Sara Troy on how colour has always influenced her life
My brother found an old picture of me with our Border collie ‘Kandy’ from 41 years ago. As I looked at this I realized how some things never change. I still love colour and very much influenced by the colourful rays of our existence and I have yet again a border collie.
If you have read any of my last articles you will see how much colours is a part of my life. It is my business, my inspiration and my existence. It lights up my life, goes deep into my soul and dictates my many moods. I am a colourful rainbow of moods and thoughts that leads to colourful actions.
When I look at colour, especially deep vibrant colours, I feel fed. It gives me a deep feeling of knowingness and that ahhh sensation. Like good Bordeaux or a full-bodied Port wine, there is a deep appreciation for the wholeness that it gives to you. Have you found that you wear certain colours to match certain moods? Just like comfort food, colour can feed your soul and make you feel whole again.
The eighteenth century was a very colourful period, where the early part of the 1900’s seems to go for the dull and safe colours. By the time we got to the 60’s colour came busting out all over the place like a disorganized garden. It was an overload of colour that confused the brain and mixed up the emotions. No wonder the sixties was all so screwed up, just too much sudden freedom and too much colour all at once. The 70’s calmed down a wee bit, and seemed to concentrate of a few single colours like orange. Orange is a colour of well being and optimism, plus being a tone that lifts the spirits and gives a lust for the freedom of the soul. Green was a sought after colour too and this is a resurrection and renewal colour that also balances our peace and harmony within.
We looked for inner peace but found worldly turmoil.
The 80’s were a great time to have kids in. Neon colours everywhere, which meant you could always see your kids because they were so colourful. Loud synthetic and abrasive colours, with no purity among them at all, but come to think of it, it was the era of synthetic and technical progress, may be these colours inspired this in to action.
The nineties was the decade of the black, everyone trying to show sophistication and a certain ‘down playing’ to it all. I also believe it was an era of looking inside ourselves as black could be signifier of being in the womb, I think we got very serious about our lives and needed to look in to see what it is that makes us tick. Many associate black with negative power, this it not true. Black can represent so much, depression, authority, distinguished, reclusive, or just someone in control of themselves. It can also be the colour of respect. I know that I wore a lot of black during this decade, and I at first was in the depression, then came the strength to come out of it, and now it is my distinguished look. Black is sexy no doubt about it, it suits most people and shows of the bodies good points well. Now it is worn with vibrant colour accents to show the persons individuality. Something about a man in all black who is well groomed and showing off his best assets is so exhilarating. As for us woman, you can never go wrong with “ a little black dress” as it goes anywhere anytime for almost any occasion.
The new decade embraces colour once more, but in a more selective way. Vibrant shades of colour and mixed patterns have appeared again, but this time in a more organized and less abrasive way. I personally love what colour does to me. If I need energy I wear reds and oranges; if I need to be taken more seriously I will wear the blacks and the navies, (some say browns are official looking but I find them earthy, so I guess therefore more grounding).
Whether you need to feel grounded or inspired, calm or energized – colour does have an effect on your mind, even if you don’t realize it. Try a little colour today, stay away from what you have been told that you should wear, and put a splash of colour around you and on you and see how it makes you feel. Feed your soul and you mind will follow. Remember those first impressions count and if you look confident in your colour assemble you will receive what you set out to get. Respect.
Have a very colourful life.
Colour my world colour my life.
© Sara Troy August 2009
Vancouver
Canada.
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