Many of us shed the daily stress of work by plopping onto the couch and watching Netflix and HBO Go. It's probably the least productive way to find lasting relaxation. But maybe there's a better way: An influx of “adult” coloring books are on the market, promising to deliver stress relief while helping to create a more balanced life. The trouble is getting your friends not to laugh at you if you're older than 30.
The New Yorker says adult coloring books are part of a “Peter Pan market,” in which adults leave behind technology to become more playful. It seems to parallel a rise in adult craft classes and in business and networking conferences with summer-camp vibes. The curious part is that adult coloring books aren't marketed as a way to play, but rather as a cheap form of therapy. Drawing makes you use your right brain, the only side you can find peace in.
Most of the books have ornate, ethereal images such as fractals and mandalas, but the best are totally raunchy and ridiculous. We love Color My Boobs; The Fetish Coloring Book; and Unicorns Are Jerks, featuring two unicorns out on the town, being jerks. In Coloring for Grown-Ups, you can use your knowledge beyond primary colors to highlight the difference between a homeless man and a hipster or color in what you caught your roommate watching on the computer with his pants down.
Next time my Mexican In Chief rips a column apart, I'm totally going to color him as the person who farted in the elevator. Ah, relaxation.
