Adult coloring-book trend provides an outline for creativity at any age

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SYRACUSE — Intricate mandalas, ocean views, delicate flowers, and other complex patterns are not what a three-year-old would typically be interested in coloring. Older adults on the other hand, especially women entering retirement age, can’t seem to put their coloring pencils down. Adults are flocking to the coloring books — among other artistic activities like […]

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Adults are flocking to the coloring books — among other artistic activities like painting, pottery and writing — to relax, reduce stress, and tap their creative side.

Books End — a Syracuse bookstore featuring used, rare, and out-of-print books — has carried coloring books, both for kids and grown-ups, since the late 1990s and early 2000s. But in the last year, the store, located at 2443 James St., has seen a marked spike in sales of the Dover Publications’ “Creative Haven” books that it carries, Jim Roberts, store owner, says.

“We certainly have seen a huge interest here — people come in and they buy three at a time,” says Roberts. “It’s hugely popular. Some people say, ‘Oh, I sat and just colored for an hour’ and it’s amazing to me.”

Several adult coloring books have made The New York Timesbestseller list, namely Johanna Basford’s “Secret Garden,” which has sold millions of copies worldwide, and “Color Me Calm,” authored by art therapist Lacy Mucklow and illustrated by Angela Porter. They can be found in stores like Barnes & Noble, Michael’s, Wegmans, and on Amazon — at prices ranging from $5 to $15.

A Dec. 13, 2015, New York Post article — featuring the headline: “Hottest trend in publishing is adult coloring books” — noted that nine of the 20 books on Amazon’s current bestseller list were adult coloring books.

Predominately aimed at women ages 35 and up, books offering nature scenes and geometric patterns with intense detail are the big sellers, Roberts says.

In trying to explain the surge in interest in grown-up coloring books, Roberts relates a story about one customer who compared her experience to using a cookbook. If she wants to cook (or color), there is no pressure to create a recipe herself — all she has to do is follow what’s been outlined for her and make it her own.

“While I find them somewhat mysterious, I don’t want to mock them,” Roberts says of the adult coloring books. “If they make people happy — what’s the harm?”

An author’s story
Mucklow, a licensed art therapist residing near the nation’s capital and author of the “Color Me” series, says coloring in mandalas has been proven to have a calming effect. Mandalas are circular icons, delineating from Buddhist and Hindu motifs, and feature intricate lines and patterns that radiate out from the circle’s center.

For the “Color Me Stress-Free” book, “we focused more on geometric and mandala images — those are more abstract in general, and a lot of times, those types of images tend to be calming for people anyway,” Mucklow says. “There’s been a little research showing that coloring mandalas reduces anxiety and stress.”

Published on Feb. 15, the fourth book in the series is called “Color Me Fearless” and sells for about $10 to $12 on Amazon. About 2 percent of each sale goes to Mucklow as a royalty. Her contract with Race Point Publishing limited her compensation to a flat rate for the first two books, but then was switched to a royalty-based contract for the next three “Color Me” titles, she says.

Full time, Mucklow works for an undisclosed federal government agency in Washington, D.C., helping families through traumatic experiences via art therapy. She says the profits she makes from the coloring books are comparable to her pay as a full-time therapist.

“I can’t complain. I’m pleased with the sales, I’m pleased with the personal stories,” Mucklow says. “Who knew where this would go and what it would do for people?”

Area activities
Several Central New York area libraries host public coloring events for adults. The Liverpool Public Library is hosting an “hour of stress-relieving and creative coloring” on March 19 at 3 p.m., and the Baldwinsville Public Library has its monthly “Bville Coloring Club” meeting on March 17 at 6:30 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public, and coloring pencils and pages will be provided.

Following the national trend of expressive activities, the Cicero branch of the Northern Onondaga Public Library system just launched its “Creative Aging” program in early February. The Cicero library is hosting three different eight-week classes in painting, photography, and writing for anyone 50 and older.

Jill Youngs, Cicero branch manager, says a $3,250 state grant made the Creative Aging programs possible. New York State Senator John DeFrancisco (R–Syracuse) helped secure the funding. The grant covered the cost of materials, hiring professionals to teach the classes, and the cost of a reception to be held in mid-April.

Youngs says the library has capped classes at 15 participants each for the time being. There is no cost to enroll, and the library has plans in the works for another painter and a poet to teach additional classes.

“It’s been proven that sometimes seniors isolate, and this is a great chance for them to renew their interests that they might have once had,” Youngs says.

Other area community centers also offer activities specifically for older adults.

Mary Beth Anderson, Active Older Adults (AOA) program director at the East Area Family YMCA in Fayetteville, says keeping older people both mentally and physically engaged is crucial to their happiness. “Active older adult” has become the YMCA’s term of choice to describe the 50-and-over age group of adults who aren’t quite ready to slow down. The Y offers a variety of creative programming for them.

The East Area Y charges a $5 fee for AOA classes in ceramics, watercolor painting, and tie dyeing, and restricts participant age to those who are 62 or over. Seniors interested in playing pickle ball, joining a book club, going for walks, and playing bridge or Scrabble will find themselves at home through Anderson’s AOA programming and club activities.

“If they’re doing something creative, a lot of times it’s giving them a sense of accomplishment,” Anderson says. “Half of them don’t even realize they have the skills that they do, and as you’re aging, you have to keep exercising your mind.”

Business benefit
One area business recently found a way to use the adult coloring-book trend to connect with its customers.

Grace Chiang, co-founder and president of Ithaca–based Chiang O’Brien Architects, incorporated a stylized coloring-book design into her firm’s yearly holiday greeting. She sent out five illustrated postcards, which she hand-drew herself, of images central to the Lunar New Year to clients and friends, and made sure to include a set of coloring pencils as well.

Chiang says she has received positive feedback from clients on the coloring cards. She notes one client confessed to showing “everyone” the coloring cards, but kept them to herself to color.

“It was really fun to draw [the postcards], and it was such a nice change from what I usually draw,” Chiang says. “The most fun is the reactions from people — knowing it did something for them.”

Onondaga Physical Therapy opens fifth location in DeWitt

Construction, Design & Real Estate, Health Care, Subscriber Only

DeWITT — Onondaga Physical Therapy has recently opened a new location to provide its outpatient physical-therapy services on Syracuse’s east side. The new clinic, its fifth, opened its doors on Feb. 1 in DeWitt. It is located alongside Metro Fitness East at 6800 E. Genesee St., in the former Track & Racquet Club/Fitness Forum, but

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DeWITT — Onondaga Physical Therapy has recently opened a new location to provide its outpatient physical-therapy services on Syracuse’s east side.

The new clinic, its fifth, opened its doors on Feb. 1 in DeWitt. It is located alongside Metro Fitness East at 6800 E. Genesee St., in the former Track & Racquet Club/Fitness Forum, but operates on a separate five-year lease.

Onondaga Physical Therapy says it offers “one-on-one care for injuries, illnesses, and conditions through modern physical therapy techniques.”

The new DeWitt office has one physical therapist and one office coordinator, and more hiring could follow with growth in the practice.

“Obviously, as we grow our patient base, we’ll certainly increase [the employee count] from there as we need to,” says Lauris Rigdon, the firm’s CEO and sole owner, and one of its physical therapists. He spoke to CNYBJ on Feb. 5.

Julie Dmochowski leads the clinic, which operates in a 2,000-square-foot space. Dmochowski previously worked at the clinic’s Onondaga Hill location, says Rigdon.

The company also hired a new employee to provide service on Onondaga Hill.

Onondaga Physical Therapy employs about 15 full-time workers across all its offices.

In DeWitt, it operates on a lease separate from Metro Fitness East, but the clinic’s patients can use the onsite fitness center and indoor running track.

“We have full access to the entire facility as part of our lease as well,” says Rigdon.

Onondaga Physical Therapy provides traditional orthopedic physical therapy, but will also offer gait and balance training, rehabilitation post-concussion, as well as running and sport-specific training.

Search for space
Onondaga Physical Therapy had been working to find real estate so it could open a location on the east side of Syracuse.

A connection through a local group helped move the process along, as Rigdon recalled it.

Both Rigdon and Randy Sabourin, owner of Metro Fitness, are members of the Entrepreneurial Society of Central New York.

Rigdon also knew Sabourin when he rented space at Crouse Hospital’s physical-therapy clinic.

Sabourin had suggested Rigdon consider opening a DeWitt office at 6800 E. Genesee St.

“It really became a priority for us to make that happen there,” says Rigdon.

As part of the lease, Edgewater Group handled the renovation work in preparing the space for operations.

“They installed the bathroom and then re-did all of the flooring and painted the walls … the big thing was probably the bathroom, the carpeting, and the paint,” says Rigdon.

Onondaga Physical Therapy used company cash to invest about $20,000 to cover startup costs in opening the DeWitt location, he adds.

The company also had to purchase four treatment tables, an ultrasound machine, and other therapy-specific equipment.

Onondaga Physical Therapy’s other four offices are Baldwinsville, Cicero, Salina, and Onondaga Hill.

Rigdon first launched the company in 2003 on Onondaga Hill.

All clinics are “uniquely located” in fitness centers, according to a company news release.

Rigdon declined to disclose the firm’s revenue totals, but says that Onondaga Physical Therapy expects to grow revenue by 35 percent this year.

The company logged about 16,000 patient visits to its offices in 2015.

Mike Lauducci

People on the Move, Subscriber Only

MIKE LAUDUCCI has returned home to Central New York to work as business development director with the Multicultural Association of Medical/Legal Interpreters (MAMI Interpreters) in Utica, Syracuse, and Albany. His primary role will be to expand the customer base throughout MAMI’s service area in upstate New York. Lauducci’s last position was with Soffront, Inc. of

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Barry M. Shulman

People on the Move, Subscriber Only

BARRY M. SHULMAN has rejoined Mackenzie Hughes LLP as a partner in the firm’s business department. He has nearly 50 years of experience practicing law. Shulman previously worked for Mackenzie Hughes early in his career, the firm says. He also served as counsel to the New York State Senate Judiciary Committee under Senator John H.

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Fortus Healthcare Resources

People on the Move, Subscriber Only

JOE COOPER has joined Fortus Healthcare Resources as a project coordinator. He will be working with account managers on nationwide health-care searches. Cooper is a recent graduate of SUNY Cortland and previously completed an internship as a project manager with Annese & Associates in Clifton Park. KAILA WILKINSON has joined Fortus Healthcare Resources as a

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Kevin Hanna

People on the Move, Subscriber Only

AT&T has named KEVIN HANNA director of external affairs. He will be responsible for legislative, governmental, and external affairs activities in upstate New York, including Syracuse and Central New York. A 15-year wireless veteran, Hanna has held leadership positions in numerous organizations within AT&T and other telecommunication companies. Prior to entering the wireless industry, he

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The Pope vs. Capitalism

Opinion, Subscriber Only

If you were a peasant, you could be forgiven if you said that Pope Francis confuses you. Yes, he seems like a nice man. He seems down to earth. But he sends mixed messages. Not long ago, the pope traveled to Cuba. Recently, he visited Mexico. He spoke at a big rally at the border

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If you were a peasant, you could be forgiven if you said that Pope Francis confuses you.

Yes, he seems like a nice man. He seems down to earth. But he sends mixed messages.

Not long ago, the pope traveled to Cuba. Recently, he visited Mexico. He spoke at a big rally at the border with the United States. He spoke of the plight of the immigrants from the south — those who illegally flood across that border. He calls them victims.

Pope Francis calls the Muslim migrants who flood across the borders of Europe victims as well. He calls the refugees from the wars of Africa victims. Well, he is right about that.

Here is what confuses me. Does he praise the U.S. for taking in countless millions of illegals? And millions of legal immigrants, too? No. He criticizes the U.S. for its capitalism.

Does Pope Francis rebuke Mexico for its wall-to-wall corruption? For its drug wars? Some. But mostly, he loves to whack away at the evils of capitalism.

Does the pope rebuke the Castro brothers for imprisoning millions of Cubans for half a century? No. He rewards them with a visit. Does he urge them to free their political prisoners? The prisoners who received no trial? The prisoners who went to jail for simply criticizing the regime? No or not loudly enough.

Does the pope call for free elections for Cubans? So that they could voice their opinions? Does he call for free travel for them?

No, he does not. He seems too busy instead railing against the evils of capitalism.

This is confusing for a few reasons. One is that if Cuba allowed for totally free travel, half the people would be gone in a year. And where would they go? To that evil capitalism in the U.S. They know that Cubans in Miami live 10 times better than Cubans in Cuba. Unless they belong to the communist elite in Cuba.

The pope decries the plight of illegal immigrants from Latin America and Mexico. Who does he blame for their plight? Often he blames America and its evil capitalism.

So where do those immigrants want to go? To America and its evil capitalism.

Does the pope see swarms of immigrants headed for socialist countries? Does he see them try to sneak into Venezuela?

The pope has a lot of reasons to attack communism and extreme socialism. By extreme, I mean enforced — as in Venezuela. Dictators and banana republics have resorted to these systems to plunder the wealth. And to punish the people. Whether they meant to or not, they did punish them. And they did deprive them of various liberties. And in some countries, they butchered millions of people.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis has a lot of reasons to praise various aspects of capitalism. No system has raised the standard of living of people more than capitalism. Witness India, China, South Korea, and Taiwan. Compare life in those countries with life in Vietnam, North Korea, China, and Laos. Compare dismal life in socialist Venezuela with bountiful life in capitalist Chile.

It would be nice if the pontiff recognized some of the good of capitalism. Nice if he noticed that immigrants desperately seek the system he calls evil. Do they know something he doesn’t know?

The pope berated Donald Trump for wanting to build a wall. But notice that the pope does not open the gates of the Vatican to illegal immigrants. He does not berate Cuba for its virtual walls. Cuba is not taking in a few hundred thousand illegals — not that anyone would want to move there. And Cuba has walled in its people for 50 years.

Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Church is one of the world’s biggest players in the capitalist system.

If you were a peasant, all these contradictions might confuse you.

From Tom…as in Morgan.

Tom Morgan writes about political, financial and other subjects from his home near Oneonta. Several upstate radio stations carry his daily commentary, Tom Morgan’s Money Talk. Contact him at tomasinmorgan@yahoo.com

State Needs to Fully Restore School Funding in Budget

Opinion, Subscriber Only

Providing our youth with the opportunity for a strong education is one of the most important jobs of our government. Unfortunately, the education system has had its fair share of challenges recently, both in terms of funding and from policies stemming from federal and state laws. First among the challenges was the implementation of the

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First among the challenges was the implementation of the Common Core, a set of academic standards mandated on school districts by the State Board of Regents.

While most people are open to higher academic standards, the implementation of the new standards was widely criticized by parents, teachers, and administrators. Parents objected to the high-stakes testing that their children were required to undergo, teachers opposed having their evaluations tied to the testing results, and administrators objected to the cost of implementing the Common Core curriculum.

Due to the public outcry, the New York Legislature has made several changes to the Common Core implementation, including prohibiting standardized testing for pre-kindergarten through second-grade students and prohibiting state assessment scores from being placed on a student’s transcript. In addition, the Board of Regents has delayed until the 2019-20 school year, teachers and principals being evaluated based on students’ state test scores.

While these changes are welcome and needed to be made, more needs to be done on Common Core. Short of scrapping it in its entirety, at the very least, the state needs to allow more flexibility in the curriculum’s implementation and execution. A one-size-fits-all mandate does not work in education because every school district and student is different. Input from local school districts, parents, and teachers on the Common Core and its implementation is a must. Moreover, while a student’s progress needs to measured, it shouldn’t be accomplished solely by means of high-stakes testing. Rather, testing should be used and seen as diagnostic tool, not a measurement to be used to bludgeon students, teachers, and school districts with punitive measures.

While reform of Common Core is necessary, it is also essential that the state ensure that our schools are provided with appropriate resources. One way to accomplish this is to close completely the gap elimination adjustment (GEA) in this year’s state budget. GEA was implemented in 2010, when the state was facing severe budget constraints. Essentially, GEA was an across-the-board cut in state education funding. The reduced funding was particularly burdensome for low-wealth school districts that were highly reliant on state aid. Low-wealth upstate districts, unlike high-wealth districts, are unable to raise revenue from other sources like property taxes to pay for state mandates (like Common Core). Since 2012, the state has been increasing education funding and closing the GEA. This year, Governor Cuomo is proposing to close the GEA over two years. I am urging the governor and my legislative colleagues to go a step further and close the GEA completely this year. This would be a big step in helping provide the resources our schools need, particularly during a time when they are hampered from raising revenue through property taxes in light of the property tax cap. I will continue to advocate for education and make sure that our schools receive the funding they need.

William (Will) A. Barclay is the Republican representative of the 120th New York Assembly District, which encompasses most of Oswego County, including the cities of Oswego and Fulton, as well as the town of Lysander in Onondaga County and town of Ellisburg in Jefferson County. Contact him at barclaw@assembly.state.ny.us, or (315) 598-5185.