January is the month for 

fixing things. For some, it’s a 
body fix — gym memberships 
are purchased, alarm clocks 
are set, extra champagne from 
New Year’s 
Eve is tossed 
out. Others 
set 
career-

oriented 
goals 
— 

following 
up with job 
recruiters, 
making 
an 

effort 
to 

stay on top 
of projects, 
finally 
asking 
for 
that 

promotion (or at least getting 
your internship housing paid 
for over the summer).

But there are other areas of 

our lives needing to be “fixed” 
that go unnoticed each year, 
because they don’t call for extra 
obligations. We’re conditioned 
to think that “New Year, New 
Me” means adding more to our 
plate — whether that be more 
veggies, morning spin sessions, 
a night class called “How to 
Be Successful Post-Graduation 
101” — but sometimes it calls 
for 
the 
opposite: 
letting 

ourselves breathe. This year, 
my New Year’s resolution isn’t 
to be more organized, more 
productive, or more focused 
on school, running, or even my 
post-graduation plans.

Instead, I’m resolving to 

relax. It’s easier said than done.

I bet this sounds familiar: 

finals week, a tiny table at 
Espresso Royale, laptop opened 
to a blank document, books 
piled high on a stool. I’d been 
staring at the computer screen 
for about 30 minutes, but my 
mind wasn’t on the paper I had 
to write; it was on the to-do 
list scrolling in the back of 
my head: finish essays, write 
cover letters, make flashcards, 
submit applications! There was 
so much to do that the bulk of it 
paralyzed me. I lashed out at my 
boyfriend when he stopped by 
to visit, saying he was wasting 
my time. Couldn’t he see that I 
didn’t have 20 minutes to talk?

Turns out, I did have time. 

And so does everyone else, 
no matter how busy they are 
(i.e. even those who have 
infinite to-do lists). Because 
as much as I think I’m being 
“productive” and “bettering” 
myself by taking on a Herculean 
workload, if all I’m left with 
is a blank document and an 
irritated boyfriend, I’ve really 
accomplished nothing.

So what should I be doing 

instead 
of 
unproductively 

stressing? Coloring. No, really.

If you haven’t heard of adult 

coloring books yet, you will 
soon. Filled with pages of 
beautifully intricate patterns, 
books like “Secret Garden” 
and “Enchanted Forest” by 
Johanna 
Basford 
or 
Emma 

Farrarons’ “The Mindfulness 
Coloring Book: Anti-Stress Art 
Therapy for Busy People” have 
topped bestseller lists in the 
United States. Sales especially 
skyrocketed over the holidays: 
Amazon reported to Fortune 
magazine that out of their top 10 
bestselling books in December, 
five were adult coloring books.

This 
DIY-art-therapy 

phenomenon 
has 
lead 

prestigious media outlets from 
the Atlantic and the New York 
Times, to NPR and CNN Health, 
to ask a key question: does 
it work? Can coloring really 
relieve stress for adults, or are 
they just a distraction from 
our problems? And my own 
question: is filling in a coloring 
book really a productive use of 
college students’ time?

To answer these questions, 

I sought out Psychology Prof. 
Nansook Park, director of the 

Michigan Positive Psychology 
Center on campus. Most of Park’s 
work focuses on mindfulness 
(the act of living in the moment 
and being open to experience) 
and its positive impact on 
individual health, particularly 
in 
regards 
to 
decreasing 

symptoms 
of 
anxiety 
and 

depression. At the University, 
Park regularly teaches a class 
called 
“Savoring,” 
which 

instructs students to be wholly 
present in their everyday lives 
— for example, to truly savor 
a piece of chocolate, a walk in 
the Arb or a conversation with 
roommates.

I asked for Park’s opinion on 

whether adult coloring books 
were just a fad or a legitimate 
mechanism to cope with stress 
and anxiety. Also, I asked 
whether or not she saw the 
coloring trend as a regression 
to childhood — a potentially 
serious issue, as students are 
at a critical stage of becoming 
independent and learning to 
face their problems. 

“It’s not fair to dismiss 

coloring as regressing,” Park 
said, who had observed two 
University 
faculty 
members 

coloring recently on their staff 
break. “There are too many 
studies that support the health 
benefits of simple tasks like 
coloring. Finishing a picture 
gives our brains the chance to 
zone out, similar to meditation, 
but it also gives us a sense of 
accomplishment — there’s color 
on the page where there wasn’t 
before.”

This sense of accomplishment 

— having a picture to show for 
our task — makes coloring a 
positive experience, which is 
why it not only gives people a 
momentary release from stress, 
but 
actually 
improves 
our 

moods.

“People 
are 
happier 

when 
they 
have 
positive 

experiences, like when they’re 
creating something or going 
somewhere,” Park said. “We 
zone out when we watch TV, but 
we aren’t necessarily happier 
when we come back to reality, 
because we haven’t been active 
participants in the task.”

Coloring differs importantly 

from other forms of creative 
expression, 
like 
writing 
or 

doodling, because it has a set 
structure. As the Atlantic put 
it, “Coloring offers that relief 
and mindfulness without the 
paralysis that a blank page can 
cause.” In a coloring book, the 
important decisions of form and 
layout have already been made 
for us — our only job is to pick 
a crayon.

“When 
we 
write, 
we’re 

forced to go into our heads 
and potentially face difficult 
issues,” 
Park 
explained. 

“Coloring is mindless. We aren’t 
solving our problems, which is 
why coloring books cannot be 
used to solve long-term issues 
such as anxiety or depression.”

“However,” Park continued, 

“Coloring books are a great 
tool for short-term stress relief. 
When you’re overwhelmed by 
stress to the point of paralysis, 
taking 20 minutes to color 
a picture gives your brain a 
necessary break. Afterwards, 
you’ll be able to face your 
problems with fresh eyes.”

Make a resolution to relax, 

then be more productive as a 
result. Sounds like a fresh start 
to me.

Middlebrook is coloring 

the day away. To ask what 

her favorite color is, email 

hailharp@umich.edu. 

HEALTH COLUMN

Finding mindfulness 

in coloring books

Coloring differs 
because it has a 
set structure.

HAILEY 
MIDDLEBROOK
Phony, gilded Globes

By VANESSA WONG

Daily Arts Writer

Being 
an 
Asian 
American 

woman, movies with accurate rep-
resentations of my life experiences 
are extremely rare, if not nonex-
istent. Yet here I am, doing the 
opposite of boycotting white, male-

centric movies and – dare I say it? 
– enjoying them. What gives?

It’s a simple explanation: unless 

I want to sit in an empty space 
completely devoid of all media 
entertainment, I have to make 
compromises. I have to reclaim and 
rehabilitate the white male gaze to 
tease out elements with which I can 
identify.

Because even with all the prob-

lems inherent in inserting myself 
so fully into these characters, it also 
lets me reclaim positive elements. 
Take Catwoman’s character in 
“Batman.” Though she’s the villain 
and we shouldn’t like her, my mind 
searches for traits that encourage, 
even empower me. She’s fierce — a 
female role model who isn’t pas-

sive! Great! Never mind that she 
will never get to be the real hero 
and save the day. She’s hyper-sex-
ualized just to add eye candy for 
male viewers? Well, I embrace sex-
positivity, so I interpret her slink-
ing around in skintight suits with 
that lens instead.

Another example: “Boyhood’s” 

very white, middle class, American 
depiction of childhood. I left the 
theater with the goofiest grin on 
my face, nostalgic for the childhood 
experiences I never had. But I take 
the experiences of other people 
around me and use that to reconcile 
the gap between my life and what’s 
on the screen.

I’ve compromised. I enjoy this. I 

feel comforted, satisfied.

But should I be?
Regardless of how much I can 

find interesting and compelling 
characters to identify with in films, 
it’s still perpetrating the idea of 
what is normal and what is not. 
Though I smiled knowingly when it 
happened in “Boyhood,” I’ve never 
watched “Rugrats” or been to a 
baseball game. My family doesn’t 
have heartwarming Thanksgiv-
ing traditions. People are always 
shocked: “You never did that? Did 
you even have a childhood?” I did, 
but because white culture is the 
predominantly represented one, 
it doesn’t feel like I had the right 
childhood.

As a viewer, I can make things 

that are not relatable relatable to 
me. That is the joy and beauty of 
storytelling. You can take on the 
experiences of a secret agent solv-

ing a mystery, or a child dealing 
with a hard time, or a washed-up 
journalist grappling with identity, 
and it helps you connect your own 
experiences to someone else’s.

So when the industry doesn’t 

want to produce films with diverse 
backgrounds because audiences 

(hint, white males) cannot relate to 
them, that’s bullshit. If the majority 
of my movie-watching life involves 
learning to understand and empa-
thize with the stories of other gen-
ders, nationalities, races and even 
species, I think white males can 
learn to do it once in a while too.

NBC

I spy with my little eye, someone’s toupee. 

IFC PRODUCTIONS

Ah yes, I love the grass.
Looking for my own 
childhood in media

FILM NOTEBOOK

By SHIR AVINADAV

Daily Arts Writer

Every year, the star-studded red 

carpet, weeks of speculation and 
buzz surrounding nominations 
and a hilarious, high-profile host 
(or hosts) comprise the indulgence 
and shameless ploy for media 
attention that is the Golden Globe 
Awards.

This year, both expected and 

unexpected titles and perform-
ers received awards. Among this 
year’s winners, there were many 
first timers, such as Lady Gaga 
(Best Actress in a Mini-Series, 
“American Horror Story: Hotel”) 
and Rachel Bloom (Best Actress 
in a Comedy Series, “Crazy Ex-
Girlfriend”). There were also 
veterans like Kate Winslett (Best 
Supporting Actress in a Drama, 
“Steve Jobs”), Aaron Sorkin 
(Best Screenplay, “Steve Jobs”) 
and Sylvester Stallone (Best Sup-
porting Actor, “Creed”) grace-
fully accepting their awards. 
The prestigious Cecil B. DeMille 
award was granted to the legend-
ary Denzel Washington (“The 
Equalizer”), making him only 
the third Black actor to receive 
the honor.

Some nominations and wins, 

however, were just baffling. The 
entire Motion Picture, Musical or 
Comedy category was a mixed bag 
of films dubiously touted as come-
dies (or musicals). Films like “Joy” 
and “The Martian” were nomi-
nated alongside “Trainwreck” and 
“Spy,” with “The Martian” taking 
home the Golden Globe. The only 
thing funny about “The Martian” 
was that it was placed in this cat-
egory at all.

What wasn’t funny at this year’s 

ceremony was Ricky Gervais’ per-
formance as host. Not only was 
his monologue a hollow critique 
of Hollywood’s shining stars, but 
it also slammed those responsible 
for putting him on the Globes stage 
for the fourth time. His incredulity 
at being asked back to host, given 

the backlash he receives each 
time, matched that of his audience. 
However, the almost certainty of 
criticism didn’t deter him from 
making his usual acerbic remarks.

Every time the camera cut to 

another mildly amused or insult-
ed guest, Gervais’ poor taste 
became more painfully obvious. 
His affronts ranged from crass 
remarks about Jeffrey Tambor’s 
role as a transgender woman 
on the Emmy-winning Amazon 
original series “Transparent,” to 
unrestrained innuendos about 
Bill Cosby’s sexual misconduct. 
His monologue and subsequent 
jokes seemed to have been given 
as little thought as the decision 
to bring him back as host. His 
usual antics were at best half-
hearted and at worst offensive.

Among the other presenters 

there weren’t many redeem-
ing 
moments 
of 
entertain-

ment. Jonah Hill (“Wolf of Wall 
Street”) showed up as the bear 
from “The Revenant” alongside 
Channing Tatum (“The Hateful 
Eight”), while America Ferrera 
(“Superstore”) and Eva Longoria 
(“Telenovela”) joked about get-
ting confused for other Latina 
actresses, eliciting laughs. Jamie 
Foxx (“Django Unchained”) did 
his best Steve Harvey impres-
sion, announcing “Straight Outta 
Compton,” which hadn’t been 
nominated, as the winner of best 
original score and drawing atten-
tion to the film’s snub. Otherwise, 
there was little else to distract 
from Gervais’ cringe-worthy com-
ments and the poorly produced 
awards ceremony. 

This year’s Globes pitted two 

notable Amazon original series 
against one another. Roman Cop-
pola and Jason Schwartzman’s 
“Mozart in the Jungle” beat out Jill 
Soloway’s “Transparent” for Best 
Comedy Series, and Gael Garcia 
Bernal (“Y Tu Mamá También”) 
took home the title of Best Actor in 
a Comedy Series.

It was a big night for “The Rev-

enant” as well — which received 
the award for Best Motion Picture 
Drama and earned its director, 
Alejandro González Inarritú the 
title of Best Director of a Motion 
Picture and Leonardo DiCaprio 
the title of Best Actor in a Motion 
Picture Drama.

Brie Larson received her first 

Golden Globe Award for her per-
formance in the drama “Room,” 
the touching story of a woman and 
her five-year-old son freed from 
captivity and finally experiencing 
the world outside. And Jon Hamm 
won his second award this year for 
his role as Don Draper, the stone-
faced advertising executive on 
“Mad Men.”

Jennifer Lawrence (“Joy”) beat 

out the other talented perform-
ers recognized in her category 
(though it is questionable whether 
Lawrence belonged in the comedy 
category at all). And it goes with-
out saying that Taraji P. Henson’s 
win, placing her among the slowly 
increasing ranks of women of color 
who have received awards for their 
roles on television, was both well-
deserved and entertaining. Her 
response to being told to wrap-up 
her acceptance speech was per-
fect: “Wait a minute. I waited 20 
years for this. You’re going to wait. 
Yeah, you’re going to give me a lit-
tle more time.”

It’s always inspiring to see tal-

ented artists get recognition for 
their hard work, but when award 
ceremonies designed to acknowl-
edge talent and hard work are 
driven by publicity and industry 
politics, the show becomes less 
appealing. Each year Hollywood 
lets the masses into its glamor-
ous world for a few hours, draw-
ing in audiences with this short 
window of opportunity to indulge 
in its façade of prestige. Yet, I will 
doubtlessly continue to watch, 
even though I know my joy for see-
ing artists I respect and admire 
getting acknowledgement is just 
an illusion. 

TV REVIEW

The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Arts
Wednesday, January 20, 2016 — 5A

