When the stats were compiled on what consumers bought during the 2015 holiday season, it strongly suggests that we are all children at heart. AND that we, like the 9-year-old Picasso, love to express ourselves through artistic impression. Adult coloring books were among the top 3 best selling books, and 8 of the 20 currently top-sellers. Coloring books??
Coloring in books have been around for a while. The 30’s and 40’s are kind of the golden age for coloring books for children. Being touted as a stress reliever, the adult coloring book craze started in Europe, then came across the big pond to the US. About the only difference between a child’s coloring book and an adult’s coloring book is the detail in the images. The paper quality is higher which makes it easier to use different mediums. I personally have quite the collection of colored markers since I discovered adult coloring books.
How did this all come about? More and more we are all looking for a distraction from our hectic pace of a life – a chance to unplug. Coloring books take us back to a simpler time allowing our minds to become engaged and relaxed. Beautiful, sophisticated and artistic images make it easier than starting with a blank page when the desire to be creative kicks in. Social media has influenced the craze with photos of the finished pictures showing up on FB!
To the nay-sayers who might think this whole coloring book thing is silly, research has shown two amazing things: the heart rate slows and there is a change in brainwaves. Coloring is often compared to meditation. The neurological response is the result of repetition and attention to patterns and detail associated with coloring. A brain scientist explains that by concentrating on coloring an intricate image, negative thoughts are pushed out of the way and replaced with pleasant ones.
El Picador-Picasso-1890
(Picasso was 9 years old)
Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
~Pablo Picasso, quoted in Time, October 1976
Have you started coloring?
