PULL QUOTE:
“Coloring may have been a children’s pastime, but right now it is getting some well-deserved grownup attention.”
Dr. Fatima E. Covino, adjunct professor of psychology, Monmouth University
By Mark Rosman
Staff Writer
The prospects of relaxation, socialization and perhaps a desire to turn back the clock to an earlier time in life are prompting adults to show up at area libraries to participate in an activity that most people likely associate primarily with children: coloring.
The simple act of selecting a colored pencil and then coloring in the lines on a printed page with the end result being an artistic creation has recently been attracting adults to libraries throughout the region.
Nancy Cohen, the director of the Old Bridge Public Library in Middlesex County, said coloring classes for adults have been offered for about a year. The program began in the fall of 2015 as a way for people to relieve stress at the start of the holiday season, she said.
Since then, adults have been regular attendees at the coloring sessions. Sheets to be colored and colored pencils are provided by the library.
“The classes foster socialization among the participants,” Cohen said. “Coloring has a lot of relaxation value, people tend to be quiet and it is almost like meditation.”
In addition to the regularly scheduled classes, Cohen said she has observed people of many ages staking out a quiet place in the library and coloring throughout the day.
Donna Mansfield, the program coordinator with the Monmouth County Library System, said adult patrons of the library observed programs being offered for children and teenagers and began asking staff members for programs geared toward their age group. Various classes for adults resulted from that request.
Then, about a year ago, library employees began reading about coloring classes for adults that were being offered elsewhere and decided to offer them in the Monmouth County system, Mansfield said.
“People see coloring as relaxing and now you see coloring books for adults being sold in book stores,” she said, defining the regular participants as being about 45 years old and over. “Having classes at the library is a good opportunity for people to sit down and talk to each other.”
Dr. Fatima E. Covino, an adjunct professor of psychology at Monmouth University, West Long Branch, said adult coloring is a popular activity that emerged from the Mindfulness movement.
“The goal of mindfulness in therapy and in general is to facilitate a focus on the present in an enjoyable and non-judgmental way. The premise that underlies mindfulness practice is that we have a tendency to get stuck in the past, which causes feelings of guilt; we worry about the future, which begets anxiety. Doing either implies that we are not living in the the present.
“Coloring, which is enjoyable and stress-free, facilitates more focus on living in the present in a harmonious and simple way. Studies show coloring relaxes people, reduces anxiety and is a de-stressor,” Covino said. “Eastern mysticism suggests that if we practice more mindful activities, like coloring, we give it our full-on attention through complete immersion, becoming more present, and simultaneously, experiencing simple enjoyment.
“Is coloring mandalas and barnyard animals really all it is cracked up to be? Proponents of adult coloring extol the virtues of this exercise and call it ‘going to a happy place’ and connection with their inner child. What matters is that adult coloring is as therapeutic as the effects one can obtain.
“Any activity that enhances our emotional intelligence, sense of well-being, and feelings of calm and serenity is undeniably therapeutic. Coloring may have been a children’s pastime, but right now it is getting some well-deserved grownup attention,” Covino said.
Shavia Zaman, senior librarian, Adult Information Services, at the Jackson Library in Jackson Township, said a coloring for adults program is held every other month at the library.
Anyone over the age of 20 is welcome to attend, but given that the program is regularly held during the day, she said adults age 55 and over have been and continue to be the primary participants.
Zaman said she learned about the coloring for adults movement from a flier she saw from the Princeton Library in Mercer County, which was holding its own coloring for adults program.
She described the coloring sheets that are distributed to participants and filled in with colored pencils as containing intricate designs “that help people focus. (Coloring) silences the mind; they are putting color into a small space, that slows down your thoughts and eliminates the chatter, it is very meditative. People are relaxed.”
Zaman initiated an adult coloring program when she was the branch manager at the Plumsted Library and said she had a good response. She brought the program with her when she came to Jackson, which is also a branch of the Ocean County Library.
The next session of coloring for adults at the Jackson Library will take place at 10 a.m. Dec. 20. Pre-registration is required and Jackson residents may call 732-928-4400.
In Edison, individuals age 18 and over are invited to come in and color at the Edison Public Library – North Edison Branch, 777 Grove Ave., at 7 p.m. Nov. 28. Coloring sheets and colored pencils will be provided for the hour-long session. Registration is not required. For additional information, call 732-287-2298.