I went to the Zen & the Art of Coloring event at the Downtown Library today and it was a great experience. I grew up in Ann Arbor and some of my favorite field trips in elementary school were to events put on by the Ann Arbor Public Libraries. Whenever I would go to the public libraries to study in high school, I would pass by events and always thought that they looked fun but never looked into going. I’m happy that I finally decided to give it a try today.
The event was the perfect study break on my Sunday full of online quizzes, reading, and studying. I went by myself because I thought it would be easier to focus on being “zen” if I went alone, and I was right. It was extremely refreshing and beneficial to take time out of the day to get my brain to focus on something other than all of the work I had to get done.
When I walked through the door, it was only 4 minutes past 2:00pm and there were already at least 15 people sitting down, fully invested in coloring their chosen piece. I was greeted by a friendly woman who guided me to pick a coloring page and sit down wherever the lighting felt best to me. The calming music immediately set the mood. I put my phone away so that there were no distractions. There were a few conversations going on but I was able to tune them out by focusing on coloring in the lines. It was easy to be in the zen mood while in this room because the chairs were comfortable, the music was soothing, the lighting was ideal, and the tables were spaced apart which gave me enough arm space. The materials that were provided were high-quality as well.
I was about half way finished when I looked up and noticed that there were at least 30 others in the room. I didn’t expect the turn out to be so large. The fact that there were people coming and going but the room maintained about a 30 person average was incredible. I always knew that Ann Arbor Public Library events have a good reputation and now I will go around spreading the word as well.
Click here for all of the upcoming events or here for specifically arts & crafts events.
The Zen & the Art of Coloring event will be going on a few other times throughout the semester. I was one of the younger ones at the event and I would love to see more University of Michigan students at the next one I go to!
~7 Reasons Adult Coloring Books Are Great for Your Mental, Emotional and Intellectual Health~
One of the drawings that I finished today:
I hosted this event and I’m delighted to hear that you had such a wonderful time! We started offering these monthly events in November and the attendance has increased every time. The next two are on Wednesday, February 24, 7-8:30PM @ the Pittsfield Branch & Saturday, March 12, 2:00-4:00PM @ the Malletts Creek Branch – a link to all of our locations http://www.aadl.org/aboutus
Thanks again for the thoughtful and kind words. We strive to make the library a place for everyone, with a wide variety of offerings for all ages and we appreciate you spreading the word! We have seen an increase in attendance at all of our events by adults in their 20s/30s and it’s been fantastic to see.