Is Coloring a craze or a cure?!?

Did you know that an estimated 12 MILLION adult colouring books were sold in the United States alone in 2015? The colouring craze sent book sales over the top and sent art supply companies scrambling to fill orders. Even Faber Castell, one of the WORLDS largest and oldest pencil manufacturers couldn’t keep up with the demand! This creative outlet even sparked a GLOBAL shortage in art supplies! And that is no easy feat considering the economic crisis happening all over the world!
So WHAT IS IT that is causing colouring MANIA? Or more importantly, what is causing this mania NOW, in 2016? From my research, colouring books specifically catered to adults have been around since the 1960’s, albeit on a much smaller scale! But here we are, 50 years later, and the bestseller lists are all containing colouring books! Is there something to this hobby that goes well beyond pigment and paper?!
Is colouring actually good for you? Is it healthy? Can we go as far as saying that colouring is therapeutic?! THIS is a debate that I hear on a regular basis. What one esteemed opinion validates, another one is quick to dispel! The answers to these questions run the gamut! So how does one REALLY and TRULY know? The world renowned medical practice and research group The Mayo Clinic has boldly affirmed the physical and emotional benefits of colouring! They absolutely believe there is therapeutic value in creating art! But what does that mean exactly? No extensive long-term studies have been done to prove or disprove the benefits of ADULT COLOURING. Or at least none that I am aware of. So I can’t offer you any statistics, graphs, or pie charts…

BUT I can tell you this…

Not only as a community leader and colouring specialist, but as a chronic pain patient and long time illness sufferer myself, I have seen the powerful and lasting impact colouring is having, in my own life and the lives of others. I interact with people every day who are coping with traumatic injury, grief, stress, anxiety, insomnia, and high blood pressure by reaching for their pencils and colouring books! For myself and many others who deal with severe and unrelenting and constant pain, colouring acts as a dimmer switch connected to our central nervous system. It engages us in mindful meditation and allows us turn down the volume and tune out the ‘noise’. In this world where EVERYONE is constantly being pulled in countless directions, isn’t that something that ALL of us could benefit from? In this day and age high-strung and high anxiety seems to be the new ‘normal’. If Yoga can go from misunderstood to modern-day elixir, why can’t colouring? It is very simple! BOTH are meditative practices. BOTH cultivate mental spaciousness. And both allow you to control your own dimmer switch!

‘Mindfulness” might be one of those buzz words that you have heard being lobbed about recently, however it is far more than just the word-of-the-week! The practice of mindfulness actually dates back some 2600 years! But what does it mean in simple terms? It really is just about being fully present! And when you are in a mindful (present) state your brain and body benefits! Colouring just so happens to be an activity that lends itself to this! Renowned psychologist Carl Jung was actually PRESCRIBING colouring to patients during the first half of the 20th century! Can you imagine?! He sure was ahead of the times!
Although adult colouring can indeed be called a ‘trend’, I ABSOLUTELY think it is here to stay! I see the invaluable benefits that people are experiencing every single day. And not only that, I am living proof that there is so much more to this art form than meets the eye. I will save MY story for another blog post on another day! Needless to say, the impact colouring has made in my life has been palpable! But don’t take my word for it! There are COUNTLESS people around the globe who feel the way I do! Are you one of them? If you are I really want to hear from YOU!

Leave a comment below and tell me how colouring has helped you!! Do you think it is just a craze? Or is it a creative cure!! What benefits have you experienced? I would love to hear your story!