a colouring book for a better world [the story]

It started with these drawings I did in the summer/fall of 2024.

After being laid off at the end of 2024, I took those drawings and made a colouring book in Jan 2025. I didn’t love it [side quest: I revised this one at the end of 2025] so I made another in the spring and made it better.

I got pretty good feedback on the second one, which I sold a bit locally throughout the summer, so I started thinking about the third.

I wanted to do something different this time. I didn’t want to draw a bunch of new illustrations myself. And I wanted to make something that actually made a real, tangible difference somewhere in this weird little world.

I like the saying “do what you can with what you have” when it comes to volunteering or contributing at all; I learned this from my favourite band during the walk era in 2007 with the one-mile barefoot walks before each show. Between the handful of barefoot miles in, too many pairs of TOMS shoes, and a banner I made during class and printed on campus before packing it in my carry-on suitcase for three shows in a weekend, it wasn’t a lot… but they were all things I could do.

And for this, one thing I could do and wanted to do… was make books. So I did.

Was it the most perfect project ever?

Of course, not. But I made it work with what I had, it made a lil difference, and it got me a little more involved with the community to help in a pretty big way.