Leaderboard

This is one of the fastest growing hobbies around the world right now and I'm wondering who else enjoys coloring as a grown-up? I always colored with my children and then my grandchildren, but now we closet colorers no longer have to stick to the kiddie books. There are hundreds of incredibly detailed coloring books available for adults these days. Johanna Basford's "Secret Garden" and "Enchanted Forest" books are the leaders in the field. I believe she was the first to publish a coloring book aimed at the adult market. Her images are lovely!

I've been reading a lot of articles that talk about the psychological benefits of coloring. Research has shown that coloring can be almost as good as meditation for clearing the mind and helping people find balance. It's also a great way to unleash creativity and not just for art. Once you get going with any creative type of activity, it is almost like it exercises your creativity, making it stronger, and that creativity can come out in other ways, like writing or just problem-solving.

I love to color! It was, hands down, probably my favorite past-time as a kid. I felt pressured to "grow out of it" though, because there weren't coloring books marketed to older kids at the time. I transitioned into paint-by-numbers in my teen years because it felt more age-appropriate than coloring images like Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny. In my adult years, I fell away from artistic past-times altogether and bought a Kindle instead. Now, I'm so excited that there's a such thing as adult coloring books!