Slow coloring is about a lot more than just taking a long time to color a picture. For me, it’s about being aware of all the little feelings that could be trying to draw me away from being truly relaxed and in the moment.

Many of the demands that we have on our time come from our own expectations of how things “should” be. I tend to think that the longer I do anything, the more efficient I should get at doing it and eventually I’ll do enough that there’s less that needs to be done and I can just sit around and drink tea and color all day. So whenever I’m mindfully focusing on enjoying the present moment, I often spot mini thoughts popping up full of clever ideas about how I can wedge in just a bit more work or study or creativity or multitasking. It’s a habit and an energy drain and often counterproductive to think that way. Sure, there were times when those habits seemed beneficial, but they really are more suited to a “push ever harder” corporate lifestyle than to a “how do I age gracefully and in a healthy manner as an artist, a wife, a pet parent, etc.”

Coloring lots and lots of little bitty shapes gives me thousands of reminders that precious seconds tick by every few seconds and that it’s healthy and smart to stop thinking about what I maybe should do – and appreciate exactly what it is that I am doing. Turning a little shape yellow. Turning another one orange. Bit by bit, allowing the patterns to show themselves.

Here’s a slide show with my step by step slow coloring progress:

Thinky thoughts: I know that a lot of people first started coloring last year during the much hyped “adult coloring book craze”. So now that a lot of the craziness has passed, it might be a good time to revisit what it is that made you pick up your crayons or pencils or markers and coloring books. Was it a desire to relax more, to explore your creativity, to make something pretty, to reconnect with your youth? If you find that you are struggling to connect with your coloring, give yourself a few moments of coloring practice where you let all of the should and coulds and “what ifs” fade away and see what happens when you embrace the simplicity of coloring one pretty little space at a time. No need to make “progress” in any way. Just enjoy giving yourself a moment of ease and peacefulness. And remember, you aren’t the only slow colorist! 🙂

Today’s book: Wow (Angie’s Extreme Coloring Books – Volume 1)

Colored with: Copic Sketch markers