With AP classes and frequent ACT prep, Kaylee Johnson’s junior year was dominated by overwhelming responsibilities. During this time, she discovered the remedy for her stress: coloring.

After spontaneously buying her first adult coloring book her junior year, her colored pencils and floral designed books have become a therapeutic pastime that Johnson, senior, engages in almost daily.

“I usually [color] right after school to relieve some stress from the school day,” Johnson said. “It can be super relaxing after a long day at school.”

Aside from relaxation, Johnson said coloring acts as a healthy distraction to help her refocus before working out problems, such as decisions about college.

The adult coloring book trend reaches far past Johnson’s hobby. According to a recent Fortune article, 5 out of Amazon’s top 10 best-selling books in the United States were adult coloring books.
While Kerri Pegg, senior, noticed the increased use in adult coloring books in stores and around MHS last semester, she prefers to use children’s coloring books with themes such as SpongeBob, Lisa Frank, My Little Pony, Hello Kitty and Sesame Street.

“I always thought adults were never supposed to pick up a coloring book past the age of 8,” Pegg said. “That changed when my friend, knowing me, gave me a book full of stickers and along with it came a few coloring pages.”

Now, Pegg brings coloring books and markers to school every day for moments of free time during class. While she said coloring helps to distract and de-stress her, Pegg mostly feels a sense of accomplishment after finishing a page.

“I love coloring pages for my friends, and to see their reaction when I give it to them is definitely rewarding,” Pegg said.

Colin Weber, senior, said he also feels a sense of accomplishment after finishing an intricate design and realized the social aspect of coloring as he bonded with his girlfriend through coloring apps like Colorfy, Mandala coloring pages, and Coloring by Teazel Ltd.

Weber said he finds coloring to be relaxing, but he mainly works on coloring projects to pass time during school or on road trips.

“I use [coloring apps] instead of the normal phone games,” Weber said.

While Weber never colored when he was younger, he said the trend in adult coloring may be due to the childhood memories the activity prompts.

“It is extremely nostalgic to break open a coloring book and start choosing different colors,” Weber said.