Three years ago, Sontia Levy-Mason was a writer and book publisher who expressed herself with words.
Looking for a change, she decided she wanted to approach a more visual medium, so she turned to something that she loved doing with her family as a kid: coloring.
She took her knowledge of publishing, taught herself how to draw — which she had never attempted before — and produced something that set her off on a journey.
“One year, I decided that I was going to try to team up with the Wichita Public Library and see if they would allow me the space to display this coloring book that I created,” Levy-Mason said. “And so they allowed me to rent a room, and I created an event called “Get Ya Color On,” just to kind of bring people together, the same way that me and my family, me and my mom gathered … and it just became a thing.”
Several years and a few coloring books later, Levy-Mason opened a studio on South Broadway with the same name as her initial event. In addition to selling coloring books and facilitating coloring sessions in her studio, she also runs seminars for nonprofits and companies.
She said the type of work she does can be therapeutic and bridge gaps between a wide range of ages.
“I refer to it as mindful coloring, just because you ... [are] being mindful about why you chose that color and what that means to you,” she said.
“We work very closely with Rainbows United and Starkey, and really just work on trying to connect families and make intergenerational connections as well.”
Levy-Mason said she begins each coloring design by mapping and filling it out, and then stripping it of all the color.
For her, coloring is more than a childhood pastime. It’s a way for people to express themselves with a low barrier of entry.
She provides the designs and the audience can fill in the rest with crayons, markers and colored pencils.
“I try to educate children and families about what colors are, what they mean – beyond just them being pretty – and how they can affect us, and how we can really regulate our feelings and our thoughts,” she said.
Levy-Mason, who also has a degree in psychology, said the color a person picks and how they approach a coloring sheet could be an indicator of how they are feeling.
“I have a friend named Stacy … she was having a difficult day, and she was coloring this heart,” Levy-Mason said. “And in her mind, she was wanting to color this heart a totally different color. I think she was trying to go with, like a pink. However, she ended up coloring the heart blue … like the entire heart blue.”
Levy-Mason is a big believer in the power of color and how it can transform a community. She’s got big plans for Get Ya Color On, including combining a 5K run with coloring and art.
“We're going to add an art element, and you're gonna have to do it fast, and it'll be really fun, lots of mess, lots of crazy shenanigans,” she said.
Ultimately, Levy-Mason hopes that she can make the lives of Wichitans more vibrant.
“I know that I have so much more to offer, and I really would like to get out in the community, even beyond where we are here, and just kind of spread that color everywhere.”
