Coloring for ADHD and Mental Health

In March 2020, during the first week of staying home due to Covid-19, I decided to draw a coloring page for my kids. I sat down with a sharpie and a piece of white printer paper, and drew a visual collage of shapes, bugs, hidden words, and playful elements of nature that I thought would be enjoyable for them to color.

A few weeks later, I took a piece of poster board and drew another one, this time with fragmented sections that each featured their own design, theme, scene, or pattern.

What I was surprised to find was that I loved the process of drawing these pages. It connected with a part of my brain that, at the time, was feeling overwhelmed, anxious, and unfocused. Over the next two years, I drew many more coloring pages, most of which you can get in a digital bundle right here.

30-Page Printable Coloring Bundle

$5.00

When I was diagnosed with ADHD in January 2022, I began thinking a bit differently about these coloring pages.

As we grow out of childhood into adolescence and adulthood, society begins telling us that our creativity, and practically everything we do, has to be a certain way. The idea of “perfection” (which doesn’t actually exist) often paralyzes us before we even get started.

Even coloring pages might bring a feeling of pressure over enjoyment.

When I think of ADHD, and why (or why not) someone might enjoy (or not) coloring, I began thinking about the kinds of coloring pages that would allow someone to let go and be in the moment, and focus in on what they’re doing, and how it makes them feel.

I began drawing pages that had more patterns, free flowing forms and repetitive shapes, which could help you enjoy the physicality of coloring, without getting hung up on “making it look like something”, or color choice, or technique.

A lot of “Adult Coloring Books” are full of teeny, tiny designs that take a long time to fill in and finish, which might be frustrating or cause you to lose focus. So, I added in pages that you can move through rather quickly and get that hit of dopamine you get when you actually finish something.

I’m not a doctor or a scientist, so I cannot say that these pages are proven to help with ADHD and offer any sort of calming, focus, or therapeutic benefits.

However, they might! There are many studied benefits to coloring:

• Helps release endorphins, increase comfort and relaxation

• Soothe your eyes and brain from screen activity

• Stimulate your creative brain and increase confidence

• Helps to improve motor skills

• Activate the playful inner child

• Engage fully in the moment, helps lessen distractions and worry

Everyone is different. Even those of us with ADHD find different things helpful (or not). My hope is that you enjoy an assortment of pages to stimulate your creativity, help you relax or focus, and tap into your inner child with ease.

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Shannon Sorensen is a self-taught contemporary abstract painter based in Newington, Connecticut, specializing in vibrant, expressive pieces that evoke feelings of places you have seen in person or in dreams, inspired by music, poetry, memories and meditations. Fine art prints of select works are available through her art store, and shop other printed home goods and accessories at Pixels.com.

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Check out painting and creative living videos on Youtube.

The Ebb and Flow of Creative Living

I know weekends are supposed to be restful, but I am happy that it's Monday! This past weekend was a bit of a doozy with an end of the school year concert and dance recital. I found myself sitting on our deck yesterday afternoon as the sun was getting low, trying to relax, and thinking about how long it's been since I've painted…

Almost two weeks. It feels like it has been longer.

My first instinct was to feel disappointed. We've been busy, and even though I have had time here and there to paint in the less busy moments, I've turned to things that don't take as much mental and emotional energy.

As much as I preach that art and creating can and should be relaxing at times, it's different when it's your work, accompanied with the pressure to constantly produce. We all have on and off switches when it comes to work and how much we think about it, even in “off” hours (so maybe it's more like a dimmer?). And working at home, seeing my art space while I'm sitting on the couch at night? It can take over every waking moment, further blurring the line between work and personal time.

I needed rest in the midst of all the other stuff I had going on, but I still found myself tempted to make my rest more productive. Like, shouldn't I want to sit down and paint to feel more relaxed? Is it “bad” that I don't want to right now?

Creative FOMO is quite a thing.

I left the corporate world 7 years ago to find my own way of doing life, work, and creativity, and what I'm finding is the ebb and flow of creative energy is like an ocean tide. It’s constantly rising and falling in its own natural rhythm. And I'm still figuring out what my own creative rhythm is each day, in addition to learning about and navigating this ADHD journey.

Every tide has a purpose. At the present moment for me, it’s symbolically low and calm. Think about how it feels standing on a beach or shoreline at low tide; there’s space, stretching out in front of you, for what seems like miles and miles. And even though there's noise, it feels quiet in that moment.

When we feel overwhelmed and tired and cluttered, and like things have been relentlessly moving too fast…we need that span of time and space, especially in our brains and creative living, to rest, breathe, and lean into the expansiveness that is stretched out before us. This quiet, calm time in between the powerful rush and energy of the creative flow helps us gain fresh perspective and room to let go of what is not helping, working, or serving us.

That's why we need evenings, weekends, vacations, time away from work and change of scenery from our typical day to day environments. We need to let our minds rest and wander and play and imagine - like kids! There's a reason we might feel more inspired or have our best ideas after taking a relaxing shower, going on a trip, or maybe taking a long drive or walk outside. The noise, blocks, and walls that clutter the brain fall away and make room to plant the seeds for our next great ideas.

No one can operate at 100% all the time. That creates burnout. And it's simply not how we're built to exist. We can't rush the timing of the tides, the phases of the moon, the seasons of the year…even when we are hoping for these times to move at a faster pace, nature will continue cycling on as it always has.

So does the creative cycle. Because don't forget, we are nature, too.

Allow for the quiet and calm, the dark and still, the retreating and restful times. Learn to say no and set boundaries when you feel the energetic tide getting low.

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Changing Tides, 18x24 acrylic on loose canvas.

Shannon Sorensen is a contemporary fine art painter, sharing her art, writing, and creative living ideas through this blog, her podcast Creative Happy Life, and her YouTube channel. She works out of her home art studio in Connecticut creating paintings that reflect her love of nature and growing up on a dirt road in the woods of coastal New England.

Creativity and Mental Health

If living through a pandemic has done anything for me, it has helped me to be more aware of my mental health and wellbeing, and recognize the things that truly help bring me comfort, relaxation, and coping, when life feels otherwise a bit topsy turvy.

The first time I connected the dots between my creativity and healing was three years ago, following my pregnancy loss. I picked up a crochet project and spent four months crocheting a blanket for my daughter. With time, the repetitive nature of maneuvering stitch after stitch, row after row, brought me peace and calm. It kept my hands busy and allowed me to work through my thoughts and waves of grief.

I decided that it’s important for me to keep this conversation going as I share my work, because it really is the source of why I am on this particular path, and especially this past year and a half, I have witnessed so many friends and strangers turn to art and creative activities for comfort and healing.

So today, I’m sharing the things that I turn to regularly for comfort, meditation, to scratch a creative itch, or simply for relaxing and enjoyment.

Five Activities I Enjoy for My Creativity and Mental Health

Crocheting

I learned to crochet when I was about 8 or 9, sitting across from my mom as she taught me the basic stitches. I loved watching her work on creating blankets and other crafts, and remember sitting for hours after school working on granny squares and scarves.

In the weeks immediately after my miscarriage, I decided to make Lily a blanket. I had never finished an entire blanket and knew I needed something to focus on at night when the house was quiet.

I researched new stitches and picked out soft, colorful skeins from Joann’s. I started working on it, row by row, and found that I felt calmer and calmer with the meditative repetition of stitches. It wasn’t a complicated project. I could kind of tune out and focus on letting my hands do the work, and with each completed row, I felt happier, proud, looking forward to finishing something so special. And bonus, as it got bigger, it physically comforted me to have a soft, warm, and somewhat weighted blanket lying across my lap as I worked.

The other bonus to crocheting is that it’s a portable project. It’s easy to keep a current project in a tote bag to take with you in the car, anywhere you go. I recently started packing an “activity bag” to keep in the car, so I can crochet while I’m waiting to pick up Lily at school, or while she’s at dance class or Girl Scouts.

Painting

Obviously, this has been a monumental piece of my journey over the last 3 years. I enjoyed painting throughout my entire life, but recently, exploring the kind of painting I loved, made all the difference.

I have seen friends take up watercolor, drawing, doing paint nights, and finding real peace and joy with a brush in their hand. When you allow time and space to express yourself, removing the pressure and expectations of what you “should” be making, and do it merely for the physical and mental practice of playfulness, you may be surprised by how healing it really is.

With all things in life, it’s important to try all different kinds of things to find what you really connect with and enjoy. I know people who do not enjoy knitting or crochet and find it very frustrating. I know people who will not pick up a paintbrush. Perhaps it’s too daunting, or there’s no feeling of desire to paint.

Whatever you choose to do, or not to do, is a personal choice. There’s no right or wrong way to create or to craft.

Coloring

In 2021, I collaborated with my local Chamber of Commerce to host three Coloring and Cocktails networking events for local women in business. At each event, women from all walks of life, personalities and levels of artistry gathered and simply enjoyed coloring.

The wonderful thing about coloring, is it’s 100% enjoyment. The art/design is already there. You can freely choose your coloring tools, and tap into your inner child to playfully create.

Coloring has many mental and physical benefits, including relaxation, fine motor skills, creatively stimulating, increased focus, and giving your eyes and brain a break from screens (which I think we can all agree is necessary).

I have spent the entirety of the Covid pandemic drawing coloring pages. It started as an idea to make a page for my kids, back when we thought they’d only be home for a week or two. The more I drew these coloring pages, the more I enjoyed that process, too.

Here’s a link to purchase my very favorite coloring pages, which you can download, print, and color anytime!

Creative Movement

This is something new that I have been dipping my toes in, and I am loving it.

Creative movement is whatever I feel like doing with my body to re-center, move, and spend some time with my thoughts or listening to music. I try to do 20-30 minutes a day of something different that simply feels good. Some days it’s walking, some days it’s sitting and doing a guided meditation and deep breathing. Some days I put on my favorite Wicked Autumn playlist and dance freely (no choreographed dance workout videos over here), and some days I sit on our stationary bike and pedal for a half hour while listening to a podcast or, if I’m being honest, watching Instagram reels.

Engaging with my body each day keeps me in tune and grounded, not getting too lost in my thoughts and my to-do lists. It’s also a reminder to honor this vessel I’m living in, because I very easily could sit on my couch all day, or at my desk, and I know that when I take some time to move, I feel better. Physically dusting off the cobwebs and moving my body in new, different ways each days helps clear my head and invite in inspiration.

Crafting with My Kids

Before the pandemic, I can say with complete honesty that I didn’t enjoy crafting with my kids. Maybe it was their ages. It’s most likely that I was a lot more of a creative control freak. Whatever the reason, I’ve lightened up and have found that low-maintenance arts and crafts are a fun way for us to spend time together.

I love letting them do their thing and watching where ideas spark and take off. I love seeing them work together, or on their own. I try not to help too much so they can really experience it for themselves and grow their own skills.

My best advice is to get simple, inexpensive craft kits at Michael’s or Joann’s, if you’re like me and don’t like having to do prep work. I put a lot of my own creative energy into my painting, so when it comes to crafting with the kids, I like for someone else to do all the work, so we can simply enjoy it!

Some favorites include:

• Canvas and paint kits

• Coloring or painting simple wooden ornaments

• Making jewelry with beads or rainbow loom elastics

• Making our own picture books using blank paper or blank books/small journals from Michael’s

• Origami is a recent favorite!

Oh, and no projects with glitter! It’s just not allowed in our house. We learned that lesson the hard way when Lily was little.

Bonus - Reading!

Is reading a creative activity? I say yes! Every new book you read is new to your brain, and will introduce you to new thoughts, ideas, stories, and perspectives. Like music and podcasts may spark inspiration in you, so does reading! And reading may create peace and relaxation in your day.

I have a to-be-read stack about a mile high, but I have been intentionally making time to read each day, either in the car waiting for my kiddos, or in the evening to wind down and relax my eyes and brain from all the screen time.

I know a lot of people love reading books on a device, but I just never got into that, and truly enjoy holding a physical book in my hands (and smelling the pages)! But my husband reads a ton on his Kindle app, so it really is a matter of figuring out what you like!

What activities do you prioritize? Is there something you’ve been wanting to try? Remember, any time you do something new, or a new way, you’re using your creativity. It doesn’t matter if it’s the way you apply paint to a surface, or the way you make yourself a cup of coffee. You might try a new crochet stitch or pattern, or you might rearrange your closet. You can dance in your living room, or choose a different route or path for your walk.

I’d love to hear what is sparking inspiration in your life lately. Leave a comment or connect with me over on Instagram.com/shannonsorensenart!

Creativity Pep Talk :: Slow Down, Breathe and Beauty in Simplicity

This week’s Creativity Pep Talks episode starts with some breathing! How often do you take time to stop everything you’re doing and breathe? It feels so good, and I am practicing taking time in my day, more than just once or twice, so breathe deeply, stretch and move my body, and tune into how I’m feeling.

Life moves so fast, and by slowing down and choosing to be more mindful, I am able to connect more deeply to myself, my family, and my creative work!

This week’s Art Oracle card draw was Charles and Ray Eames! They were the creative masters of design and architecture. I love using these cards as a playful way to bring some wisdom, encouragement and inspiration into the week, but also to take some time each week learning about artists I may not be as familiar with.

Highlights of this week’s pep talk include:

• Allowing slowness and quiet into our days and our work

• Lead your day with how you want to feel instead of what you have to do

• Infusing more function and practical simplicity into our days while still making it beautiful?

• Learning to compromise and choosing to be flexible in life

Enjoy this week’s pep talk, and don’t forget to subscribe!

New Coloring Pages :: February 2021

February coloring pages are here!

Actually, they’ve been here a couple weeks. I am not great at updating this blog in a timely manner.

I am a work in progress.

I draw these coloring pages each month and send them to my Patreon members as part of their monthly support, and then they’re released for sale in my shop.

Why do I draw coloring pages?

Last March, I sat down that first week of quarantine with a marker and a piece of paper, and drew a coloring page for my kids. The world felt stressful and scary, and there was so much we didn't know about the days ahead.

Coloring to pass the time felt familiar and comforting.

We are all creative in our own ways, and there are many powerful benefits to coloring:

• refocusing your attention to be present in the moment

• relieving stress in your brain and your body

• it’s low risk - there’s no test of skills, just playful expression

• helps improve fine motor skills

• releases seratonin in the brain, which makes you feel better and boosts your confidence

And if you don't like how it's going? That's ok! Begin a new page, or print another and start again!

Here are the new printable coloring pages for February 2021, with links to purchase! They are all printables, which means you can download the digital file the instant you complete your purchase, then print and start coloring!

I’m also excited to now offer bundles for each month, plus a megabundle of 15 pages I’ve created over the past year.

Enjoy!

Want to receive four new coloring pages every month?

New Coloring Pages :: January 2021

New coloring pages are here!

It’s a new year, and I have new projects I am diving into! After several months of figuring out how I want to use Patreon, I’ve landed on creating four new coloring pages per month. These pages are sent to my Patreon members as part of their monthly support, as well as released for sale in my shops, both here and on Etsy.

Why do I draw coloring pages?

Last March, I sat down that first week of quarantine with a marker and a piece of paper, and drew a coloring page for my kids. The world felt stressful and scary, and there was so much we didn't know about the days ahead. Coloring to pass the time felt familiar and comforting.

No matter how old you are, or what you use to color, you bring your own unique perspective to the page. We are all creative in our own ways, and there are many powerful benefits to coloring; refocusing your attention to be present in the moment, relieving stress in your brain and your body, and it’s low risk - there’s no test of skills, just playful expression. If you don't like how it's going? That's ok! Begin a new page, or print another and start again!

Here are the new printable coloring pages for January 2021, with links to purchase! They are all printables, which means you can download the digital file the instant you complete your purchase, then print and start coloring!

Want to receive four new coloring pages every month?