I didn’t even enjoy colouring as a child so, I’m fascinated that I’m ready to preach about adult colouring books right now.
I just wanted a hobby that felt light, easy, and kind on my brain.(emphasis on KIND) No pressure, just something soothing and low-stakes. Bonus if it helped with mindfulness too, because your girl is trying to stress less these days. And that’s when I stumbled on it. Adult colouring books.
I’ve always known about it, but a part of me used to scoff at the idea of adding colour to drawings. And to be honest, I’m a reader, so I felt like if I needed to get a moment to center myself, I just had to reach for a book, obviously. So what changed? The destructive power of doomscrolling. Oof!
Thing is, whenever I found myself in one of those moods, I’d end up filling my usual reading time with… absolutely nothing nourishing. Just endless Instagram rabbit holes, fake shopping sprees (add to cart, close tab). Then I’d glance at the clock and—poof—three hours gone, and I’d feel more frazzled than when I started.
Then, I found myself in the art and craft aisle of a really cool supermarket. And just like that, it clicked. For the first time, I got the hype. There was something so inviting about the idea of filling in someone else’s lines: no perfection required, an easy way to ease into creativity. I picked one up on the spot and haven’t looked back since.
You don’t need much to start, just a colouring book, crayon/pencils/marker, and you’re good to go.
My most recent colouring book is from one of my favourite “cute merch” store, The Heartist Shop, based in Lagos, Nigeria.
The store has the cutest items. You should get some for yourself and your friends. These are some other products in store.
You can purchase via the website, The Heartist and you should follow them on Instagram so, you get updates on new products. If you’re in Kenya, you can also get some cool colouring books at my favourite bookstore, Soma Nami.
PS I’ve been sucked into the colouring community on TikTok AKA #colortok and I must warn you that it’s so easy to fall into the overconsumption trap when you start a new hobby, like colouring. Go easy on yourself.
What hobbies have you recently tried that you can plug me to?
5 Responses
I’ve always loved coloring books even as a kid, maybe it was because I had siblings who could draw except me. I was the odd one out. I just had to get very good at coloring since that was the only thing they would allow me to do for them because couldn’t draw a table that looks like a table 😂😂😂. I’m also thinking of picking up coloring as an hobby again ❤️❤️❤️.
I genuinely want to pick this up. I find that I don’t have hobbies that doesn’t involve a screen.
Thanks for sharing, Amyn
I genuinely want to pick this up. I realise I don’t have many hobbies that doesn’t involve a screen.
Thanks for putting me on, Amyn.
I attended a book picnic two weeks ago and we were given a sheet to color. I can’t believe how calm and peaceful it felt coloring it. In other news, my love for coloring is back. It’s such a cool way to relax and unwind😍.
Thisss!!! Colouring books are a great way to destress especially in the chaotic world of adulting😭. I recently discovered this with my children’s colouring books and picked it up as a hobby alongside crocheting.