By now most of you have heard of “Adult Coloring Books” and how it’s a trend that’s been rapidly rising. According to Gizmodo sales from these coloring books have risen from 1 million in 2014, to 12 million in 2015. This trend is so popular that colored pencil sales went up 26.3 percent in 2015 which was a big increase when you compare the last three years when sales were from 1.3 to 7.2 percent. Retailers are widening their ranges of titles to meet the demand and companies like Crayola are expanding their brand and offering their own line of coloring books and special coloring sets.

I’d seen these coloring books at Target, but sorta scoffed at the idea of coloring, I wasn’t a kid anymore so what’s the point? About a week after that my friend Sue had a couple of these books on her coffee table, after a glowing review I decided that I needed to rekindle my love affair with coloring, so I ordered some books off Amazon and picked up some pencils.

Coloring is fun because it’s a great way to tap into my creative side without having to possess any artistic skills. Growing up art was one of the subjects I had a difficult time excelling at. If a project involved glue or paste mine was always dripping with too much, my drawings were horrendous and never recognizable, one Father’s Day the paper mache ball and bat trophy I made for my dad wound up looking like a dick. Imagine my embarrassment when he forced me to give it to him in front of a group of people, I was mortified!

Cannabis has been known to heighten your senses making things smell and taste better, it also makes colors seem more bright and vibrant, where colors seem like they’re jumping off the page. Many artists, musicians, writers and other creatives have been known to use cannabis to open their minds, so I decided to pair cannabis and coloring as a way of expressing myself creatively. What I didn’t expect was how calming this practice was. You don’t really have to be present mentally when you’re coloring and thanks to some of the dreamy qualities that come with cannabis it helps put you in that sweet, relaxed spot.

Color Me Cannabis by Chronic Crafter, is a weed themed coloring book, the pages are filled with trippy pictures of bongs, pot leaves and joints. She’s actually getting ready to re release Color Me Cannabis with new pages and updated older pages. Adults Who Color Henna Art, is another favorite, the pages in this book contain a variety of henna patterns and yoga poses that are sure to put you in a zen place. Bun B’s Rapper Coloring and Activity Book by Shea Serrano, is one of the more unique books I’ve come across. The Rapper Coloring Book has activities like connect the dots, word searches and freehand drawing sections that include famous rappers past and present. There are so many book options out there, you can find free coloring pages with a quick Google or Pinterest search.

I highly recommend smoking weed and coloring, not only is it therapeutic, but hours later you’ll still find yourself entranced by your creations. As far as what types of strains to smoke when coloring, I like to choose uplifting strains that also have calming qualities like Jillybean, Jack Skellington, Berry Haze, and Super Silver Haze.