Book excerpt: This is a very serious adult coloring book.FOR GROWNUPS. Here's the thing, at some point we all grew up and stopped coloring. We stopped tapping into that source of pure creative genius, and started following rules. We forgot what creative freedom really felt like. We learned how to be functionally creative - as in, doing the things we are supposed to do. Usually other people's things. Because they wanted us to. Sometimes for money, sometimes as a favor. We forgot how it felt to create just because, and to do it our way. The adult coloring craze is a symptom of what we've lost, as grownups struggle to find peace and happiness in the face of a dream-crushing workplace and financial insecurity. But it isn't enough. Yes, colors can make you feel good. But those black lines on the page might as well be prison bars, locking up the creative child within who wants to color what they see in their imagination - not some other artist's. This BOOK WILL ASK YOU TO DO SOMETHING MUCH MORE DARING. It may challenge you. I want you to color without lines. I want you to color for yourself, without worrying about how "good" it is. Nobody else has to see this. This is just for you. And while I want to liberate your creativity, I also understand the importance, for adults, of doing meaningful things, and making the best use of your time. I understand you might feel silly for "wasting time" on coloring ridiculous things. And I know it may be hard to think of what to color. SO I'm going to lead you on an adventureof guided coloring exercises. These exercises are designed to be fun, but are also pragmatic. We'll be addressing your repressed dreams, your secret desires, your darkest fears. I'm going to use this book as an advanced-level form of aesthetic psycho-therapy, and through the coloring process you'll be exorcising your demons, slaying your dragons, and discovering the pot of gold at the end of your rainbow. This will be a fantastic journey, as grand as you can imagine it, with no pesky black lines to reign in your magical powers of creation. This isn't a test. If you don't know what something I ask you to draw looks like, find a picture online to copy. This also isn't a game: visualization is a powerful goal-setting technique. Think of this book like a vision board. Not only will these exercises strengthen and empower you, and fill you with confidence and valor, they will also help you become clear on what you really want out of life, and how to attract it to you. But the results depend on the commitment. Take your time, enjoy the coloring process, and express yourself. These are things that you may have thought about before, but rarely have committed serious energy towards. And you need to devote serious energy to these things. Because your life is serious, and what you think about matters. By forcing you to draw and color these things, instead of merely thinking of them, saying them out loud or even writing them down, you'll be giving these issues the consideration, attention and energy they deserve. Just remember, you control your life.You decide what happens. But you have to make choices and decisions, and you have to act consistently in ways that support those decisions. This book will help you get there.