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My Coloring Book

4/17/2016

24 Comments

 
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Back in the day, Barbra Streisand had a mega hit that’s also the title of this post. 
 
Now, I’ve been doing it myself.
 
Filling in a coloring book, that is.
 
Who knew that spending hours with a glass jelly jar filled with sharpened colored pencils and a for-grown-ups-only, complete-the-pictures pad could also help reduce stress; make my brain slow down, and sometimes, even be the catalyst to a good night’s sleep?
 
Given that I’m a foodie, it’s appropriate that the book I bought is called Color Me Delicious.
 
However, the contents appealed to me not so much because of the dishes it shows, but the world it portrays. 
 
Turn the pages, and you’ll see hands happily roasting s’mores and a birthday cake with perfectly positioned frosted flowers.  Other sketches show a front porch with silly jack o’lanterns; keep going, and you’ll see a jumbo mug of hot chocolate and gingerbread houses.  This rose-colored version of life suits me fine, since I purposely didn’t want anything too complicated.  (No surprise here that my selection is from Taste of Home, a publishing house known for comfy recipes that make you feel like you’re hanging with Beaver Cleaver.)
 
I’ve noticed a few of these books around for many months, but didn’t pay them much attention until I saw one at the home of my daughter’s tutor.
 
“Oh, a friend gave that to me,” she said.  “She said I needed to relax, and she thought this would do it.”   
 
The tutor hadn’t yet tackled any of its pictures, but given my issues with sleeping at night, the idea piqued my interest.  When she suggested that my daughter might use one while tackling a specialized listening program, we decided to check out the biggest bookstore in our area.
 
There, we found displays on both the store’s first and second floor, easily totaling at least 40 choices.  Who knew this coloring thing was so popular?   I especially liked the city-themed ones, Paris and New York among them.  However, my kid ultimately decided on a thick, almost hardcover one featuring lots of intricate mandalas that would make me nuts. 
 
I wish I’d saved myself some time, and gas, by checking out our local supermarket first. 
 
Yup, between the paper towels and frozen pizza, I found nearly two dozen books to choose from. A block away, our one-stop hardware store boasted a dozen different books, smack in the center aisle.  Google some to buy, and a whopping 600,000 results come up.   
 
What happened to what used to be an activity exclusive to the preschool set?
 
Well, like so many great ideas, it took just one person to turn the coloring book industry on its proverbial head. 
 
And like so many who are chockful of creativity and imagination, this person is not only talented and did the work, but had luck on her side. 
 
Her name is Johanna Basford, and prior to her breakout coloring book success three years ago, the 32-year-old Scottish artist peddled a different sort of merchandise.    
 
In a studio located on her parents’ trout and salmon farm, also in Scotland, Basford’s medium was silk screening; specifically, she designed hand-printed wallpaper for luxe hotels and boutiques.  But after the 2008 crash, Basford
was forced to close her workspace, and became a freelance commercial illustrator for clients that included Starbucks and Nike.
 
Then, in 2011, a United Kingdom-based publisher saw Basford’s work online and thought her sketches would be perfect for a children’s book. But Basford had another idea: how about a grown-up coloring book? 
 
“It got kind of quiet for a moment,” remembers Basford.  “Coloring books for adults weren’t much of a thing then.”
 
So, the artist spent the next nine months coming up with the template for her first book.  A labor of love, she worked on the concept at night, keeping her paycheck career going during the day.  The initial publisher decided the concept was worth the risk, and in the spring of 2013, debuted My Secret Garden. 
 
A 90-page collection of beautifully intricate black-and-white ink drawings of leaves, flowers and birds, Basford’s first book has now sold 1.4 million copies around the world; been published in 22 languages, and last year, made the top 10 list of Amazon’s best-selling books.  Her three subsequent coloring books--Enchanted Forest, Magical Jungle and Lost Ocean—are also doing very well. 
 
And while Basford’s books focus on nature, it’s possible to now find a coloring books on dozens, if not hundreds, of other themes.  In fact, much like knitting clubs, coloring book gatherings are now popping up around the world, meeting in cafes and in homes.  Too, many aficionados buy more than one book so they can keep several going at any one time.  
 
Once I began to color, often at night when my household is at its quietest, the runaway success of these books makes complete sense.
 
After all, the books take us back to childhood, when life, at least for most of us, was both kinder and simpler.  And according to at least one psychologist, the relaxation that coloring gives us also lowers a specific and active part of the brain that’s affected by stress.  Put another way, coloring has the ability to take us away from worrying, an activity that already takes up way too much of my time.
 
In fact, I think it’s time to find a few more coloring books.  Lucky for me and so many others, I’ll have a whole lot to choose from.    
 
What do you think about adult coloring books?  I’m looking forward to your comments and stories!
 
P.S.  Find out more about Johanna Basford at www.johannabasford.com.
 
P.P.S. One more thing: if you’ve never heard Barbra Streisand sing about her coloring book, here’s the best rendition yet:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp-RgmR5KKg.

 
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24 Comments
George Marshall link
4/17/2016 04:57:59 pm

It sounds like a very enjoyable way to relax and you can pick it up or put it down as you feel inclined to. Besides it is probably comparatively inexpensive. Once you have your colors, there is no end to what you can do.

Reply
Hilary
4/17/2016 05:07:51 pm

It really slows down, and channels, a different part of the brain. Crayola supposedly has its own line of books, but I prefer colored pencils... and fine-tipped markers would work well, either with the pencils, or alone. :)

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Patrice Weiman
4/17/2016 06:00:43 pm

Since I'm a world class worrier, my hubster thought it would be a great idea for me to have a coloring book. He got me one with drawings of fashionable people in different cities around the world.
Don't laugh, but he put the 1st one I finished up on the refrigerator!!
P.

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Hilary
4/17/2016 08:08:55 pm

Wow, talk about a niche market! Not just cities around the world, but FASHIONS around the world. As far as putting the picture on the frig, I sent my first completed page off to a designer friend of mine. : )

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Jerry link
4/17/2016 06:50:09 pm

OY! I don't get it! Never in a million years could I have predicted this trend -- it sounds like the stuff of satire -- and yet so many folks I know are latching on to it. And I'd be the last to ridicule or deprive others of their harmless pleasures & pastimes, as I'm aware I have a few eccentric ones of my own, none the stuff of bestsellers, believe me. Well, coloring is more constructive than Pet Rocks and Mood Rings, I suppose. Enjoy! (And thanks for the, um, colorful backstory!) .. So what's next? Etch-A-Sketch, anyone?...

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Hilary
4/17/2016 08:10:29 pm

**I KNOW!** Crazy, huh? But, the fact that Bascomb was already an accomplished artist, and had a passion for the idea, probably helped a lot. The pictures in her books are gorgeous, even before any color is added. My book is a pale comparison. :)

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Larry Grant
4/17/2016 08:26:48 pm

As the spouse, I'm so glad you found this cool way to slow down your brain and find peaceful rest.

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Hilary
4/17/2016 08:41:45 pm

Oh, me TOO. xo

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Karen
4/17/2016 08:32:09 pm

I got several for Christmas, along with gel pens and colored pencils. Have not really tried this except for during the holidays. Your post has made me think about finding them and giving them another try! Coloring with a group sounds fun too! Maybe along with a glass of wine to lubricate the creative juices?

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Hilary
4/17/2016 08:42:32 pm

I would be up for that party, Karen! Let me know when you want to throw one. And gel pens would work great with the colored pencils, too.

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Karen
4/17/2016 08:48:28 pm

I even have the Secret Garden one. Also one an old chum from high school sent me called The Sweary, which is floral cuss words! Words I will not post, though I suppose bastards is oK!

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Hilary
4/17/2016 10:07:16 pm

Oh, I will have to get THAT one! :)

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leslie spoon
4/18/2016 09:18:51 am

Hilary I think that this is a great idea to relax. One of the fashion magazines has come out with one too. I think it is Vogue magazine.

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Hilary
4/18/2016 04:50:39 pm

That would be an awesome one to color! :)

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Kim Fonturbel
4/21/2016 06:24:19 am

These coloring books ARE everywhere!!! I think its wonderful. Its not something that relaxes me but I love anything that helps anyone relax... in this day and age... where things in general, move way, way, way, way, way...........(wait for it).......(take deep breath in for 4, out for 4).............. too quickly. : ) <3.

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Hilary
4/26/2016 12:46:34 pm

For me, it's just one more arsenal in trying to calm my life down, something that is difficult with all of the stresses of my world these days. I need yoga, walking, cooking and yes, cleaning as well! And yes, BREATHE. :)

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Terri
4/25/2016 08:39:56 am

Growing up in in the 50s, in a family of four children - we were always encouraged to "busy" ourselves. When not outside riding my bike or roller skating (the infamous skates with the skate key) - my absolute most personal and favorite time spent was coloring in a coloring book. Each page would be meticulous, and a time just for me.
I do believe these new age adult coloring books equate to that...time of our own to create, relax and perhaps take us back to a time of innocence. On a personal level it inspired me to become a published author, designer and yes, a grandmother who loves to share the simple joys of a box of crayons, a coloring book and my grandchildren. In turn they have taught me, "Gramma, you don't have to stay inside the lines; make it how you see it".

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Hilary
4/26/2016 12:48:22 pm

Yup, researchers are finding that adult coloring books do all that you say they do. I find that colored pencils are much easier for me than crayons, which are great for small children, but too bulky for me. I have heard that Crayola has come out with a line of adult coloring books, though... maybe the crayons are skinnier? :)

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Jim Nolt
4/26/2016 05:42:36 am

Hilary, I haven't done any coloring since I was a wee lad, and although I can see value in it, I doubt I'll be taking it up again. But I do have fond memories of lying on our living room floor... bringing color to the pages of my oversized Superman book... all the while hearing those voices, from the latest episode, in my head. Sometimes I wonder how different my life would have been had George Reeves said No to Bob Maxwell's offer. That might be a topic for a future blog... what one action by someone you didn't even know changed the direction of your life?

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Hilary
4/26/2016 12:52:52 pm

The paths our lives take because of a single decision... yes, I've thought about this MANY TIMES before, and it's absolutely in my list of future blogs. For instance, when I graduated college with my journalism degree, I could have moved to the tip of Northern California, working for a small town newspaper, owning a horse and becoming a country girl. But instead, I wanted to work more in magazines, so, I moved to New York City. What a contrast! I'm sure everyone has this kind of story... from the man (or woman) that got away, the job we didn't take, the town we didn't move to. And, how those decisions we made, made our lives what they are today. Fascinating.

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Jackie
4/27/2016 05:59:44 am

When my kids were little, we would sit at the kitchen table and color in coloring books while dinner was cooking. I remember it being such a relaxing time. Now I have a sketch book that suggests subjects to draw, (e.g., "a parade; flowers in a vase," etc.). I need to unearth my dormant drawing skills, which will be a perfect activity for my post-op recovery! But, thanks to perfectionist training from elementary school nuns, I still do color in the lines! 😊

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Hilary
4/27/2016 10:30:25 am

It IS relaxing. :) I'm a perfectionist, too, which is why I would never use crayons in my coloring book, and do my best to stay in the lines. But choosing my colors, and sometimes making patterns with them, supplies the creativity I need! To this end, colored pencils work really well, and I might be getting a set of gel pens, too. :)

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Susan Jordan
4/28/2016 10:07:24 pm

I didn't know that coloring could help reduce stress and help a person sleep better! It makes perfect sense, though. A few of my other friends swear by it. If I were to, I might use actual Crayons, though, just to put my brain back in kid mode (I had a happy childhood). :)

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Hilary
4/29/2016 05:13:20 pm

Well, here you go... Crayola has gotten into the game as well, although it looks like it's offering colored pencils to the adult crowd... :) http://shop.crayola.com/coloring-books-and-paper/adult-coloring?gclid=Cj0KEQjwjIy5BRClh8m_9Zu64d8BEiQAtZsQf-BGA8dYRXICoMQgC1IFRkMkBlM0gTJiszX3s_S2SBEaAosH8P8HAQ!

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    Hilary Roberts Grant

    Journalist, editor, filmmaker, foodie--and a clown! 
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