Who hasn’t picked up on the adult coloring book trend? Spurred by Scottish illustrator Johanna Basford – her book Secret Garden has achieved sales of more than 10 million units across 40 countries. Despite the trend cooling since its peak in 2016, the adult coloring-in trend is still very much prevalent.

Coloring-In

Understanding the difference between art as a therapeutic process and the art of coloring is paramount; as coloring within pre-defined outlines can definitely be a distraction from daily life. It can be an immersive experience which reconnects us with our inner-child as well as relieve stress. Art therapy, on the other hand, is defined by the Art Therapy Association as, “a mental health profession in which clients, facilitated by the art therapist, use art media, the creative process, and the resulting artwork to explore their feelings, reconcile emotional conflicts, foster self-awareness, manage behavior and addictions, develop social skills, improve reality orientation, reduce anxiety, and increase self-esteem.”

Ways that Art can help you

1. Art can help release emotions.

Some emotions can be too powerful or too overwhelming to process and can be expressed in different ways using basic artwork tools.

2. Art is expression without words.

Through art-therapy, clients can work through emotional issues without talking about feelings. According to artist and art therapist Denise Braun, “When you move your focus into your right brain through art, you start to let go of your analytical left brain. It is through that right brain creative process that we learn to release our inner critic and embrace the act of creating. It is never about the product. It is always about the process. Art therapy offers a way to unblock emotional expression without having to sit and talk about feelings. Art makes it easier to represent intense emotion without language.”

3. Art can reduce stress.

When your mind focuses on creating an artwork, coloring-in or engaging in repetitive actions in the development of a pattern – the body becomes more relaxed. Stimulating the right side of the brain triggers our creative self and as a result, stress levels decrease and inner peace is boosted.

For more information visit www.g-1.com Author bio: Gregg Sedgwick, CEO and Founder of Gallery One is a respected designer and brand strategist and the name behind many of the region’s most iconic brands (Jumeirah, Rotana, Habtoor, Atlantis).