A La Corey resident is jumping on the adult colouring book bandwagon, but not in the typical way. Jeff Fendelet was one of the many people in this area who were hit by the downturn of the economy, losing his job in the fall of 2015.
A La Corey resident is jumping on the adult colouring book bandwagon, but not in the typical way.
Jeff Fendelet was one of the many people in this area who were hit by the downturn of the economy, losing his job in the fall of 2015.
"I went home and probably spent a month or two on the couch just enjoying not having to think," said Jeff, who is a ticketed welder and tradesmen. "I didn't like being at work, then I didn't like not working. I was stuck between two places and didn't really know what the heck I wanted to do."
Fendelet, like many, found unemployment to be stressful and colouring helped him relieve that stress.
"I kind of fell into a bit of depression and last Christmas we went to the my wife's parents. The in-laws and we were just sitting around. The wife and grandma were just chatting away and I was sitting there zoned out and I looked in her pantry. She had this neat looking book just sitting in her pantry. It was an adult colouring book, which I had never heard of," expressed Fendelet.
He opened the book and was amazed at what he saw. After researching the books, he figured there was no harm in breaking out the pencil crayons.
"I found that it worked very well for stress and anxiety. Basically I gave it a shot myself and it worked. It took me to a different place. The whole world went away and I really got into it," explained Fendelet.
He wife Carla added, "To see him sit down and colour is quite the thing. His friends get a kick out of it."
This colouring sparked an idea for Fendelet. He thought that if it could relieve his stress, it could do the same for others.
As his interest in colouring grew, he looked for different styles. He wasn't satisfied colouring the typical flowers or plants that you see in your average adult colouring books. This gave the Fendelets the inspiration to start their own company.
"We were trying to come up with ideas for something to do that wasn't oil field related, which has been a bit slow here for the past couple years. This is where Calm Waters Colouring came in," said Carla.
To start, he used a site called freelance, where artists advertise themselves. They decided to put up a contest, asking people to draw an animal with scenery in it. He received between 50 and 60 entries.
A $200 award was offered for the best artist, as well as a prize for a couple runners-up.
"One is from Maldova, one from Russia, one is from Ukraine and another is from Spain. They are from all over the world. Basically I think up the idea," said Fendelet.
The couple is now publishing their third colouring book, which will feature hand drawn pictures by the international artists. The books are printed on high quality paper that doesn't allow the ink to bleed through the pages. The images are printed in a landscape format, making it easier to colour.
"Colouring is supposed to be a calm and relaxing thing, but I found if I was fighting the book and trying to do a good job trying to colouring on the spine it was more frustrating than anything," explained Fendelet.
While some may laugh at the thought of colouring, Fendelet expressed he is proof that it is about more than just creating pictures - it can change your life.
"I am the last guy in the world you would ever think would do this. My buddies said, 'you're doing what?' I am a construction worker and a welder, a superintendent 'leader of men' kind of guy. I am the outgoing strong type of person that you would never imagine doing something like that. If it can work or me, I know it can work for anyone."
