Adult colouring and art has been a godsend during lockdown

[rcwallace21]

Adult colouring and art is my main hobby and has been for a number of years. In my teenage years I was put off art by an art teacher who would always criticize my art even though I had a disability that severely affected my fine motor skills. I thought I was rubbish at art and become frustrated because I could not do what my non-disabled friends were doing. For many years I didn't touch a pen, pencil or paintbrush.

In 2015, I bought a colouring book entitled 'Secret Garden ' by the queen of colouring books Johanna Basford. I fell in love with adult colouring and have been doing it ever since. I am going through a phase of using gel pens instead of pencils but the end result is amazing. If I'm worried or stressed I turn to colouring and I use it to kill time when I am in hospital. It is a great form of mindfulness and I could sit for hours experimenting with different mediums and just getting lost in the relaxation of art. It also has a beneficial effect on my cerebral palsy both mentally and physically. My fine motor skills have improved and my writing is a lot better than it used to be. It is now legible and neat! During lockdown and shielding it has kept me mentally stimulated. I have learned new skills following Youtube videos and also made a few friends from the adult colouring community on Facebook and Instagram who are so encouraging and welcoming. Most importantly creativity fosters happiness and confidence and you should have a go at art or colouring whatever your ability or level. No one is rubbish at art! Art is what you make it. I have also got to admit that I am a hoarder of colouring books and art supplies, I think this has been compounded by lockdown, that's my excuse and I am sticking to it! Above is an example of my work. Happy Colouring! Follow my adult colouring and art account on Instagram Colourful_Rach.

[UnicornGrl]

Hello I was wondering if you know of any CP support groups for teenagers? I have a 15 year old cousin with CP who I think could benefit from a support group.. I loooked at several websites but all I’ve found were for parents and adults...

Thanks

[Bongo64 in reply to UnicornGrl]

Sorry, it's a long time since I was a teenager. I hope you have found something - perhaps there is a Facebook group?

[Bongo64]

That is a terrific picture - you definitely have an artistic eye for the colours. My son is often in hospital and enjoys doing painting by numbers to pass the time, but he isn't quite as neat as you (and he is quite colour blind which is why he is needs the instructions for the colours). Still, as you say, it's the doing of the project that is beneficial, and your hedgehog is lovely - gel pens were an inspiration!