Phebe Phillips

"Simplicity of Life Allows Freedom"

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Coloring Outside the Lines…It’s Not Just for Kids.

By Phebe Phillips 4 Comments

Crayons

When I was a student at Southern Methodist University, I was sent to take classes with an acting coach outside of the University. His name was Jim, and he became more of a life coach than an acting coach.  He was to help me gain more expression in my voice, and bring my southern accent into a more regional sound. I never wanted to be in theater, but I did think I was headed for newscasting. While the intention of these lessons was voice work, I learned much more about personal growth, being free to change, and adapting to new environments and needs.  Many lessons were based on the verse epitaphs of characters from the book; Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters, original copyright, 1914. In 214 short, one-page poems, voice is given to the small town dead, as characters interlocked by fate, in a village called Spoon River. These ghosts freely gossip about each other and themselves, as well as about the private lives of neighbors still alive in their village.

The Spoon River Anthology
My tattered copy.

Each week, I was given one poem to study. I mean really study; was my character tall, short, heavy, thin, respected, or the village idiot. Would this person have a slow, fast, high-pitched, or deep voice? I was to interpret the voice, life, everything about the very core being of this character.  Each week, I had to become the character, and read my epitaph to him as if I were that character.

An epitaph from Spoon River

Jim quickly assessed that I was unable to go outside of my self-built box.  He assigned me the task of buying a big box of crayons and a coloring book. I was to spend ten minutes, several times a week, coloring the hair a “non-hair color”, the face, a “non-face color”, and worst of all…coloring outside the lines.  All of our life, we are taught to paint “pretty” pictures.  We are praised for pretty, accurate color drawings, and especially for staying inside the lines. This became one of my hardest assignments.  As an adult, it was even harder. Last Fall, I shared this exercise with my meditation group. We all did it together, and like me, some found it difficult to push past the expectation of trying to be perfect.

With this post, I encourage you to try it. It may push your mind. It’s a wonderful exercise in stress relief, and enabling those thoughts to break free from the box…and it’s fun!

 Coloring outside the lines

Comments

  1. Amy says

    April 3, 2014 at 10:14 am

    Loved this post. I am going to go buy a huge box of crayons..today! Will work on the “outside the lines” part.. 🙂

    Reply
    • Phebe Phillips says

      April 4, 2014 at 9:25 am

      Hi Amy,

      Wonderful. Let me know if it is a challenge to go outside the lines. Thanks for commenting.

      With friendship,
      Phebe

      Reply
  2. Coe Savage says

    April 7, 2014 at 9:30 am

    I love this and know it to be a wonderful exercise in self therapy using art as a healing tool

    Reply
    • Phebe Phillips says

      April 7, 2014 at 1:19 pm

      Hi Coe,

      Thank you so much for this comment. Yes, as a professional in the art therapy business, you would know how wonderful this exercise is.

      With friendship,
      Phebe

      Reply

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Phebe Phillips, 2021, Podcaster, Cat Lover, Poet, Storyteller

Phebe Phillips is best known for whimsical plush toys that filled the shelves of Neiman Marcus, FAO, and many fine retailers for 25-years. Today, she creates The Literary Catcast Podcast—dedicated to the preservation of vintage books and writings with cats as main characters, bringing them into the modern awareness of a podcast. She writes poetry and short essays for publication in journals. She has two upcoming books, Sleeping With Louie—a daughter’s soul journey as an only child of a mother with Borderline Personality Disorder, who was also an only child, and Upper East Side of The Pines—growing up in East Texas during the sweetness of the 1960s. She is married to Mac. They live with six cats! For now, they live in Dallas, Texas until they move deep into the East Texas piney woods in 2022.

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