Have you ever been made aware of something new, something you have never heard of before and then once you are aware of it, you start seeing it everywhere? This is known as the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon and now that I have made you aware of it, you will, of course, start noticing it all over the place. My recent Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon moment came as a result of learning about Adult Coloring Books.
Haven’t heard of an adult coloring book? Neither had I up to a couple of weeks ago. I was introduced to them through a Kickstarter campaign for “How Not to be Stressed at Work” adult coloring book produced by Mean Coloring Books. One of the authors, Nadia Sotnikova has been an ace in advancing my Social Media presence and so I wanted to support her project. But I had NO IDEA there was such a thing as an adult coloring book.
Nadia patiently explained the concept to me. Then explained it again, but it really didn’t click for me. Adults are buying coloring books? Really? Then it happened; I overheard my Mom talking on the phone and in the conversation she mentioned that she had purchased an adult coloring book? Huh? My 87 year-old mother knows about adult coloring books? Two days later, I was present when a gift was unwrapped and it was a pack of colored pencils and an adult coloring book.
So as the world of adult coloring books is unfolding before my very eyes (thank you Baader and Meinhof), it occurred to me how such an item would be useful, separate from any artistic or stress-reducing effects. You see, your right-brain is creative, it is a problem-solver. The left-brain is a doer, in control of motor faculties and tasks. So often, our right creative brain could work on a solution were it not for the bullying effect of the left-brain, always thinking it knows what to do. The trick is to get your left-brain engaged with an activity that requires its full attention, allowing the right brain time to process information and work on a solution. This is why when you can’t remember a name, it will often come to your mind hours or days later while you are completely absorbed in doing something else. Your right brain has been working the problem and eventually comes up with the answer.
So if you are really trying to come up with a solution, you need to engage your left-brain in a busy activity, like say an adult coloring book. Using colored pencils to draw in the lines may be soothing and stress reliving but it can also be the very thing to unleash your right-brain to achieve an amazing feat of creativity. You can get more information on Mean Coloring Books here. Buy one and let me know what your right-brain can do when left to its own devices …