One of the hardest things to come to grips with during my divorce was the realization that one of my favorite hobbies had become empty.  Anhedonia is a word I've come to understand in great detail. Short version it's the inability to feel happiness/pleasure. This was particularly painful as my ex wife had been my muse for several years. In the last two years of our marriage I gradually felt like I couldn't bring myself to take photos at all. After my first few sessions both my therapist and I agreed that I needed to find outlets. Forcing myself to shoot again was difficult and didn't come easily at first.  The background shot you've seen on the site is one of my photos.

 

Besides photography the other use of art I found myself engaged in is the most 'silly' sounding. Adult color books. They've been in the news and admittedly I had always dismissed them as just another fad. I was greatly underestimating the extent to which simply putting your mind into a focused state on something calming could provide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple coloring books and a good set of coloring pencils.  Maybe $20 USD to start.  It felt silly the first time, but I found that while my head was constantly firing off with negative thinking, regrets and a loop of self-hate coloring gave me a few minutes of peace. Being an IT guy I also began using digital coloring books for my iPad. They were more convenient when I was trying to get to sleep. Pigment was a very handy app with a subscription model. Paired with a Wacom Bamboo stylus I found it a very welcome tool with which to help cope when my depression was getting the better of me.