yet feel intimidated or confused about where to even begin.
Starting a fitness journey might feel as if you’re committing to another long project among all the mind gymnastics you need to do in your creative discipline, but it doesn’t have to be. Here are some tips and advice to keep it simple.
Join an On-Campus Club
On-campus sports and wellness clubs are great places to get ideas about fitness. If you’re constantly worrying about meeting project deadlines, or going through burnout because of the pressure of always having your creative juices flowing, clubs provide stability through scheduled meetings. They are also the perfect places to find community, and even make friends who might share the same struggles of being an artist.
The University of Minnesota has hundreds of sports, recreation and wellness clubs, ranging from intramural team sports clubs, like the Women’s Club Volleyball to clubs where you can still showcase your artistic side, like the Ballroom Dance Club.
If you’re on the lookout for something you can eventually do on your own, running is one option.
“Running gives me an opportunity to talk to new people and explore the surroundings beyond campus,” Evan Dieterle, the President of the UMN Running Club, says. He says running can also be a great way to get a mental reset after a long day of work.
One piece of advice Dieterle has for a creative person looking to start running this week is: Bring your creative mind into conversation. Running with people is the best time to have crazy conversations!
Solo-tour the RecWell Center
As a person starting out on your fitness journey, having a specific place dedicated to fostering community and promoting wellbeing can be highly motivating. The Recreation and Wellness Center at the university is just the place for that. With several locations on the East Bank and the St. Paul campus, the Rec is more than just a gym.
As a beginner, you might experience gym-shyness or anxiety. Anna Aquino, the marketing and communications coordinator at the RecWell, remembers how shy and intimidated she felt when she first started going to the Rec as an undergraduate. Her recommendation is to start out with trying different fitness classes by purchasing a FitPass on shoprecwell.com. This way, Aquino says, you can try different workout styles in a safe environment with an instructor you can always ask for help.
If you don’t have the budget for a FitPass and if walking up to the gym area and immediately picking up the weights seems a bit too much, try UMN Move and Thrive videos on Youtube. “These videos are great, challenging workouts, and taught me a lot about form,” Aquino says.
Aside from offering a variety of fitness options, the Rec also hosts free artistic events all year round that support students. Kindness Grows, which is held every year in April, celebrates art, nature and connection. Participants draw on a plant pot and plant seeds for the coming spring. In the fall, there is Inkwell, where participants make a custom pen using beads. If you ever join these events, where you can use your own creativity, make sure to tour the Rec building to see where else you can incorporate your artistic skills.
One piece of advice Aquino has for a creative person looking to start working out this week is: If your first trip to the RecWell is a walk-through where you don’t work out at all, great! The best part about the Rec is how big it is. There will always be something new, and no one is an expert at all of it. Ask questions, join what sounds interesting, quit what’s not working, and you’ll find what works for you.
Combine Your Artistic Interests with Sports
At a school as big and sporty as the U, there are lots of different intersections of arts and sports that bring creativity and physical activity together. One of those places is the school’s marching band, The Pride of Minnesota. “We are called the Pride of Minnesota, because we bring spirit to the games and share the pride of being a part of this community with our audience,” Riley Brennhofer, member of the Pride of Minnesota Marching Band, says.
According to Brennhofer, who auditioned to be in the marching band his senior year of high school, being a part of the band has influenced not only his creative mind, but also the way he approaches discipline and time management.
Being in the band naturally promotes physical health and staying fit, Brennhofer says.
“It’s not only mentally, but also physically taxing because you have to use your muscles in different ways that you wouldn’t with most sports. It’s not only with just keeping form when you’re performing, but also engaging your core, keeping really good posture and breathing efficiently so you don’t pass out on the field,” he says.
If you’re interested in taking part in such an intersection where you get to play a musical instrument in a community that fosters pride and discipline, while also learning new ways to practice fitness during performances, no matter your experience or major, you can audition to become a member.
One piece of advice Brennhofer has for a creative person looking to pick up a musical instrument is: If your interest extends beyond the marching band, and if you simply want to learn something new but feel late to music, there are singing courses through the U for people who have never sung before. You can also join a lot of choirs and bands here that don’t require an audition, and accept all skill levels. That way, you can also get a feel for how it is to be in the marching band. A ton of really great options. Not only here at the U, but…everywhere.