Lacy Mucklow is the third art therapist to be featured here in RAW Creativity.
Art Therapist Lacy Mucklow
A Prescient Coloring Book To Help People to Relax and Feel Calmer
In 2013, well before the coloring book craze took off, Lacy was approached by a publishing company to write content for a couple of coloring books designed for adults to help them relax. Little did Lacy realize that she was on the cutting edge of a trend that would explode in just a short period of time (usually identified as late 2015).
Not Just Pictures To Color In/ Tools for Managing Stress
Race, the publishing company, had already picked out an artist, Angela Porter, to illustrate these books but they also wanted to include an art therapist in the process. To their credit, they decided their books should have relevant content from a mental health expert. And who better than an art therapist to combine the creativity component with therapeutic content?! From this was born “Color Me Calm” and “Color Me Happy.”
“Color Me” Spin-Offs
Color Me Calm and Color Me Happy were such successes that Lacy and Angela were asked to add to the series with “Color Me Stress Free,” “Color Me Fearless,” “Color Me Grateful,” and “Color Me to Sleep” to name just a few.
Bestsellers and Translated into Several Different Languages
As an art therapist and artist, I love being able to report that Lacy and Angela’s coloring books are international bestsellers and have been translated into 15 different languages. How cool is that?!
What I Enjoy Most About Lacy’s Coloring Books
I particularly enjoy the focus on the positive in Lacy’s books. For example, “Color Me Happy” explores things that evoke “joyous and upbeat” responses–nature, children, animals, music, etc. This is tremendously important given what we are learning about positive emotions–that, for many people, they do not come very naturally and often need to be consciously induced.
Mom & Me Art Journal for Moms and Kids
Lacy also created “Mom & Me” , this time with artist Bethany Robertson, an art journaling workbook designed for mothers and kids to connect through simple art directives. These includes topics like “Things That Scare You”, and “Your Hopes and Dreams”, “Things That Make You Mad”, and Things That Make You Happy”.
Visualization and Meditation CD
Ever talented, Lacy has also collaborated with a couple of musicians, Jonah Weingarten and Gaby Siegel, to create Lavender Dreams, a double CD of guided visualizations. Stay tuned for her sequel, Lavender Destinations, coming out this year. She will release it on her Bandcamp site as well as other digital platforms.
Lacy’s Books
Color Me Happy
Color Me Calm
Color Me Stress Free
Color Me To Sleep
Color Me Grateful
Color Me Fearless
Mom and Me