Hi there! I’m Heather, the authoress of The Coloring Pages blog.

The inspiration for this blog is to share the simple joy of drawing and coloring. I don’t think you need to be an artist or take classes to enjoy coloring, doodling, painting, or whatever creative expression flows from you. The act of creating art is in itself a calming, centering activity anyone can benefit from.

Coloring pages are great because they give us an outline, a jumping off point to begin with that frees our minds of creating something from scratch, so that we can create our own interpretation. Have you ever given the same coloring page to a bunch of kids to draw? You get as many unique renderings as there are kids! (That is if a critical adult is not meddling in the process…)

I studied art in college, even got a degree, but I’ll be honest with you: It didn’t help me to believe in my own abilities or vision one bit despite having some natural talents. That self confidence is something that had to come from within. I went through long periods of time where I didn’t create any art, or when I did, I got so keyed up about making something great or perfect I could never finish. I started coloring as a way to meditate and relax, and ironically, the lines on the pages were like guides inviting me back into the deep creative world of my childhood. Almost like a path home to myself from other artists.

I still create my own drawings and paintings, but coloring remains a key meditative, free activity I can enjoy anytime. I get to submerge myself in the act of drawing without any self-judgement or concern about composition. It’s just pure fun! Often I get inspired to create my own unique drawings when I’m coloring another artists’ designs.

More about that self-defeating stuff that gets in the way…

As kids we’re encouraged to scribble and draw, but then something happens along the way and we start attaching self-defeating thoughts to what we’re doing: We get frustrated, made fun of, and maybe even convince ourselves that we “can’t draw”. (Sound familiar?)

Recently my 6 year-old nephew told me he couldn’t draw when we were doodling together, and I know he didn’t come up with that idea on his own. He probably heard that from the adults around him saying that about themselves or reminding him to color inside the lines. When I asked my nephew if he thought knowing how to draw or coloring inside the lines made coloring more or less fun, he got a big grin on his face, threw back his head laughing, and said, “It doesn’t matter!” And then dove back into his drawing. Score: Inner Critic 0 – Inner Muse 1.

Knowing how to draw has less to do with technical skill than it does with enjoying the process and allowing your whims and creative impulses to spill onto the page in front of you. The worst critic we will ever have is ourselves, and life is too short to defeat our own efforts. So why not celebrate the simple, pure joy that coloring can bring?

I welcome you to join me as I journey through my coloring expeditions. I hope I can encourage you to send your own critic packing and welcome your muse home to play. Let’s have some fun! 🙂