I have always liked coloring book. I mean, who doesn’t. Some genius of a guy thought of an idea to create these books with pictures in them. Books of all shapes and sizes with these great pictures of all your favorite cartoon characters. AND THEN they had this brilliant plan to leave the pictures colorless. How awesome is that? So now you get to color in your Saturday Morning pals with any number of color combinations you want. I don’t know about you, but I loved it.
I have one memory that sticks out from all the rest. I remember vacationing at my families cabin up in the California mountains. As a family we would vacation quite a bit up at our cabin as it was close to Lake Tahoe and a short hour and a half drive from home in Sacramento. I remember sitting with my Aunt Nancy coloring some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle coloring books, trying to stay in the lines and get the colors right best I could. I remember realizing when my Aunt sat down to help just how much I enjoyed coloring. I think it was that moment I knew I wanted to be an artist. I wanted to color.
I wouldn’t say it was the actual colors I love the most. No, and I don’t think it is the “staying in the lines” part either. I’m gonna say the thing I like the most id the simplicity of the whole concept. I mean think about it. Even if you pick the exact wrong color and pick the most horrible picture to color in, as long as you finish each shape with full on precision, then you come off with a respectable piece of artwork. No matter what. All you have to do is sit back and work at it. There is no problem solving, no stress about what the client will think or about if it will sell in the gallery. There is a finish and an end. You just keep in those lines, and your home free. And every time I did, I felt some sort of accomplishment.
I think that same concept holds true in my line of work today. I work in a creative field, yet I’m not sure just how creative it is. I pick some colors and stay inside those lines and I feel accomplished. Now whether that’s a form of creativity, I’m not sure, but I love it anyway.