When I first heard of adult coloring books, I rolled my eyes. I think my comment was “UGH, are you serious?!?!” And then they started showing up ALL over my Instagram feed. And I started seeing comments about how relaxing it is, and how much fun it can be to play with color, and I started to wonder if these coloring books were actually worth the hype, or if it was just a bunch of b******t. So what is one to do in a situation like this? Well, get an adult coloring book of course, in the name of research.
As a nod to my heritage, and my recent trip, I got a coloring book with an India theme. For my tools, I picked colored pencils, and then I was off. For three days I colored while I watched TV. And I felt— ehhhhhh. Honestly, I’m not sure what the hype is. Was it fun? Kinda. Did it reduce my stress? Not really. In fact, if anything, I started to get annoyed about the lack of color being deposited on the page and started obsessing about whether I should be using markers instead, which pretty much defeats the purpose. And, I haven’t really been inclined to color again. So, I’m not sure coloring books are for me.
That said, I do have a number of friends who feel differently. My friend Danielle likes them because she finds they help clear her mind of the clutter that collects after a long day. My friend Carrie finds them “soooo relaxing” and highly recommends a glass of wine for full effect. Mary has been buying children’s coloring books for years and is amused that adult coloring books are a thing now. And Amy colors every day.
Lots of differing opinions. So what’s the moral of the story? You do you. If you think you might want to take the plunge, you can get adequate supplies for under $30- a relatively low-cost investment in the event you find its not for you. But if it is your thing, you may just find yourself blissed out while you explore and express your creativity!
So what do you think: is this going to stick around for a while?
Love this! As someone who loves to color, finds it helps settle my mind after work and has started drawing again thanks to it, I completely agree with you: It’s not for everyone. We all need activities that help us decompress but there’s no one perfect activity that will help everyone. A few years ago, I tried knitting because everyone told me to and didn’t enjoy it. However, I know a lot of friends who swear by it and that’s great!
As long as it makes you happy/isn’t harmful, you do you – whether it’s cooking, knitting, coloring, list-making, writing, gardening, TV binge watching, running, etc.
And if that activity stops being fun after a few months or few years, it’s ok to stop and find something else that works.
Agreed!!!
I ended up with, like, three of these for Christmas. I bought markers because I figured they’d frustrate me the least – but coloring such tiny spaces so intently cramped my hand! Not relaxing…
True. The adult books have a LOT of tiny detail. And a LOT of connected space so you have to pick colors wisely.