Art Therapist-Facilitated Open Studio Versus Coloring: Differences in Outcomes of Affect, Stress, Creative Agency, and Self-Efficacy (Studio ouvert animé par un art-thérapeute versus coloriage : différences de résultats sur l'affect, le stress, l'agentivité créatrice et l'efficacité personnelle)

Background: Coloring books for adults have become a ubiquitous presence in retail outlets worldwide and in the visual cultural landscape. The goal of this study was to determine differences in outcomes between art therapist-facilitated open studio and individual coloring.

Methods: The study used a within-subjects experimental design. Healthy adult participants (aged 19–67 years) were invited to engage in one session each of individual coloring, and open studio facilitated by an art therapist. A total of 36 participants enrolled in the study; 29 completed pre- and post-surveys for both conditions. Outcomes measured included positive and negative affect, perceived stress, self-efficacy, and creative agency.

Results: The art therapist-facilitated open studio condition resulted in superior improvements in positive affect, creative agency, and self-efficacy compared to the coloring condition. Both conditions resulted in lowered stress and reduced negative affect.

Discussion and implications: The results indicated that coloring might have therapeutic benefits on distress; however, only the art therapist-facilitated open studio session showed significant improvements in self-efficacy, self-perceptions of creativity, and positive mood. Art therapists might consider using the phenomenon of coloring as a doorway to art therapy and more spontaneous creative and self-expression for transformative change. Future studies should seek to identify the unique mechanism of change through which art therapist-facilitated art making explains the shifts in positive affect, creative agency, and self-efficacy.