Coloring books aren’t just for kids anymore! They’re everywhere – from your Facebook newsfeed to display cases and shelves in bookstores. Adult coloring books have more intricate, complicated designs, but they’re the same premise as those for kids – you can relax and enjoy yourself while being creative in a focused way. Sometimes having an outline helps inspire creative genius. It gives you a starting point into what to work on, and sometimes that’s all that’s needed to put you in a creative mood. And some of the coloring books that are coming out are another way of exploring a favorite story, like the ones for Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and the Little Prince.
Multiple articles about this new fad point out that this could be a way to live in a state of nostalgia, wishing for a simpler time, like when we were children. Coloring can be an escape from computer screens and cell phones, allowing us to live more in the real world with some stimulating activity.
An article titled “Adults find solace in coloring books” demonstrates how quickly adult coloring books became popular and to what extent. Bookstores had trouble filling demands, and libraries started forming coloring groups for adults. According to art therapist Lacy Mucklow, the curvy patterns, such as those found in mandala images, engage people’s minds and relax them.
According to the New Republic, this is not the first time coloring books made such a huge trend. Why it died out until about a year ago is a good question, though given the serious, sometimes political subjects of the coloring books discussed in this article might give a hint.
The new trend includes enchanted forests and coloring books based on fictional books, so it really does seem to be more about escaping real life, similar to how reading a book is an escape into a fictional land. Except with the coloring book, it’s in an active, productive way.
So. Which coloring book are you going to pick up first? Don’t forget to share pictures of your finished products with us!
BUCK OFF BLOG 
Ha ha, it’s funny I randomly ran into this blog post! I met someone that colors in adult coloring books last week, and I hadn’t even known that was a thing! I’m sure it’s therapeutic 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Before writing this article, I didn’t realize libraries had coloring events. I work at a library, so maybe I should see if we can do a coloring night!
If you decide to color, let us know how it goes!
~Editor Sandy
LikeLike