colouring books [a mental health initiative]
CREATIVE DIRECTION
EDITORIAL DESIGN
ILLUSTRATION
CREATIVE WRITING
print production (correspondence)
distribution
fundraising (if applicable)
project
what initially started from some ink drawings (below) as a way to quiet my mind turned into three colouring books, one being a collaborative project that raised $1K for local mutual aid.
the series is made for youth + adults with hyperactive or anxious minds.
STORY
i’m much more attentive when i’m doodling, even if it might seem like i’m not paying attention; my mind gets quiet and present and that’s when i can better focus on whatever i’m doing or what is happening around me.
turns out, this is science: when many of us are focused on something visual in front of us, such as an art project or colouring page, the fear centre of our brain relaxes and slows down, creating mindfulness.
so, colouring is a form of meditation.
when i was making those ink drawings, i saw the benefit in this and asked, “i wonder if people would get this same benefit by colouring in these shapes?”
so i got to work to transform some of those original ink drawings into digital images to make these books.
FOR BUSY MINDS (volume 01)
7×10 IN
each page features a different question about ~life to ask yourself when your mind is quiet, not distracted or biased, as you colour the illustration on that page.
there’s no need to write anything down and there’s no right or wrong answer.
FOR spiralling MINDS (volume 02)
7×10 IN
each page features a poem or short story i wrote whimsically + without much editing one night during the making of this book.
the lack of editing was intentional: less overthinking, more doing or making.
FOR A BETTER WORLD (volume 03)
7×10 Inches
wanting to make this one different, i put out a call for local artists of any age or experience level to submit one all black outlined illustration [and an optional written story or poem with it].
Open to the public by digital submission; credit given
local retail shops, alt haus and Nefelibata arts + crafts, assisted with selling
65 copies were printed with sliding scale pricing (approx. $15-30 each) and sold out early 2026, raising nearly $1K with 100% of proceeds raised for @7thgenrising, a local mutual aid group
see more collaborative projects here.
[some of the] ink DRAWINGS THAT INSPIRED this series
SUMMER + FALL 2024
