When I realized today was National Coloring Book Day, I knew what I would be doing this evening. The idea behind this quirky holiday, established in 2015 by Dover Publications, is to relax…and color. Although people of all ages are encouraged to grab a coloring book, this celebratory day is especially geared toward adults, who need the reminder more than children do that it’s ok to slow down and be creative.
Although coloring for adults became a craze fairly recently, Dover Publications marketed the first coloring book geared toward adults in 1970. They now have a full line of coloring books for grownups under the Creative Haven label.
I own a couple of Creative Haven books, and a variety of other coloring books. In between receiving offers on a house and talking to agents and clients, I set up my coloring materials, and decided to be playful in my choice of books. I numbered off the books…14 of them…and then used an online random number generator to make my selection. I got the number 6, which was assigned to Art for Mindfulness – Landscapes. I was ready to color.
In keeping with my game playing, I also randomly opened the book to a page. This book, which happens to be the first adult coloring book that I ever bought, has a quote that accompanies each coloring page. This is the page I opened the book to.
I love that quote: “There is more to life than increasing its speed.” Mahatma Gandi
The words are so true! I desire to deepen my life rather than speeding it up. What a perfect quote to set the tone for an evening of coloring.
Coloring slows me down. Applying color to paper is soothing and there is a meditative quality to the art and the act of coloring. I enjoy the creative challenge too, of selecting colors and trying out new combinations of hues. I never just color. I shade. I create highlights. I vary techniques. It’s all fun for me.
I didn’t complete my page yet. Real estate work continued throughout the evening. But that’s okay. Elements of my life blend together, as smoothly as the browns and grays and greens of the sandy hillside with the lighthouse perched on top.
I enjoyed the coloring that I did. And I’ll leave this book nearby, as an invitation to pick it up and continue…and celebrate the marvelous colors of my pencils, the world, and my life.
