 I have wanted to create a series of books that are intentional about the mental health benefits of coloring for some time. Hello Beautiful Fall is my first in what I hope will be an on-going series. My thought was to create artwork that could be colored fairly quickly - ideally in 10 minutes - along a theme. The phrase, "A 10-Minute Mental Health Moment" perfectly represents the intent of these short coloring sessions. I like it when we use the words "Mental Health" in an overt way rather than "mindfulness" or "well-being" because these are just euphemisms for what we are actually talking about. I think it's important to de-stigmatize ideas around the treatment of (or just paying attention to one's own) mental health (ie: it's OK to not be OK). So then, what are the links between mental health and coloring? I am obviously not a doctor but from everything that I have read or experienced myself, taking a pause to be creative in any form directs the brain to an activity that is not about what you are perhaps relentlessly thinking about. It literally allows you to let go of racing thoughts or maybe to tune into your body just for a moment. It may help make you think mainly about the application of color to the page so that whatever you might be thinking about fades into the background a little. Hello Beautiful Fall has 40 fall-themed illustrations that are similar in art style to my other books. Nature scenes, florals and botanicals with a few animals are the main subjects (pumpkins and sunflowers!). I purposefully chose to print on cream colored paper because I like the softness and it feels like coloring a background is unnecessary. These drawings are centered on square colored pages and not overly big on the page. I'm hoping it's a comfortable amount of space. I've timed coloring many pages and I feel like you can achieve a nice page in 10 minutes. I love it because, truthfully, I'm not a great colorist. I like to color but I enjoy drawing much more so to me the shorter coloring just feels better. I can feel like I've made a beautiful page with minimal effort. I hope you like this intentional mental health coloring book. It is my hope that it will strike a chord with some folks and perhaps fill a need. There are sooooooo many coloring books in the world to chose from. I am incredibly grateful to anyone who buys one of mine and if this particular series is helpful to anyone, even better. Find the book here. Happy Coloring Friends, - Jen xoxo Sample artwork: |
