Saturday, September 11, 2010

Color Therapy. What do colors mean?



We live a very colorful life in the physical sense and in our emotional sense. Color plays an integral part in our day to day....Black is slimming but also the color of which all presidential vehicles are painted advocating authority and power. We are soothed by sea foam greens and wish to cleanse ourselves when surrounded by whites, blues, and soft blue greens; seeing these colors, our bodies produce calming chemicals within.

Black

Black is the color of authority and power. It is popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner. It is also stylish and timeless. Black also implies submission. Priests wear black to signify submission to God. Some fashion experts say a woman wearing black implies submission to men which I disagree heavily! When I see women like, Donna Karan wearing her highly stylized black ensemble, I do NOT envision her pulling out a freshly baked apple pie and serving it to her hubby seated in a lazy boy. Just saying. Black is a popular color representing Halloween. With Dracula, witches, and omens appearing in black clothing and black hair, this suggests negative powers of authority and power.

White

White is pure, clean, bright, positive, angelic, celestial, ambiguous, and common. Brides wear white symbolizing innocence and purity. Reflecting light, white is considered a summer color. White is popular in decorating and in fashion because it is light, neutral, and goes with everything. Doctors and nurses wear white to imply sterility. Throughout history, white was one of the most important colors to wear. Wearing white always had a social status definition whether it is implied or demanded. Even today, wearing true white...and presenting it as crisp and cared for white, this suggests pride and wealth.


Red

The most emotionally intense color, red stimulates a faster heartbeat and breathing. It is also the color of love. Red clothing gets noticed and makes the wearer appear heavier. It has been stated that red is a power color. Many experts have suggested wearing red to meetings for negotiations and sales, however since it is an extreme color, red clothing might offend people in negotiations or confrontations. Red cars depict speed and affluence and are popular targets for thieves. In decorating, red is usually used as an accent. Interior designers utilize red furniture in living rooms and dining rooms. In the living room where you would engage in conversation, a red chair will get you noticed. In a dining room, red is known to stimulate your appetite.

Pink

Pink is innocence and ironically, romance. Pink is pure passion. Caucasian babies are referred to as pink. Clearly girls' rooms are painted pink accentuating pure and feminine innocence. Many sports teams will paint the guest lockers bright pink to suck the team players' energy. Pink is soft, warm, and fuzzy. Pink paired with green can be flash back preppy and also organically calming (depending on the tone).

Blue

Often used in bedrooms, blue is a calming color. Truly one of the most favored colors by humans across the world. Blue is the color of the ocean and our sky representing earth like no other color. Water is usually depicted in blue hence, water being calming, so is blue. I often wonder if the ocean was orange, then would orange be the calming color? Blue can also be cold and depressing when mixed with a bit of gray. Fashion consultants recommend wearing blue to job interviews because it symbolizes loyalty, trustworthiness, and it has been proven that people working in sales have a higher closing rate while wearing blue. People are more productive in blue rooms. Statistically, weightlifters are able to handle heavier weights in blue gyms.


Green

Green, another color of our Earth. Green represents all things organic and is presently the most popular decorating color. It is the easiest color on the eye and can improve vision. It is a calming, refreshing color. People waiting to appear on TV sit in "green rooms" to relax. Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients. Brides in the Middle Ages wore green to symbolize fertility. Dark green is masculine, conservative, and implies wealth and high intellect. Green is the color of Ireland hence representing the luck of the Irish and St. Patrick's day. However, on the eve of a fashion show, seamstresses often refuse to use green thread fearing it will bring bad luck.

Yellow

Yellow is the color of pineapples hence the color of hospitality. The color of the sun, which sustains life, yellow is considered cheery and a great attention getter. Yellow enhances concentration, hence we use it for legal pads.
While it is considered an optimistic color, people lose their tempers more often in yellow rooms. Too much yellow can create anxiety. It is the most difficult color for the eye to take in, so it can be overpowering if overused.

Purple

Purple is the color of royalty con notating wealth and opulence. It is feminine and romantic. Men should avoid both purple and pink as wardrobe choices to an interview. Both colors symbolize femininity. A male wearing pink or purple to an interview may seem to be undecided and unsure of himself. Purple may connect the mind with things artificial correlating negative images.

Brown

Another Earth color, brown. Perhaps it is because of UPS, but brown denotes a solid and reliable makeup. Again speaking organic, brown conjures images of wood, leather (or pelts), dirt; all raw and organic materials for survival. Brown can also be sad and wistful. Men are more apt to say brown is one of their favorite colors.

Gray

This fabulous color is often used for home furnishing accents or larger objects only to be accessorized by vibrant colors. Men and women wear gray suits when interviewing candidates suggesting they are neutral in their decision making processes. Gray can mean sorrow, maturity, and balance. When utilizing gray in a landscape painting, mist, fog, waterfalls, etc...these grays can conjure ideas of rest, tranquility, escape, avoidance, and retreat. Gray can be a very mystical color embodying the desire to meditate.

Orange

A vibrant color made by combining red and yellow. Orange suggests vitality and possibly aggression. It is not a hostile color but more so one of invigorating life!
Like red, orange is thought to stimulate your appetite. Many people naturally correlate an orange to the color orange connotating succulence and mouth watering goodness. Health, warmth, and vitality sum up this color.

Color impacts every moment of our lives in so many ways and on so many levels. The next blog will discuss colors that heal-How and Why.

In the meantime...color yourself happy....allow yourself to indulge in color to make your world a brighter place.

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