Happy New Year - 2017

It's 2017. In this year of new beginnings and renewal, remember to be thankful, live life, and relax. It is what it is. Find your happiness wherever life takes you and let God be your guide.

What Inspires Me?

Snowman on a snowy hill. Painted with watercolors.

Every day is different. Some days I may be inspired by patterns I see in nature like the veins of a leaf, or the crackling in the road, or the formations of the clouds. Some days, it may be a song I heard, some food I ate, or something more inward that I felt. Other days, it may be the way a person smiled, or a gleam in someone's eyes, or the way their hair framed their face. Each day, my experiences, emotions, and activities motivate a different image in my mind that is incorporated into my creative process. The process may begin immediately and last for a short time or it may be years in the making. But I take each moment, each breathe I draw, as an opportunity to be inspired.

Fan Favorites

This page was colored with crayons by a 10-year-old.

An adult woman began coloring this with a combination of coloring pencils and gel pens.

An adult man with a brain injury colored this page with gel pens.

An adult woman colored this using wood-less coloring pencils.

The following photos were taken at a book signing at WPA Bakery in Richmond, Virginia. Coloring sheets from one of the pages of the book and coloring pencils were provided for customers of the bakery to enjoy stress-relieving coloring.

The following photos were taken at a celebration and book signing at Thirty-first Street Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia. Coloring sheets from one of the pages of the book, coloring pencils, cupcakes and cookies were provided for people to enjoy.

Feel Like a Kid Again

"I haven't done this since I was a kid!" "This reminds me of when I used to do art in grade school." "This takes me back to my childhood." As an art specialist, I often hear these phrases during arts and crafts sessions with patients at the hospital. And nine times out of 10, they are said with happiness in their voices.

When I meet people, they are usually at their most vulnerable. Whether they are dealing with cancer, sickle cell, diabetes, heart disease or any number of illnesses; what most people want is to be comforted. I tell people that doing a craft isn't about creating some masterpiece or being perfect. It's about the journey from start to finish - much like life.  What we do while painting, drawing, sculpting, and creating is more important than what they take home after I've left the room. And majority of the time, they end up proud of their project and what they could accomplish with just a little guidance.

But the real magic and gift are the laughter that was shared, the pleasant memories that came up, and the comfort that was provided.

Why does this happen? Most of our adulthood is spent worrying and stressing over life. We forget our inner child and loose the innocence of childhood. When we let him or her out to play - whether it's doing arts and crafts, playing games, doing cartwheels or just acting silly - we allow our minds to relax, and our souls to be rejuvenated. It just feels good.

So during this stressful holiday season, take a moment to be a kid again. In fact, find some kids - your own counts - and do it with them. Bake cookies, play with dolls, pop popcorn and string it into garland (while eating it of course), watch holiday cartoon classics, sing silly made up songs, make up stories, color in a coloring book, make snow angels, and give plenty of hugs, laughter and kisses. Give the best gift you can give - wonderful memories.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Angel ornaments made by participants in an arts and craft session.

Don't forget, you can purchase my adult coloring book "Coloring Curls: An Adult Coloring Book Celebrating Natural Hair" on CreateSpace or on Amazon.

Coloring Curls is Featured in Style Weekly!

Style Weekly Nov. 22nd Edition

New Adult Coloring Book Features African-American Hair and Mandalas

5:30PM November 11, 2016

New Adult Coloring Book Features African-American Hair and Mandalas

Coils, curls, and coiffures meet mandalas, patterns, and shapes in this new adult coloring book by Unicia R. Buster, a Richmond, Va., native. Ms. Buster, an artist for more than 15 years, recently completed a 365-day creativity challenge in which she created an Afro each day for a year. Out of the challenge, “Coloring Curls: An Adult Coloring Book Celebrating Natural Hair” was born. In this book, the growing trend of African-American women growing their hair naturally has been coupled with the growing trend of adult coloring books to give color enthusiasts a fun stress-relieving treat. Each illustration was hand drawn by the artist with the same love and attention that is given to styling naturally curly hair (often called Afros when worn loose). Ms. Buster self-published her book through CreateSpace, an Amazon company, on November 4, 2016, and has already sold 50 copies. It may be purchased for $10 at www.CreateSpace.com/6658866.

“My natural journey began 25 years ago when I was still in high school and being natural was unpopular. I got my first perm at the early age of 7 and by the time I was 12, perms had damaged my hair beyond repair. I began braiding my hair at the age of 14 in an attempt to go natural but was always afraid to wear my hair out. During my senior year of high school, I had to fight for the right to wear my micro braids down the aisle for graduation. My parents were told that I had to straighten my hair or I couldn’t participate in the ceremony. As a compromise, I was allowed to wear the braids as long as they were tucked under my cap out of site. Then in college, I met other sisters who wore their naturals proudly (and cornrows/pleats were becoming more popular thanks to celebrities like Da Brat and Alicia Keys). I felt freer to wear my hair out in all kinds of styles like the Afro, two-strand twists, cornrows, flat twists, and bantu knots. This freeing of my mind allowed me to express myself not only with my hair but also with my art. I began creating fine art photography, paintings and art quilts featuring the natural hair of African-American people to show the beauty and interesting quality, textures, and patterns of our hair.”

Ms. Buster has won a Visual Arts Fellowship from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and a “Best in Show” award from The National Arts Program at VCU Medical Center. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Cornell University and her Master of Arts degree from George Mason University and has exhibited in numerous cities including Richmond, Va.; Washington DC; Long Island City, NY; and Rome, Italy. She currently works at VCU Health as the art specialist where she assists with managing and curating gallery exhibitions and the hospital’s permanent art collection, as well as teach arts and crafts to patients seeing more than 800 patients per year. She previously worked for 10 years as a graphic designer for the Richmond Free Press where she won second and third place in the Virginia Press Association Awards advertisement category. Ms. Buster has been featured in the Richmond Times Dispatch and the Richmond Free Press and was a guest presenter at the Good Grief Conference speaking on the impact of arts in legacy and memory making.

See more of Ms. Buster’s artwork at http://uniciab.wixsite.com/artwork. For more information or to contact the artist, email coloringcurls@yahoo.com.

New Adult Coloring Book - Now Available at CreateSpace. Order your copy in time for the holidays!

Purchase Coloring Curls Here

New Adult Coloring Book - "Coloring Curls" by Unicia R. Buster Coming Soon!