How I Create Coloring Books with Chronic Pain (Using AI as My Creative Tool)

This wasn’t the plan. I didn’t sit down one day and say, “Hey, I think I’ll start making coloring books.” I wanted to make more art, but my body was fighting me. The chronic pain in my hands is worst when I hold a paint brush or pen. I am limited by how long I can hold them.

Honestly, I just needed something I could do. There are days where my body just doesn’t cooperate.

The kind of days where:

my joints hurt
my energy disappears
even sitting at my desk feels like too much

And for a long time, that meant I just stopped creating. But that didn’t feel like me. I’ve always been someone who makes things. Who starts projects. Who has ideas that won’t leave me alone.

So, I had to figure out: How do I keep creating in a body that can’t always keep up?

This is where AI came in

I know – AI can feel weird. And I’m not using it to replace creativity. I’m using it to support it. AI has now become an accommodation for my art.

Instead of spending hours trying to draw when my hands hurt or losing momentum because I’m too exhausted, I have taught myself (taught AI?) how to start my creation.

I can generate a base, refine it, and then shape it into what I actually want. I’m still the one choosing the ideas, guiding the style (sometimes this is a fight with AI but I can do it), and fixing what doesn’t feel right.

AI just helps me get there without burning myself out.

The Books I’ve Created so Far

This part still feels a little surreal. Because these didn’t exist and now, they do!

Cozy with a Side of Snark: A Winter Coloring Book with Gentle Prompts for Overstimulated Minds

Cozy with a Side of Snark is a winter-themed coloring book created for the moms, the neurodivergent minds, the tired humans, and the quietly sarcastic souls who crave calm… but also need to laugh about the chaos.

Perimenopause with a Side of Snark: A Funny Adult Coloring Book for Women

Perimenopause with a Side of Snark is a humorous, relatable coloring book created for women navigating the chaos, exhaustion, and unexpected growth of perimenopause. When your brain has 42 tabs open, your sleep schedule is questionable, and your emotions feel like a roller coaster, sometimes the best thing you can do is sit down, color, and laugh.