Day 78. Colour Me …

The other day, the author of a blog I follow wrote about colour.  It made me think.  Ever since my trip to India, I cannot get enough of the colour turquoise.  Not the pale, watery version.

The deep, bright, vibrant, intense shade.  It’s the colour painted on my bedroom walls.  Chotchkies I collect.  Pillows, tossed on a daybed in my living room.  Sweaters.  T-shirts.  Even my wallet.  And my toothbrush.  I’m drawn to it, like a bee to honey.

It just makes me feel good.  It makes me smile.  And it warms me up.

Before I became obsessed with turquoise, it was celadon green.  Pale, soft and relaxing, celadon isn’t just a colour.  It’s also the name given to ceramics which originated in 13th century China, and were glazed in that particular shade of green.

It’s a very calming colour; and in my  condo, my living and dining room walls were celadon.  Whenever I stepped into those rooms, it was like letting out a huge sigh of relief.  A polar opposite of what I’m living in, now.

Over the years I’ve had affairs with a deep, peachy coral, eggplant, chocolate brown and even sharp, stark, art gallery white.  I had a bedroom that was painted a dark chocolate brown for several years.  It was wonderful to sleep in.  Which was the point.  And once, I had a very brief fling with a deep, sunny yellow.  That didn’t work out.  And now that I’m in my turquoise phase, I like accents of other bright colours, like fuchsia and even orange.  Accents, I said.  Bits.  A vase.  A tiny pillow.  Flowers.  A small ‘punch’ of colour.

When it comes to clothes, though, I’m most comfortable in black.  At the very beginning of my career, a colleague once asked me if I was in mourning, because in the two and a half years I worked at that agency, I only wore black.  Every day.  Now I occasionally wear grey; and in the summer I do like white and all the neutrals.  Khaki, taupe, stone.  Oatmeal.  Straw.  And a little bit of very pale pink.  And some turquoise here and there.  But still, black.  Always black.

What do you think it all means?  I decided to see if I could find out.

On one website I learned that brown suggests stability and denotes masculine qualities.  Maybe I was unconsciously looking for a man, and wanted him to feel at home if, and when, I found him.  Orange increases oxygen supply to the brain, produces an invigorating effect and stimulates mental activity.  Maybe I should have more of it around.

When overused, yellow may have a disturbing effect.  It’s known that babies cry more in yellow rooms.  No wonder I didn’t like it.  Green, on the other hand, has great healing power and it is the most restful colour for the human eye.  It also indicates growth, and hope.  Life was very hectic and stressful when I chose celadon green for my apartment.  I guess my sub-conscious was guiding me towards creating a refuge, or a sanctuary at home.  It worked.

White is, among other things, considered to be the colour of perfection.  It also means safety, purity and cleanliness.  I just picked it because it was the perfect backdrop for all the other colours in the room.  A canvas.  And black.  You just can’t say enough about black.  It’s about power.  And elegance.  Mystery.  Strength.  Authority.  It does have a negative side, but that’s not why I like it.

Wear it when you’re unsure of yourself, and immediately you become confident.  Assured.  Composed.  Wear it when you’re unsure of what everyone else will be wearing; or how formal or informal the dress code will be.  You will always fit in.  You’ll be perfectly dressed.  Wear it when you want to be seen, but don’t want to be the centre of attention.

Unless, of course, everyone else will be in colour.  And then you’ll be sure to stand out in the crowd.  I also always wear black when I’m presenting.  I don’t want my audience to focus on me, I want them to focus on the work.   With black, you just can’t go wrong.  At least as far as I’m concerned.

But here are the reasons why I’m probably so attracted to turquoise.  And why ‘now’, at this particular stage of my life:

Turquoise helps to open the lines of communication between the heart and the spoken word.  It’s a colour that recharges our spirits and leaves you ready to face the world again.  It heightens levels of creativity and our intuitive ability; and opens the door to spiritual growth.  It is the colour of the evolved soul.  I have a feeling it’s going to be around me for a long time to come.

But then again, who knows.  Maybe there’s some purple in my future.  Or red.  There’s nothing wrong with a little ambition, luxury, desire or love, is there?