Color is an evocative tool. It can cheer, startle, and even charm you and people around you, so employ it wisely - its psychological effects impact our lives every moment of every day.
What is color and how does it impact our everyday life?
Traveling in a wave like the sounds from your favorite Kygo track, color waves are actual particle streams interacting with light that impact the way you feel and perceive. National Geographic said it, so it must be true! Learn how to organize and manage color in your environment, your wardrobe, accessories, make-up etc. and add harmony and abundance - or if you fancy, even a little chaos - to life!
Facets of Color: How They Make You Feel and How to Use Them to Your Advantage
Color, as energy, has the amazing ability to create a response in each of us that can be acted out in a variety of ways. In Lesa Sawahata’sColor Harmony Workbook, she outlines the eight distinct facets of color and the different moods each facet can evoke.
What vibe do you want to feel and project using color? Read on below:
Mellow-outwith the Cold Facet - Cold colors like blue, blue-green, and green are thought to have the mind/body effect of slowing metabolism—and can project a “chilled out” image of the individual wearing them.
- Soothe others and Get a Raise with the Cool Facet - Cool colors are based in blue, but unlike cold or “chill” colors, they are blended with yellow and red creating a range of beauty from green through blue through violet. Cool colors are perceived as soothing, calming and peaceful - you might want to consider wearing a shade of violet the next time you ask for a raise or extra vacation days!
- Ignite Impulsewith the Hot Facet - Hot colors, like red, have proven to stimulate the physical body, even raise body temperature. The color red also leads to impulse purchases (Whitfield TW, Wiltshire TJ.) Maybe that’s why you have so many tubes of unused red lipstick in your drawer? Interestingly, recent studies have shown that infants as young as two weeks of age can distinguish the color red. Red has the longest wavelength among colors, possibly making it the easiest color to process by the developing receptors and nerves in the baby’s eyes. Mama, get your red on!
- Stimulate your inner Brainiac with the Warm Color Facet - Warm colors are anchored in red, but unlike hot colors, they are toned down with the addition of yellow giving rise to red- range, orange and yellow orange. Warm orange colors, in general, are not as aggressive as red, but just as stimulating. The color orange is said to increase oxygen supply to the brain and stimulate mental activity. Maybe try wearing a little ahead of a big presentation or during a brainstorming session?
- Exude Elegance with the Dark Facet - A dark color or a color that has been shaded with black communicates prestige and elegance and evokes a variety of vibes including mystery and authority, all the while diminishing rather than expanding space. Hence the vital importance of the little black dress.
- Get your glow onwith the Light Facet - Light colors are ethereal and glow with a subtle illumination. They are barely colors at all, but simply have the faintest hint of a hue. Light colors expand and open up space, making it feel airer. Wearing light colors projects brightness of spirit and normalcy. Consider wearing a light color when you meet your future in-laws.
- It wasn’t me! Innocence with the Pale Facet - Pale colors are actually tints combined with a lot of white. These pastels evoke feelings of innocence, healing and peace. You cannot go wrong wearing pale colors if you are ever called to a deposition!
- Energetic Vibes with the Bright Facet - Bright colors are clear and distinctive, with a high vibrational quality about them. These colors add dynamism and energy to a situation - project enthusiasm while volunteering or celebrating! However, Art Therapists caution againstusing bright colors like yellow as they can be so energetically powerful that they can irritate the eyes.