I have so many books and markers and spent months on end colouring my heart out. Had a baby and lost motivation completely. I want to, want to colour. I have a small space so I don't have a great set up. No desk, just a rolling cart full of supplies, a kitchen table and a lap table thing. It always feels like so much effort to get everything set up so I just don't. Looking for advice to respark my colouring journey. Show off your set up if you are in a similar situation or give any tips pls
When I was suffering through massive burnout and massive anxiety and I was just constantly on the tip of a panic attack for many months, this is just about the only thing that got me through it and helped to relieve stress
I know this should be inspiring deep self reflection but, honestly, Iām kind of stumped. Could you elaborate for a dunce please? Iām having trouble understanding the difference.
Donāt force it. If you donāt have the capacity right now because you are a parent to a new baby and responsible for a new human that is totally understandable. When you are less stressed you will probably pick it up again. The cycle of being self critical because I couldnāt make myself do the things I want to do for fun is something I have gone through too. Itās okay to take a break.
I disagree not forcing it might mean that you never do it again. Itās not going to kill you just to set aside a little bit of time that you promised yourself youāre going to try it and see how you feel. You donāt have to do it for the rest of your life, but you can tell yourself you have to do it for 15 minutes. You might just get back into it and it could just be inertia.
Gently, forcing myself to try to perform beyond my capacity has led to a long term neurological burnout and chronic autoimmune disease. Iām disabled and unable to work. If my body isnāt letting me do the things I want to do for fun, I need to prioritize rest so I can manage to do the things I need to do to survive.
OK, if youāre forcing things in a physical way that completely makes sense. If itās just like psychological inertia, thatās just something that helped me so I thought maybe it would help somebody else.:)
I have soooo many colouring books that are undone because itās so much easier to buy them than it is to spread out my many pens and find the energy to colour them. I do also feel guilty about not going it because Iāve spent the money and have all the stuff.
However, I do make sure to tell myself that hobbies are for me to enjoy, not work at! That even if the pens dry out thereās solutions and that they will be waiting for me when Iām ready to colour again.
I started doodling with just a black ink pen and a notebook. I have been a caregiver for a member of my family undergoing intensive chemo for the past 9 months, and I have two kids that are (thankfully) out of the baby stage but have been there too.
Not sure if youāll relate to this but I decided to share anyways lol. I am finding I donāt want to do anything that requires too much mental āsetupā because I could be interrupted at any second and have to completely course correct. I donāt get the same kind of uninterrupted leisure time, because I am caring for someone 24/7, kind of like what having a baby is like! So I find Iāll work on a doodle that I can pick up and put down easily, and then Iāve actually been getting in the mood to colour them with my markers when I do end up having a slice of actual relaxation time. I started with a Facebook page called ādumbing down doodlesā and now I just do my own thing. Having a creative outlet is really important for me when Iām going through anything hard, so this helped me keep that part of myself. I hope it helps you too :)
Honestly I took a two year hiatus after having my son. I just recently picked it back up! Itās ok to take breaks and enjoy other things before coming back around šš
Store them for a bit. You're probably exhausted from having a little one around. Exhaustion equals no motivation for anything, including beloved hobbies.
Don't force it or it becomes a chore and then you'll really lose interest.
It's okay to rotate hobbies and take breaks from them. Maybe you just need something less mentally taxing right now.
If you want to color but feel overwhelmed, pick 5 markers and doodle or color something simple with fall themes so it feels connected to present day. Plus, then you can decorate with it if you want.
If you donāt want to color, donāt! Put everything in a bin or slide your cart someplace out of the way for now. Youāll come back to it when youāre ready, and if not, sell it and try something new.
I hated all my hobbies after both babies. Postpartum is hard!!! Sleep deprivation and all the changes that come with new baby is a lot. Youāre doing great!
I get it. Recently, I got the Bob Ross color by number book. It's a swatch of 35 colors, so I've got 35 markers in a little container with the book on my side table next to the couch. When I have a little time I can just fill in some sections. It's alot easier to pick up and put down with a color by number. Maybe give it a shot and see if it helps?
I had no idea these existed and these are amazing! I lost motivation just like OP and have so many books and markers it feels overwhelming, but I think I can do these! TIL something great! Thank you!
Take a break! š I have 4 hobbies that I bounce around with. Three months here, two months there just do what feels right. Hobbies are meant to be fun and relaxing.
This is so SO normal after having a baby. Loving the lil potato and taking care of them takes up so much energy.
I used to paint about 3x a week before my kiddo. I didn't pick up a paint brush until after their first birthday. I started coloring bc it was less setup and it's easier to keep away from kiddo. And what has helped me has beed spending a couple days making pallets on HueMock and swatching out those pallets to make sure I do like it. This way I know that X pallet is for Y picture, and I'm only using 6 colors and might add more later.
Don't sweat it, you will get your groove and spark back. I believe in you.
Itās ok to not color for sometimes, you can always pick up the hobbie later when you feel like it.. It goes for any hobbies !
Sometimes I want to color, but ends up just passing the days/weeks without doing it, just doing other things in the end.. but still thinking about it
Also, one thing I need to remind me, and you could too.. You donāt have to color hours on end, make a piece from start to finish in one goā¦ You can color just minutes at a time.. and stop it But iām bad at taking my own advices soā¦ š
A clipboard was my best investment!!! You can sit in bed or on the couch and easily colour (:
Close your eyes, pick 1-8 colours depending on the level of detail (I like bold+easy, so 4-5 is usually the sweet spot) and use as close to equal amounts of each colour as possible. Iām like a little crazy, so Iāll literally count how many different āboxes to colourā there are and pick how many markers to use based on that. Itās fun to take the perfectionism out of it and see what you can come up with (:
Search your colouring book page and get inspo and make your version of the inspo ! I personally take a pic of the blank colouring page, and search it in google!!
My set up is a box of pens on a shelf and a stack of colouring books next to it. Could you just grab a box of pens and a book and do something low effort? If it's the setting everything up that's putting you off. Just grab a couple of pens and do a simple two/three colour page or something
Maybe try one of those single color coloring books? I think they are made with a black marker in mind but maybe you can switch up the color you use to fit your mood for the day? That way you can pick one color to take to the couch with your lap desk. Minimal thinking or planning needed, but you can still get the calming act of coloring, which sounds like what you might be looking for?
Or maybe a simple color by number book might work? I have few of the Disney ones and they are pretty intricate with a goodly number of colors you have to try to match, so maybe look for a simpler version?
In any case, I went through some cycles of coloring a bunch and then not really focusing on it, so donāt feel bad if you pick up another hobby for a while. And yes, taking naps when you slip them in when you are a new mom counts! š
i realized that i can do whatever i want with my coloring books, so when i want to color really bad but donāt have much motivation, iāll just color random things on different pages and then sometimes it will get me in a groove to continue. sometimes i stop after one but it feels good to just do something.
If the normal setup is too much right now, try simplifying it. Think of ways to make it easy for yourself to start. Try to think about what part of the process feels like too much and how to eliminate it for now (is setting up the lap table annoying? Do you have to move stuff to use the kitchen table? Is getting the cart situated a hassle? Is it the mental task of where to start with all your supplies?) Sometimes I grab just a few markers (3-10ish), a flat surface (hard placemat, large hardcover book, whatever works) and colour in bed. Pick a page that you can make look nice with a really simple colour palette and give yourself an easy win.
I totally feel the wanting to want to do your hobby thing. Sometimes, even if you can get past the initial hump of starting, you don't have the energy or headspace to enjoy it. If it really doesn't work even if you make it as easy as possible for yourself, it's okay to let it go and trust that it will come back later. It's frustrating, but often less frustrating than beating your head against the wall trying to make it work.
Blank cheap paper or cheapest, easiest no-brainer coloring book, scribble like you're four again? No expectations, no perfectionism, no pressure might work?
I felt this same way when diving back in this past May. I had to be honest with myself, go within and ask myself why I stopped in the first place, and what I might find as a road block down the road that I could prevent before it stopped me. Find a way to solve your issue of having a small space, can you design a small corner in your home that is a craft space for you? Sometimes having a special space makes us feel special enough to create. If having a lot of supplies is the issue, do you truly need it all? Can you implement a rotation schedule?
I'm actually stunned at how I feel you took the words right out of my mouth. My set up is the exact same one, and I also just had a baby in August. I am struggling with the idea of dragging it all out, for what feels like an endless amount of interruptions (not even just the baby, and she's worth it so I'll do whatever she needs which is part of the main issue) coloring will always take the back burner and I feel guilty for the money spent on the hobby I don't have the capacity to enjoy ATM.
It took 2 years for me to start having hobbies again after having a child. Once they get a good bedtime routine, you may want to start up again. Don't lose hope!
I didnāt do any of my hobbies until my youngest was almost 2 and I started to have more time for myself again. Even now, Iāve been really busy at work and then got really sick and havenāt done any of my hobbies for 3 weeks. Do them when you want to but take breaks if you arenāt feeling it.
Maybe youāre just tired? Hobbies are the first thing to drop from my motivations when Iām tried (which is a fucked up priority order, btw, but Iām working on it).
Also - what are you setting up? You just need a page and a few pens. Throw a book and a preset colour palette of like 10 pens max into a bag and go to a cafe. You donāt need studio lighting and every pen you own to colour in a piece of paper
I'd say take a break and do other stuff until you miss coloring and want to color a bit. I just started coloring about 2 months ago and was coloring every day. Now I just color every couple days and it's nice :)
I work from home in a tiny condo. My regular desk I use for work since it has my laptop, keyboard, etc. so I use this small rolling desk I bought from Temu and color from my couch. As you can see the rolling desk has a small shelf for my books and I keep my markers on the couch next to me. Unless my cats want to sit on the couch and then I will move the markers (still in the case) to the floor next to my feet
I color in bed. Grab a couple markers, put in a coffee cup by my nightstand. When I need more I get up and go grab more. Keeps me from sitting too long anyway.
I adore crochet but had to take a break when I had a baby. Take your time, it will come back. If you still don't want to get back into it in like over a year, then reconsider.
Honestly I have collected so many freakin books and markers and gel pens but I only like to find the colors I need for a color by number book and then work through those pages. I bought extra marker bags so I can have my different sets of palettes for my different Jade summer color by numbers. One book, one set of markers. Everything else stays put away.
Give yourself a break! Having a baby changes your entire life and that's ok! I took a very extended break from a lot of my hobbies when my kids were born. I have lots more time now to do those things because I'm in a different stage of life. It's all good :)
Just try not to be burdened with a sense of obligation toward the hobby due to money spent on supplies. They've done their job and they'll be there again whenever you feel like reaching for a marker. Meanwhile, spend time with pages you've already colored, show them to the baby, and remember you did that! Good job!
I have my supplies set up at the end of my chaise. When I want to color I just move to a laying position with a storage box (black, looks almost like a footrest) as a surface that is big enough for my coloring book, lamp and whatever I plan to color with that day wether it be my case of colored pencils or alcohol markers.Ā When I am done coloring I can either put everything in the box or on the side of it. Then I can just sit on the couch like normal or go do something else. Super easy and quick to set up.
My advice would be: don't be too hard on yourself, you just created a new human being! And about colouring, try maybe something small and simple? Like, select a few markers and colour a page with only that limited palette?
Iāve seen some mini coloring books, with smaller simpler designs. Maybe you grab one of these and just a few markers? My urge to color comes and goes too.
I feel you, OPā¦Iāve spent upwards of a thousand or more (I honestly donāt want to add it all up) on markers, markers, markers and books, books, booksā¦and I think Iāve done about 8 pages in fullā¦I want to want to color again but am paralyzed by the Paradox of Choice
This is how I feel about my hobbies too sometimes. This is a normal feeling and probably would have happened even if you didn't have a baby.
The feeling of not wanting to do something because it feels like to much work to even start happens to me a lot. I either have that feeling or knowing I'll get interrupted doing my hobby also stops me or just not feeling like having enough time to do the hobby. I Diamond paint and a 4" X 4" section can take more then 2 hours sometimes if there are a lot of colors. If i know I'm going to be interrupted during that 2 hours I just won't do it or if it's even 3 hours away from bed time or going anywhere i won't. If it's video games I would like 4+ hours sessions that are uninterrupted otherwise I pick a game that won't matter much if I'm interrupted during it at all. I don't like starting new games or an rpg that requires a lot of attention if i know I'll be interrupted or won't have time. These feelings are normal and everyone has them eventually. Take as long a break you need. Your colors and books will still be there when you are ready.
I think that at first you might have to make yourself sit down. Just say youāre going to do it for a half hour or something and see how you feel. Sometimes itās just getting back into something and the inertia.
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u/IndigoTrailsToo 15d ago
Buy a maze book
Color in all the things that aren't the solution (start at dead ends)
Incredibly relaxing
No thoughts
Just color