Why Coloring (is awesome)
With the exponential pace of modern life, it's easy for the mind to get lost in long to-do lists, current affairs, every-changing plans, self-assigned roles and social responsibilities, that song that won't stop playing on the radio, that zinger you should have said when you ran into your ex the other day.... For those moments when the mind feels cluttered and unfocused, creativity and play can help to quiet the internal chatter and connect with the possibilities that awaken when imagination is engaged.
Coloring is a great tool for stilling the mind, unlocking imagination and unleashing creativity.
Coloring helps us to quiet the world around us, and the world within us. With so much potential for stress and uncertainty to weigh us down, a simple, fun release can go a long way.
Coloring is meditation in motion.
Coloring is simple. The structure is provided, allowing the mind to rest while the hand fills in the blanks. Just as in life:
an outline may be offered to us, but it is up to each individual to color it with our own unique perspective.
Coloring is a gateway to creative self-expression. It is familiar, safe, and low pressure. It can bring the satisfaction of a job completed and the joy of creative expression, leaving one with the thought "If I can do that, I wonder what else I can do?"
Coloring is unifying and inclusive. It's been around for a while, and has been a medium offered in schools across the world, so transcends perceived barriers between us, such as age, language, Socioeconomic status, culture - before we were goths or geeks or hippies, or sports icons or presidents...we were kids who colored.
Coloring requires patience and persistence. In this age of instant gratification, it is easy to become impatient or bored. The simple practice of putting hand to paper and completing a vision from beginning to end helps to remind us that life is long (ideally) and requires determined patience.
So no, I will not be making a Whimsadoodles app.
Life is a process. So is coloring. Both should be enjoyed in the present.
And, as the good Doctor said....
