Coloring... for adults
So if you know me, you know I have a mini-Hobby Lobby in my spare bedroom - it's a craft room. I have fabric. I have metal stamping supplies. I have scrapbooking stuff. I got books. I have cross-stichery stuff. I have buttons, thread, sewing supplies. I got... colored pencils and coloring books. Yes, I can shop in my house and never get bored - until it comes to making quilts, then OMT, I have no fabric that is PERFECT... story of a crafters life.
I am positive there are tons of blogs out there dedicated to coloring for adults - there is a website and blog for everything under the sun - and I am not a "blogger" of stuff, just my life and what I love. So... let me invite you into my word of coloring.
As most of you know, I teach high school (14-18+ year olds), and it is tough. I hate the amount of paperwork I seem to constantly generate and the back and forth to the copy room, and the consistent sound of my voice when we are learning new concepts, or even the 1372138129472 (not exaggerating some days!) time I have answered the.same.dang.question, or the looks I get when I ask the students to leave with their food because food is not allowed in the classrooms (even portables).... BUT I LOVE my kids. I think they are some of the most awesome bunch of idiot mindless teenagers, um, young people with growing pains, I can think of. Every job is stressful, and every job is important, however, we are all here because of two very important people did not kill us for our stupidity: 1) our parents - although, let's be honest, I am sure they tried... brussels sprouts? Really? and 2) teachers.
I spend more time with these teenagers then their parents. I am "Mom" to some of them - they call me that, oh the looks!! - and that student is my kid. Everyone of those stinkers is mine. So... it's stressful to have to balance lesson plans, parent contact, PLC, department meetings, counseling the students, grading (OH the grading... can't they just get the joy of learning new things!?!?!), and then my personal life of grad school and occasionally seeing other adults who are ... adulting.
My escapes have always been creative, and since rediscovering cross-stitch, which slipped into quilting, and general sewing, I have migrated perhaps into the next craze - coloring for adults. It's relaxing. I guess what really threw me into the world was I assigned my English II class a children's book, which was their final. I stole the idea from another teacher, and it sure beats the making an exam for 80+ students! SOOOO much easier to grade. I digress... I believe if I can make one, with my equally crazy schedule as the students (in different ways), the students should be able to show up in equal glory. Yes, I am 34, and they are 15, and so the motivation factor is different.. but still, I like to show them that Ms. K can do one - so you better make yours as good!! I'll upload my pictures of my two projects I did with the students later.
But since I assigned that children's book - they had to write a 10-20 page book, and fully illustrate it - I bought myself colored pencils. And saw a coloring book as well... and it fell into my Amazon basket. I was so impressed by the book, I talked to some of the other Dallas ComicCon volunteers, and low and behold, there is a FB group. Many. And a whole community. And more books... so many more books!! And coloring instruments!! I went through my gel pens and had to throw most away because they are so old, and I cringe when I have to sharpen my colored pencils - even so my collection has expanded from the original box of 50 to two sets of super bright/extreme colors (neons), one box of metallics, and a 120 piece pencil set (with two of each color... so I use one set and leave the other super sharp).
It's relaxing, and so much more instant then when I quilt. I love quilting - I am in the middle of one for my cousin whose wife is about to have the first baby of our generation, and am loving the process. But with coloring, I don't have to spend hours drawing and then coloring, I can enjoy and appreciate someone else's talent and go to the coloring. I don't have to think about deadlines - just color combos. I don't have to stress over students doing or not doing their work to pass my class (which is not 100% my responsibility anyhow, but still...) - I just hop over to Pinterest and look at the color board I have on there and I can create them on paper myself.
So, stressful job or easy retirement, I can highly recommend that coloring is not just a thing we did as kids. I cry a bit when my students watch me color and start to say they wish they had time. I really don't need to color - I have a house to clean, quilts to make, TV to watch - but I choose to do them when I am calmer. Except TV watching, you can get a lot of Neflixs done while coloring. Or quilting. Or "grading"...
I am positive there are tons of blogs out there dedicated to coloring for adults - there is a website and blog for everything under the sun - and I am not a "blogger" of stuff, just my life and what I love. So... let me invite you into my word of coloring.
As most of you know, I teach high school (14-18+ year olds), and it is tough. I hate the amount of paperwork I seem to constantly generate and the back and forth to the copy room, and the consistent sound of my voice when we are learning new concepts, or even the 1372138129472 (not exaggerating some days!) time I have answered the.same.dang.question, or the looks I get when I ask the students to leave with their food because food is not allowed in the classrooms (even portables).... BUT I LOVE my kids. I think they are some of the most awesome bunch of idiot mindless teenagers, um, young people with growing pains, I can think of. Every job is stressful, and every job is important, however, we are all here because of two very important people did not kill us for our stupidity: 1) our parents - although, let's be honest, I am sure they tried... brussels sprouts? Really? and 2) teachers.
I spend more time with these teenagers then their parents. I am "Mom" to some of them - they call me that, oh the looks!! - and that student is my kid. Everyone of those stinkers is mine. So... it's stressful to have to balance lesson plans, parent contact, PLC, department meetings, counseling the students, grading (OH the grading... can't they just get the joy of learning new things!?!?!), and then my personal life of grad school and occasionally seeing other adults who are ... adulting.
My escapes have always been creative, and since rediscovering cross-stitch, which slipped into quilting, and general sewing, I have migrated perhaps into the next craze - coloring for adults. It's relaxing. I guess what really threw me into the world was I assigned my English II class a children's book, which was their final. I stole the idea from another teacher, and it sure beats the making an exam for 80+ students! SOOOO much easier to grade. I digress... I believe if I can make one, with my equally crazy schedule as the students (in different ways), the students should be able to show up in equal glory. Yes, I am 34, and they are 15, and so the motivation factor is different.. but still, I like to show them that Ms. K can do one - so you better make yours as good!! I'll upload my pictures of my two projects I did with the students later.
But since I assigned that children's book - they had to write a 10-20 page book, and fully illustrate it - I bought myself colored pencils. And saw a coloring book as well... and it fell into my Amazon basket. I was so impressed by the book, I talked to some of the other Dallas ComicCon volunteers, and low and behold, there is a FB group. Many. And a whole community. And more books... so many more books!! And coloring instruments!! I went through my gel pens and had to throw most away because they are so old, and I cringe when I have to sharpen my colored pencils - even so my collection has expanded from the original box of 50 to two sets of super bright/extreme colors (neons), one box of metallics, and a 120 piece pencil set (with two of each color... so I use one set and leave the other super sharp).
It's relaxing, and so much more instant then when I quilt. I love quilting - I am in the middle of one for my cousin whose wife is about to have the first baby of our generation, and am loving the process. But with coloring, I don't have to spend hours drawing and then coloring, I can enjoy and appreciate someone else's talent and go to the coloring. I don't have to think about deadlines - just color combos. I don't have to stress over students doing or not doing their work to pass my class (which is not 100% my responsibility anyhow, but still...) - I just hop over to Pinterest and look at the color board I have on there and I can create them on paper myself.
So, stressful job or easy retirement, I can highly recommend that coloring is not just a thing we did as kids. I cry a bit when my students watch me color and start to say they wish they had time. I really don't need to color - I have a house to clean, quilts to make, TV to watch - but I choose to do them when I am calmer. Except TV watching, you can get a lot of Neflixs done while coloring. Or quilting. Or "grading"...