Coloring Within Lines —A childhood myth that stymied my creativity.

Emotional Graffiti, acrylic by Michelle Lindblom, artist

I could have filled a series of books, 1000 pages each, with all the coloring book pages I meticulously labored over as a child. As I honed my fine motor skills, there was not a millimeter of color outside of the lines. My freakish obsession of staying within the lines correlated with my need to receive praise for my preciseness. Thus, avoiding any kind of rejection from…