Amy Beatrice: Millie Marotta

Why you should buy an adult colouring book

Over the last year adult colouring books have become the latest trend and if you haven't heard of them there's a good chance you've been living under a rock somewhere for the past 12 months. Since getting the Johanna Basford Secret Garden colouring book last summer it's safe to say I've become completely obsessed with them (I now own 5) and have managed to get some of my friends and family hooked on the craze as well. If you're on the fence about this whole thing, here are my top reasons why you should invest in a colouring book or two of your own:

1. Relaxation

I bought my first colouring book last year during study leave for my A level exams and found it was such a great way of relaxing in my revision breaks. I wanted something entertaining and relaxing to do that still required me to concentrate on what I was doing and colouring was so much more stimulating than just watching daytime TV. It also meant that I felt like I had more control over my revision breaks, instead of being drawn in by the next episode of Homes Under the Hammer!

2. Stress relief

Colouring is such a great way of getting rid of stress after a long day of work or revision. I often do it whilst watching TV in the evening or if I'm really stressed I'll just put on some music and focus just on what I'm colouring. I find it allows me to completely switch off and forget about any stress that's happened during the day (although if you're a perfectionist like me deciding which shade of green to colour a specific leaf may end up adding to your stress!)

3. Creative output

I would consider myself a very creative person and loved drawing and painting as a child, however my artistic abilities pretty much stop at stick-men. Colouring is such an easy way to show your creativity without needing to be the next Picasso and you always end up with an amazing piece of work at the end of it.

4. It's fun!

To be honest, the main reason I love colouring books so much is simply because I find them so much fun. I love seeing the black and white outlines become my own individual work of art and would happily spend all day working on them if I could!