"Color Me Calm" Helps People During Job Hunting

It is so wonderful to hear how "Color Me Calm" is still helping people for various reasons...including the stress of job searching!

Positive Psychology names "Color Me Calm" in Top 45 Meditation Books

I'm honored to discover that "Color Me Calm" was listed among Positive Psychology's Top 45 Meditation Books of All Time, making the list of their Top 5 Meditation Coloring Books. Thank you for the distinction!

Color Me Books Translated into Multiple Languages

I am still amazed at what has come from the coloring books that I wrote with Angela's illustrations and how global they really became.  From what I know, the books have been translated into numerous languages, including the following:

Color Me Calm:

French, German, Korean, French, Arabic, Norwegian, Chinese (Simplified and Complex characters), Bulgarian, Russian, Japanese, Portuguese, Swedish, Spanish, Estonian

Color Me Happy:

Korean, French, Bulgarian, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, French

Color Me Stress-Free:

French, Chinese, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, German

A couple of days ago, I got two boxes from my publishing company with some editions of these translated books.  It's hard to describe the feeling to see your words translated into multiple languages around the world.  

Please comment on the pictures below if they are in your native language!  I would love to hear from you!

Swedish

Spanish

Portuguese

Norwegian

German

French (Canada and France)

Estonian

Chinese

Bulgarian and Russian

Australian English

Swedish Edition of "Color Me Calm" Surprise!

I got a very cool surprise in the mail today - a Swedish version of "Color Me Calm!"

"Color Me Calm" Part of Weekly Routine for Stress-Relief

Had a nice share about "Color Me Calm" on Instagram today.  It's great to see people use the book as a stress reliever and a coping skill to manage anxiety!

The Evening Standard Chooses "Color Me Calm" Among Top Relaxing Coloring Books of 2020

I was notified this morning that "Color Me Calm" made the Evening Standard's "Best Adult Colouring Books of 2020 to Help You Relax." I'm very honored it was among the few chosen for their list. Apparently, adult coloring is making a comeback during the pandemic!

Best adult colouring books of 2020 to help you relax

Get creative and de-stress with the best colouring books for adults

Ellie Davis | 1 day ago

Throughout this lockdown period, we’ve all been looking for ways to pass the time, whether that’s by honing our baking skills, or picking up the art of cross stitching.

One activity that has seen a huge surge in popularity is colouring. Go back to basics by investing in a good, intricate colouring book that will work wonders in relieving stress and anxiety. Your childhood favourite activity has been given an adult twist as a calming way to switch off from the excessive amount of screen time that we are all facing.

Bring art back into your life and use this relaxing activity as a much-needed distraction from the craziness of 2020. You only need a good colouring book and a rainbow selection of pens and pencils - and we can certainly help with the former. You will be surprised at the meditative space that it leaves you in as well as the sense of accomplishment of your colourful creation.

See our favourites here.

Develop Good Habits list Color Me Calm, Stress-Free in Top 39 Coloring Books to Relieve Stress and Anxiety

It was very cool to discover today that "Color Me Calm" and "Color Me Stress-Free" made Develop Good Habits' list of their favorite 39 adult coloring books that help relieve stress and anxiety. They made the list for stress relief and mindfulness.

Color Me Calm #9 on HealthyWay's "40 Amazon Products for People Who Are So Anxious They Just Can't Even" List

40 Amazon Products For People Who Are So Anxious They Just Can’t Even

If you’ve got chronic anxiety or you’re simply dealing with a rough season of life, these products might help you find your inner calm.

Feeling anxious is much more than being a little nervous or having a little extra stress in your life. Anxiety can make it difficult to cope with the challenges that come your way and may even make normal everyday tasks feel daunting. 

Many people with anxiety need professional guidance for managing their symptoms. Some may need to explore medication, while others might find relief from therapy. 

Others may be able to find relief from anxiety by adjusting their routine or adopting healthier habits. Coping with anxious thoughts and feelings is often so much more than finding one solution; it can take multiple strategies working together to ease symptoms. If you’re feeling anxious and looking for new ways to cope, check out these amazing Amazon products that can help you bring more calm to your life.

Sweden's PassionistaColorista features Lacy on her podcast!

EPISODE 4: Lacy Mucklow, about Color Me Calm, and her other coloring books 

 "They had no idea that their coloring books would make success around the world, when they released Color Me Calm and Color Me Happy back in 2014. In this episode I talk to Lacy Mucklow, art therapist, and the author of these books. She talks about how it started, which one that is her own favourite, what pencils she uses when she is coloring, why mandalas are so calming, how different colours affect us, and much more!"

  Listen to the podcast here

Lacy Interviews with The Wellness Design Podcast

04 - Color Me Calm - 

Adult Coloring Books For Your Waiting Room 

How can an adult coloring book create a memorable experience in your waiting room and offer next level service to your peeps? In today’s episode I interview Lacy Mucklow, the author of the wildly popular adult coloring books “Color Me” series. You’ll learn how coloring instantly calms the brain regardless of your age and what’s so unique about these coloring books your patients (and their families) will love! 

 Download this podcast episode here 

 Click here to stream directly from the website

Stream the episode here 

Healthcare interior designer Cheryl Janis interviews big-hearted industry professionals, designers, artists, and creatives who share their must have design resources and tools for your patient-centered medical, dental, healthcare practice or beauty business. Stop feeling overwhelmed by all the design choices out there. Learn the best options for you, your staff, patients and clients, and how to use them intelligently in your own wellness space. 

GET IN TOUCH 

cjanis@cheryljanisdesigns.com 

 Subscribe in iTunes

The Huffington Post includes "Color Me Calm" and "Color Me Stress-Free" on Top 15 Coloring Book List

Both "Color Me Calm" and "Color Me Stress-Free" made Dr. Martinez's favorite 15 coloring books for the Huffington Post!

THE BLOG
My Top 15 Favorite Adult Coloring Books, and Why...
06/03/2016 11:28 am 11:28:13 | Updated Jun 03, 2016

Dr. Nikki Martinez, Psy.D., LCPC
Tele-health counselor for www.DrNikkiMartinez.com, Adjunct Professor, Consultant, and Writer

1. Mandalas to Color, Volume I, by colorit.com. Who does not love a Mandala? There is something about these intricate patterns that allows us to get lost in the beauty of them, and these are some of the best quality I have come across.

2. Outside the Lines, curated by Souris Hong-Porretta. If you are someone who is obsessed with the likes of Gary Baseman, Shepard Fairy, AIKO, Keith Haring, and more than 100 other artists, this is the book for you. Edgy and creative, the fun and complexity is attracting.

3. Dia De Los Muertos, Volume 1. 50 pages of Sugar Skulls. I am not sure about you, but I am in love with sugar skulls, the detail, the beauty, and the ability to make something dark, but beautiful. If you love them too, this is the book for you!

4. Color Me Calm, by Lacy Mucklow and Angela Porter. These two ladies truly came together to form a series of images that would calm even the most anxious person. They are lovely, original, and enjoyable for anyone who chooses to start with this.

5. Coloring for Grown-Ups, by Ryan Hunter and Taige Jensen are just plain fun. They are edgy, silly, and undeniably fun. A great gift for yourself or anyone with a great sense of humor. You will not only get lost in the coloring, you are bound to giggle as you do it.

6. Colorama Color Me Happy, Coloring Book, by Telebrands Press is a great book for anyone. They are clean, clear, and cheerful. A terrific book to get you started, and a gift that will be appreciated by anyone who receives them.

7. Colorful Flowers, Volume I, by colorit.com is a personal favorite. I will admit, I have a bias for varied and beautiful flowers, something I like to think I share with many. These books are not only beautiful, they are sturdy, high quality, and real remembrance that will hold up over time. While some books may be a few dollars cheaper, I think the quality more than makes up for it with these.

8. Breathe, Volume 3, by Angie Grace, These books are small, portable, and well done. The images are inventive engaging. A great book, at a wonderful price. A nice way to calm yourself for a small investment if you are starting out with adult coloring as a hobby.

9. The Tattoo Coloring Book, by Megamunden. If you are like me, and you love tattoos just as much as you love flowers, because aren’t we all eclectic? You will really enjoy this book. It has wonderful traditional tattoo designs for you to color the way you always want the professionals too when you watch them.

10. Outside the Lines, Too, Curated by Souris Hong. In the second installment of this series, you will not be let down with images created by the minds of another 100 imaginative minds. If you love the likes of Tim Biskup, Caroline Hwang, Jack Black, and many more, you will love every second you spend lost coloring this book.

11. Color Me Stress-Free, by Lacy Mucklow and Angela Porter. In another installment of this collaboration, the two come up with works that are bound to reduce stress, create relaxation, and foster creativity. I find the series to all be very well done.

12. Colorama, Flowers, Paisleys, Stained Glass and More, Coloring Book, by Bulbhead. Another simple, clean, and pretty book for the person who is looking to dip their toe in adult coloring. It also makes a wonderful stocking stuffer for any creative friend.

13. Calming Doodles, Volume I, by colorit.com. As mentioned before, a few of these, and a pack of colored pencils, make a really sharp gift. Not only are the pictures and books high quality, but they look like you have spent invested in this hobby for them. Fun, function, and flare, at its best!

14. Balance, Volume I, by Angie Grace. This is another book in her series, and carries the same portability, reduction of size, mixed with lovely images and centering coloring activities for the novice to the expert.

15. Calming Therapy, an Anti-Stress Coloring Book, by Hannah Davies, Richard Merritt, and Cindy Wilde. I saved one of my absolute favorites for last. This book helped me fill more hours than I can name during recovery from surgery. The book is sturdy and attractive, and the pictures are very engaging. You find yourself not wanting to walk away until you have finished a piece.

So there is my list of my 15 favorite books that I have come across, and that really help meet any interest, need, and function that they are intended for. Check them out online and see if any might be a good fit for you. Perhaps another book by one of these artists will be the right fit for you, or maybe a complete other book will be the one that touches a note with you. No matter what you choose, enjoy, relax, and regroup in a wonderful way.

Follow Dr. Nikki Martinez, Psy.D., LCPC on Twitter: www.twitter.com/DrNikkiMartinez

Color Me Calm Featured in Durham and Chapel Hill Magazines for Holiday Gift Guide

What a pleasure to see that both the Chapel Hill Magazine and Durham Magazine featured "Color Me Calm" in their Holiday Gift Guide section in the December 2015/January 2016 editions of their magazine.  I can't believe all the places I still find references to my coloring books even years later.  Thank you!

https://issuu.com/shannonmedia/docs/chmdec2015issuu (Chapel Hill Magazine) chapelhillmagazine.com

https://issuu.com/shannonmedia/docs/dm_dec_jan16  (Durham Magazine) 

durhammag.com

Experts Warn Adult Coloring Books Are Not Art Therapy

As an art therapist and author of adult coloring books, I anticipated this subject being broached at some point, especially since some coloring books are titles with "Art Therapy" in their name.  Coloring most definitely has its benefits, in allowing people to de-stress and calm themselves in an easily accessible manner.  But as I have made clear in many interviews, coloring is good for everyday maintenance, but it is not clinical art therapy and is not a substitute for professional help when needed.

ART WORLD 

Experts Warn Adult Coloring Books Are Not Art Therapy 

 Sarah Cascone, Friday, August 7, 2015

An adult coloring book. 

Photo: Passion for Pencils, YouTube screenshot.

Experts are questioning the therapeutic benefits of adult coloring books, one of 2015's biggest and perhaps most-unexpected art trends, widely touted for its stress-relieving benefits.

According to Jo Kelly, president the Australian and New Zealand Arts Therapy Association, however, adult coloring books are no replacement for an in-the-flesh art therapist.

"An arts therapist is a qualified, trained individual who helps people and uses creative processes," insisted Kelly to ABC. She admits that by encouraging people to set time aside for their own enjoyment, adult coloring books have their benefits, "but to sort of suggest that it's a sort of creative art expression, you're actually using other people's designs—why not make your own?"

Color Me Stress Free. 

Photo: courtesy Race Point Publishing.

Publisher's Weekly traces the current popularity of coloring books for adults back to 2012, when Art-thérapie: 100 Coloriages anti-stress, by Hachette Pratique, was published in France. The first book to really hit the mainstream, however, was Johanna Basford's Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt & Coloring Book, currently Amazon's number one best-seller in self-help books.

The follow-up from the so-called "queen of coloring," Enchanted Forest, was released in February, and a third volume, Lost Ocean, is slated for an October release. Even fantasy author George R.R. Martin is getting in on the action, with plans to release a Game of Thrones coloring book.

"We've never seen a phenomenon like it in our thirty years of publishing. . . . Just can't keep them in print fast enough," Lesley O'Mara, the managing director Michael O'Mara Books, which has no less than 24 adult coloring book titles, told the New Yorker.

An illustration from Johanna Basford's Enchanted Forest. 

Photo: Johanna Basford.

The San Jose Mercury News recently counted coloring books as part of an "ever-growing list of kid things co-opted by adults (video games, mini golf, Legos, Pez dispensers)," but adult coloring books are often marketed based on their therapeutic value.

There is Color Therapy: An Anti-Stress Coloring Book, and Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns, Amazon's top seller in Graphic Design Color Use. The Zen Coloring Book series, which includes Color Me Happy and Color Me Calm, is actually authored by art therapist Lacy Mucklow, with art by Angela Porter.

"We imagined the books would appeal to adults looking to relax. But we never expected the responses we've received from people battling serious medical conditions," editorial director Jeannine Dillon told PW of the Zen series, which sold over 275,000 copies over just six months this year.

Susanne Fincher, art therapist and author of the Coloring Mandalas series, sees coloring books as a useful supplement to art therapy treatment. They "can empower a client to manage thoughts and feelings on their own with the positive activity of coloring, instead of, for example, overeating or abusing substances," she said to CNN.

Coloring a postcard by adult coloring book queen Johanna Basford. 

Photo: Susan Tripp Pollard, courtesy Bay Area News Group.

The PTSD Survivors of America, in particular, have embraced the trend, hosting a nationwide "Color Across America for PTSD Awareness" event on August 2, National Coloring Book Day.

Erin Maynard, the organization's president, credits coloring books with counteracting the hyperactivity of the region of the brain called the amygdala, which controls the fear response. "Coloring actually reduces the activity of the amygdala, so that's part of the reason that it helps calm you down," she told the Lancaster Bee.

"Adult coloring is absolutely a growing trend and consumers are really taking to the idea," Matthew Lore, of the Experiment publishing group, which released The Mindfulness Colouring Book in January, said to CNN. "Not only is it calming and good for your health, it's just fun!"

But how much can coloring books really do for your mental well-being?

"It's a nice technique really that some art therapists sometimes use as a way to get started with someone, but art therapy is a lot more involved than that," Jane O'Sullivan, who runs the masters in mental health program at the University of Queensland warned ABC. "I think if someone was to say coloring-in books are art therapy, [that] is not accurate."

Follow artnet News on Facebook.

Color Me Calm is #6 on Trade Paperback List!

Best-Selling U.S. Books

Softcover
For the week ended June 14, compiled by Nielsen BookScan © 2015 the Nielsen Co.

Trade

1. Grey E.L. James. Vintage $16
2. The Martian Andy Weir. Broadway. $15
3. American Sniper (movie tie-in) Chris Kyle. Morrow. $16
4. I Am Malala Malala Yousafzai. LB/Back Bay. $16
5. Hope to Die James Patterson. Grand Central. $16
6. Color Me Calm Lacy Mucklow and Angela Porter (illus.). Quarto/Race Point. $17
7. Leaving Time Jodi Picoult. Ballantine. $16
8. The Goldfinch Donna Tartt. LB/Back Bay. $20
9. The Vacationers Emma Straub. $16
10. Station Eleven Emily St. John Mandel. Vintage. $16

 

Interview with Canada's "The Globe and Mail" about coloring books for adults

Pass the crayons: 

Colouring books for adults prove to be a salve for stress 

NATHALIE ATKINSON
The Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Feb. 11 2015, 1:28 PM EST
Last updated Wednesday, Feb. 11 2015, 2:28 PM EST

Excerpts from Lynda Barry's SYLLABUS art workbook for adults. (Courtesy Drawn and Quarterly) 

Drawing patterns has long been used as a meditation aid and, more recently, in art therapy to help dementia patients and the elderly with cognition, engagement and expression. But colouring books marketed to adults as a salve for the stresses of daily life fall into a relatively new and growing category. 

In April, the British Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology published a study detailing the benefits of creative activity on employee performance for people working in high-pressure, demanding environments. By the fall, Hachette published a number of its wildly popular Pratique Art-Thérapie colouring books in English in North America. 

In addition to Hachette’s oft-cited coloriages of soothing mosaics, leafy gardens and paisleys – which outsell many of the publisher’s cookbook titles – there’s a glut of new Dover Publications featuring royalty-free historical drawings of classic cars, ships and fine art. The Creative Haven imprint is putting out Art Nouveau patterns, butterflies and stained glass panels ready for adult colourers, and Toronto’s own Team Art publishes a series of tongue-in-cheek minis with original illustrations based on pop culture hits ranging from Parks and Recreation and Game of Thrones to One Direction and Beyoncé. 

Whether it’s abstract techellations and mandala patterns or Nelson Mandela and Hillary Clinton caricatures, the physicality of pressing sharpened pencil point to paper is the whole point of colouring books for so-called grown-ups. It’s not adult meaning “adult content” – although in that vein, there are as many fetish and erotic offerings as there are political ones. 

 The newest Amazon bestsellers in the genre are last fall’s Color Me Happy and Color Me Calm, written by licensed American art therapist Lacy Mucklow and illustrated by Angela Porter. [...]  “We are currently a society that is so digitally minded that people are needing time to unplug more than ever,” Mucklow explains via e-mail. “Colouring uses both hemispheres of the brain – both the analytical and creative halves – and has a relaxing effect on it overall, especially in the amygdala, the emotional centre.” 

The scenes and subjects in her books were chosen to evoke feelings of well-being. “Colouring also connects with us on an emotional, visceral level,” Mucklow says. Not having to worry about what image to compose in the first place helps her patients bypass any “artist’s block” or perceived lack of skill, providing immediate stress relief. The only decision is what colours to use. 

Although the book can’t replace professional therapy, Mucklow says the cost-effective nature and convenience of colouring books can provide a helpful everyday outlet for stress. 

Colouring in a non-professional context can be a restorative physical act that focuses on the effect of the process, not its finished product. This angle is figuratively and rather literally a page from the philosophy of award-winning cartoonist (and enthusiastic creative force) Lynda Barry, author of What It Is, a graphic novel memoir cum scrapbook cum writing guide, and its creative-drawing companion Picture This. 

An assistant professor of interdisciplinary creativity at the University of Wisconsin, Barry most recently published Syllabus. As both its title and composition book design suggest, it’s a loose-limbed reproduction of the creative curriculum from her class The Unthinkable Mind at the school’s Image Lab. 

One homework exercise prescribes time spent in three different modes: colouring in silence, colouring while listening to an interview with British psychiatrist Iain McGilchrist about the divided brain (the link is accessible on Barry’s Tumblr) and colouring while doing something else entirely (like watching TV or socializing). The different conditions help people observe the different ways their brains work, which Barry calls “the biological effect of art.” 

Montreal-based artist Sarah Mangle has sold more than 1,000 copies of The Affirmations Colouring Book since self-publishing it last fall. “I’m not a digital artist – I still draw pencil to paper,” says Nova Scotia-born Mangle, who drew her colouring book’s 100 pet portraits and affirmations last year while laid up with a serious knee injury. “It really is a tactile thing. I like how the paper feels, how the pencil or marker or crayon smells. It’s a real and physical experience – more than screen time.”

The book is carried at local bookstores from Vancouver to Halifax and on Mangle’s Etsy page; she’s shipped individual orders as far as France and Switzerland. 

An early childhood educator by day, Mangle says what she didn’t expect “is that therapists buy it, for their practices, for adults. And then other people are buying it because they have adult friends who have a hard time. Other friends have bought it for their kids but are colouring it together. It’s something people find calms them down. It’s a beautiful thing.” 

A moment of Zen, in shades of Burnt Sienna.

Color Me Calm and Color Me Happy Are Here!

After over a year of working and waiting, I am proud to announce my first published books that came out simultaneously on October 27th.  They are coloring books for adults entitled "Color Me Calm" and "Color Me Happy," published by Race Point Publishing.  I authored the text and the content, with each book broken down into themed chapters of things that are commonly associated with calming people or boosting their mood.  Angela Porter did a fantastic job illustrating my artistic suggestions for each chapter to give everyone dozens of pictures to color.  They are great to use for yourself, for friends or family, or with your clients.  Even in pre-order, "Color Me Calm" has already made it as a #1 Bestseller on Amazon, and "Color Me Happy" is not far behind at #2.