Decompressing Through Coloring

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I have a confession to make:

I love to color!

Photo by Mint Owl on Unsplash

It's a good thing that coloring as an adult is now acceptable, isn't it? There have been a plethora of "coloring for adults" products hitting the retail arena in the last couple of years, and, frankly, it's a relief. Plus, there is so much good stuff out there! =)

When I was in high school and college, the only coloring books you could really find were for kids. There were the typical, very young-age type of coloring books, with Disney and Winnie the Pooh and other cartoon characters, but those didn't interest me.

What did interest me at the time were the types of coloring books you'd find in museum gift shops. Things like pictures of Samurai found at an Asian art museum, or William Morris textile patterns found at a design museum. I would pick these up any time I visited one, and while they were meant for kids, you know I broke out either the colored pencils, markers, or sometimes even a small painting set and brushes to fill in between the dark lines.

It's a shame that, at the time, I felt I had to hide that part of myself. Close friends and family would witness it, but that's it. I feel like I robbed myself of a little bit of the joy of being like a kid again by hiding it.

There is something truly free about children! Limitless creativity, a healthy sense of play, and a time of constant learning all define parts of childhood, to me. I think as adults, we could learn a thing or two from kids. From finding that joy, again, to feeling that limitless creativity flow through us. And for not being ashamed to play and share in that.

Nowadays, I frequently use coloring as a means of decompression. The last place I worked even featured it in teambuilding exercises. I like it because I can kind of zone out and get caught up in staying between the lines, choosing colors, and blending. By the time I come out of my reverie, I feel more relaxed, like my cares have gone away for awhile.

So, no more hiding it: from time to time I may share some pics of my coloring here, along with recommendations for good coloring books or coloring implements I've tried. I'll list some at the end of this post, to start.

How do you like to decompress? And do you share it with the world, or keep it private? Do you have a good coloring book to recommend? Drop me a line and let me know! 🐝

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Here is a coloring book I'm working in right now.

And here is a set of pencils I'm using.

I like to organize them in something like this.