The Healing Power of Making Art
Art does not always have to be displayed, sold or judged. Sometimes, its greatest gift is simply giving us somewhere to put our attention. Art therapy and mindful art-making can create a quiet space in which the mind slows down, the body relaxes and the outside world temporarily becomes less demanding. Research into mindfulness-based art therapy has found promising benefits for psychological and physical symptoms, while studies of structured coloring activities have found reductions in anxiety following coloring sessions. (PubMed)
This is part of the quiet appeal of the adult coloring book. There is something wonderfully uncomplicated about choosing a colour, following a line and watching a blank page gradually become your own. For a woman whose mind is constantly occupied with work, family, relationships, money, responsibilities and everyone else’s needs, twenty minutes with a coloring book can become a small act of returning to herself. The repetitive movement of colouring can encourage concentration and absorption—sometimes described as a state of flow—while giving anxious thoughts less room to dominate the moment. Research has found that coloring can reduce anxiety, although the evidence that coloring by itself produces mindfulness is more mixed; some studies suggest that adding intentional mindfulness guidance may make the practice more effective. (Frontiers)
And perhaps that is the real beauty of it: you do not have to be an artist to make something beautiful, and you do not have to sit perfectly still to meditate. You can meditate with a pencil in your hand. You can breathe, choose a colour, fill a flower, lose yourself in a pattern and give yourself permission to enjoy something simply because it feels good. In a world that constantly asks women to produce, perform and provide, creating something with no purpose other than relaxation can be its own form of joy.
A Sea of Creativity and Possibility
Seas of Prosperity: Afro Mermaid Adult Coloring Book & Success Guide is the kind of book that refuses to believe relaxation and ambition have to live in separate rooms.
Blending beautifully illustrated images of Black women and fantastical Afro-mermaids with coloring pages, journals, word searches, inspirational quotes, essays and activities, it turns the familiar adult coloring book into something much more expansive: a little retreat for the imagination, reflection and possibility.
The mermaid imagery is especially delightful—a celebration of Black femininity, beauty and fantasy that invites the reader to step outside the ordinary for a while.
Rather than simply telling women to “relax,” Seas of Prosperity gives them something to do with their hands while they reflect on where they are, where they want to go and what abundance means to them. It is part coloring book, part journal, part motivational companion and part permission slip to dream.
Highly rated by readers on Amazon, it makes a particularly appealing addition to a Golden Era woman’s self-care shelf: because sometimes working toward prosperity can begin with something as simple as sitting down, picking up a pencil, and giving yourself permission to imagine a bigger life.
Get Your Copy of on Amazon Now
Need your copy delivered to your door in tanzania? Email the Au thor now: peacequeenpublishing@gmail.com
Wellness doesn’t always have to be another thing a woman has to accomplish. Sometimes wellness is simply allowing herself to enjoy being alive.
