The year was 2004, summer was just beginning to edge into fall, and an eager young high-school graduate was checking the mail box. Sure enough there was a bright glossy pamphlet from the University that had recently accepted her. This bit of wisdom was a list of important things to bring with her into her new life. and there at the bottom...a coloring book? "Don't laugh," admonished the pamphlet. "You will thank us after finals week when you want to do nothing but curl up in a corner and cry. Coloring is very therapeutic."
It is the dream of every author. Possibly a pipe dream, but it is there. What if my book makes the best seller list? Even scraping in at tenth or fifteenth place is a symbol of having made it. But what kind of books make those short and accomplished lists that show up on Amazon and the New York Time? There are gripping science fiction tales, true survival stories, heart-rending emotional journeys, and ... coloring books?
Back in the early oughts the concept was simply something understood by folks who babysat. Coloring books were fun and relaxing and not just for kids. It was a habit I carried with me from college into my work life. I colored and shared with co-workers and unbeknownst to me the concept was spreading like a smouldering wildfire along the floor of a well managed conifer forest. Slowly, steadily, and without much noise or fuss. Now adult coloring books sit proudly at the top of several bestseller lists along with the murder mystery de jure. Popular and not well understood.
That is until some eager grad student took note and decided to put this bit of fun under the proverbial microscope. According to Dr. Stan Rodski coloring books provide therapeutic value that is almost on par with formal meditation. (Surprisingly he has his own line of coloring books).
It is the dream of every author. Possibly a pipe dream, but it is there. What if my book makes the best seller list? Even scraping in at tenth or fifteenth place is a symbol of having made it. But what kind of books make those short and accomplished lists that show up on Amazon and the New York Time? There are gripping science fiction tales, true survival stories, heart-rending emotional journeys, and ... coloring books?
Back in the early oughts the concept was simply something understood by folks who babysat. Coloring books were fun and relaxing and not just for kids. It was a habit I carried with me from college into my work life. I colored and shared with co-workers and unbeknownst to me the concept was spreading like a smouldering wildfire along the floor of a well managed conifer forest. Slowly, steadily, and without much noise or fuss. Now adult coloring books sit proudly at the top of several bestseller lists along with the murder mystery de jure. Popular and not well understood.
That is until some eager grad student took note and decided to put this bit of fun under the proverbial microscope. According to Dr. Stan Rodski coloring books provide therapeutic value that is almost on par with formal meditation. (Surprisingly he has his own line of coloring books).
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