When lockdown had me looking for new comforts I reached for the joy of coloring books. Searching through forgotten ones on my shelf and new buys online, I was inspired by how much coloring books give to the viewer — an image, idea, memory, space, frame—a path forward. Pressure that I put on myself to “make something good” went away when there was already something there on the page, and I began drawing inside the books until I lost fear of the white page.
In researching coloring communities, I was charmed by the simple delight that reaches so many people with so many different types of coloring books. Ding! Passionate about finding new ways to help people learn life skills, I set out to make coloring books around topics that might be difficult, with user centered research and expert partnerships along the way. It made sense to me that art naturally partners with therapy and having experienced that firsthand myself, I chose to start my first series — on overcoming trauma through mantras and imagery — based on my work with Pete Walker’s “Shrinking the Inner Critic.”
Interested in getting the free coloring page(s) of your choice and sharing your thoughts and feedback on these first drafts?
