My Coloured Mind

Searching into the theory of color and how it affects the way we perceive the world.

[itsmycolouredmind]

2. What are your biggest challenges to creating art and how do you deal with them?

There are some times when it is hard for me to create because of some sort of mental block- kind of like writer’s block. I just sit and stare at my supplies and have no clue what to create. The thing that I’ve found most helpful for this problem is to pick up a pen or pencil and my sketchbook and to just start drawing or writing down different words or thoughts. I also look around for quotes. I love quotes. Many of the things that I have created are inspired by quotes. 

But there is another form of challenge that I face when creating- and it’s the fact that I live in a busy world. I have 2 jobs and I’m taking 16 units and there’s so much reading I have to do for my classes that I start to run out to hours in the day to create. Like, just last night- I only got like 2 hours of sleep because I had homework to do. But then I couldn’t fall asleep either. It’s hard to figure out how to balance all the things that I have to do while also taking care of myself. For this problem- I’m not really sure that I have a solid plan that I layout. Certain opportunities just arise and then I seize them when I can. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

1. Where do you draw inspiration from?

I draw inspiration from all over the place. From the people around me and the things they do. From the scenery and nature and the world that I observe and live in. From the things that I believe about the world and my faith. 

But there is also a part of me that is intuitive. There are things that I start to create and build that I don’t know why I have those ideas. There’s just something within me- a feeling or a persuasion to do something that just pops into my head as I’m working. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

“Imprinted World” 

Twigs, flower tufts, reed material, coffee, twine, tissue paper, modge podge, 

37″ x 10.5″ x 5″ 

[itsmycolouredmind]

Why is art important?

Why wouldn’t it be? 

Literally, we are surrounded by so much art. We walk through buildings and passed signs. We listen to music. We scroll through social media and see different pictures. We take our own pictures. We read books or plays or newspapers. We create new ideas. We tell stories. Our lives are built on art and being creative. Without creativity, we wouldn’t be who we are as the human race today. 

“In the beginning, God created.” 

God Created. 

He created. He was creative. He made us. He envisioned us. He made the world. He created nature. He created animals. He created light and dark. He created color, for goodness sake! We live in a world that was made by someone who is creative. The world is His artwork and we are his masterpiece. 

Art is important as a way for people to tell their story. To give their ideas and opinions life when they may not be able to speak them. Art is a way to live like Christ. He created, so we create. How cool! :) 

[itsmycolouredmind]

How do the materials used to make art influence the meaning of the work?

This is crazy to think about. I’m going to give a two-pronged answer. 

For the artist, the materials used definitely can influence the meaning of work for them. For instance, an artist could want to use only natural materials to build or paint something. This could give their work more meaning and how the process of making it and knowing what it is made of to them. They will know what it is made of. 

For viewers of artwork, I think that the material can also be influential, but it can also be less meaningful since they were not the ones to create it. There can be art that is made of trash, and in knowing that, viewers can decipher what the artist could be trying to say or what it means to them.

 Everyone views art differently and the content of the art is definitely most important as to how it can affect people. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

Is unity in an artwork necessary?

This is a big question. I think that unity definitely helps make a piece of artwork better. But I don’t necessarily think that it is necessary. There can be pieces of work that have less or no unity. This typically makes us feel uncomfortable because unity, whether we realize it or not, helps give us the idea that something is complete. It makes us feel good. But when something is wrong, like a lack of unity, we tend to feel uneasy. For instance, when colors that are not a part of a color scheme are used together, it can be overwhelming in trying to understand what the artist is trying to say. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

Okay, more cars. BUT THEY ARE COMPLEMENTARY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love it! I told Erica to quickly take a picture for me so I could post it on my blog. :) I love looking for color around me now- thanks to you, Tina. :) 

The second you’ll recognize. Obviously. Not quite complementary colors, but stark opposites: black and white. I thought it was cool that you guys use a black and white sign to advertise an art gallery. It gives it simplicity. 

The last picture: MORE COMPLEMENTARY! Red and green. This whole post is about complementary colors. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

Flowers are fun! 

I went on a nature walk with Hannah late one night to find plants for our color research for color matching. It was super fun, and these were some of the different items I found. It was fun to try and find color in the dark.

The second is some fake flowers that are used to decorate inside my hall. I was thinking about how it’s funny that we try to make fake things that emulate real life. They are kind of realistic, but they don’t have the right texture or the right smell.... 

The last photo is of when I went to see Jessup’s play. it was really good. They used a lot of light to create the setting. When at sea, there were lots of blues and some grey-ish light. On an island, they had lots of greens. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

The first picture was providence! I was talking with my mom in the parking lot, and I turned around as saw these three cars lined up. I told her to stop talking and that I would right back. I ran to take a picture of these cars. All the primaries lined up made me so happy! :) 

The second picture is from a hike that I went on with a bunch of girls from my wing. We went to Lake Clementine in Auburn. There was a rainbow! so cool to see how man-made things can be beautiful and not all destructive. 

The last picture is one that my friend Mikayla @peanut19kayla took. She likes to do macro-photography. I thought this one was soooo coooool! I was instantly in love with it before I could describe why. The yellow and pink/purple are almost complimentary colors. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

I went on an adventure one day with my friend, and it was so much fun! We took so many pictures and had too much coffee. :) 

The first picture is an old old truck. It’s rusting and it’s super cool looking. It looks like a light blue, and probably had been a darker blue at one point in its life. But it sat out in the sun, so it faded. This reminded me of the Greek statues. 

The second picture is a tractor that was right around the corner of the truck. I thought the bright orange color was fun, and it had a nice contrast with the green around it. 

The last two pictures are flowers that were in a rose garden that we sat and ate breakfast. I liked these flowers, so I took their picture. 

[itsmycolouredmind]

Personal Color

Colors named and labeled from top to bottom: 

“Deep Wine” :: Lavander 

“Dusty Rose” :: Small Pink Flowers 

“Softened Heart” :: Edges of Pink Flowers 

“Cold Steel” :: “Back Metal Piece

“Forest Blanket” :: Leaves

“Sketch White” :: Lace 

“Hatched Spring” :: Stained Lace 

“Childhood Dreams” :: Lavander 

[itsmycolouredmind]

Card Deck Color Matching 

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color proportions 

[itsmycolouredmind]

Color Risk - Rainbow Week 

I opened up my closet after taking a “color risk” was assigned, and all I saw were dark blues, blacks, and greys. For my color risk, I decided I was going to wear every color of the rainbow (purple not pictured). 

I started with green because, at the time when I decided I was going to start, I didn’t have any clean red clothes XD. 

Green: So, for the green dress, I had to steam it before I wore it because it was so wrinkly. I got to spend time with it before. It has flowers all over it, and I think that the pattern definitely affected how I experienced green. I was pretty cheery that day. And maybe it was the shade of green I was wearing; it’s a soft green, not harsh. And it probably worked in tandem with the fabric as well. It was super flowy; it felt like spring. I posted about each of my colors (except purple) on Instagram and paired songs with each color. I searched for songs that were titled with the name of the color risk of the day. For green, I posted “Green” by Cavetown. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/6FCtVFA2m7j60qnlN1Sxko?si=lLGH4P_7T86snYRhfAlCfw

Blue: Another dress. I don’t usually wear dresses, and I think definitely affected me. I was super happy the day I wore this dress. Blue already tends to be my color, but this blue was paired with small white lines, giving it the appearance of light blue. I just felt like I needed to be positive and be happy for other people around me as well. I did my best to help encourage others that day. The song that I paired with my post for color risk day 2 was “Blue” by Far Caspian. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/0dvfpjcQYo9ajFjetKssxL?si=N22l50rVRp-WBbNiOMigBA

Purple: (not pictured) I wore my purple leggings for purple day. My purple was definitely a “woke up this morning but I don’t actually want to be awake” kind of outfit. They are a darker shade of purple, and that made me feel more mellow. I don’t know how much I was actually affected by purple. I also had to change out of leggings to go to the Good Friday service. (I wasn’t able to get a picture before I had to change). I tried to stay in my color for as long as possible to try and get the full experience of what the color did for all different times of the day. Which, when I changed for the service, I changed into a blue and red striped dress- which would make purple... Since I didn’t post, there wasn’t a song to go along with it. But now looking back, I would probably have picked the song “Purple” by Cesar Santalo.  

https://open.spotify.com/track/3Ij29pgbO86IfsTiPRdnPw?si=GpDSj8BySu24NtFuTyK_Bg

Red: This was a fun day! I love red, though I don’t really think that I look good in it. I got this dress the day before, and I was super excited because I knew that red was going to be the next day. So, paired with this excited of new things, I got to wear red. It’s a deeper color of red, and I felt super sentimental. Or maybe philosophical. I loved looking at nature all around me. I got to go to Marysville that day (: and driving through the farmland was super fun. I got to appreciate all the color around me. The song paired with this day was “Dark Red” by Steve Lacy. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/37y7iDayfwm3WXn5BiAoRk?si=5pOS7wxUQZaLLNgi6c7t2w

Orange: This was a boring day. I love the color orange and have much more appreciation for it now in my life than ever, but I hated this color day. It was probably my least favorite. I didn’t want to keep wearing it, and I went against what I said I was going to do with wearing the color as long as possible all day. I didn’t feel good wearing orange. And it could be that I was stressing over writing a paper as well. I don’t think that orange was helping. It isn’t a calm color. The song I posted with today’s post was “Orange” by CLAY. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/1xMT1AcN5fOaaiGqGjqrMO?si=bUfIG_gGT4aWFklcUCaBxg

Yellow: YEEEEELLLLOOOOOWWWWW!!!!!!!! I love yellow! I don’t own very much yellow, but I am starting to accumulate more. It feels so much like summer. I was so happy the day I wore yellow! I skipped all around campus, and everyone that was wearing yellow as well as me, I thanked. Or I pointed it out. I find that I keep an eye out for color more nowadays. The song I paired with today’s post was “Yellow Love” by Citizen. 

https://open.spotify.com/track/7ouuskO1OjXECNKlVOvelh?si=r__i9nmwTZOhGqS7_i7BoA

Reflection: This was a super fun activity. I loved it so much! it challenged me to think differently about how I wear color and how it helps me approach my day. And when I started my day by thinking about color, I found that I was more aware of the color around me in the world too. I love color, and I am so thankful that we get to be in a world full of color! 

[itsmycolouredmind]

🌧 on Instagram: “Credit - @gus_thepothead . Something colourful for everyone’s Saturday🌈 I hope everyone has a great weekend💙 . . What ones your favourite?”

11.4k Likes, 46 Comments - 🌧 (@satisfyingnotcrying) on Instagram: “Credit - @gus_thepothead . Something colourful for everyone’s Saturday🌈 I hope everyone has a great…”

[itsmycolouredmind]

Chromophobia

In this chapter of Chromophobia, Batchelor writes about different color/art theorists and how they interpret art. Two authors he notes are Charles Blanc (1848) and Paul Cézanne (1960’s). Beginning with Blanc, he goes into detail about how Blanc sees color within art. He thinks that color should be controlled within art, which I totally agree with. He thinks that people should master it to harness its power. But, he says that “color had to be contained and subordinated- like a woman” (Batchelor, 2000). This infuriates me. I do not think it fair to compare to color to women and then say that they should be controlled. Blanc was clearly sexist, and by bringing it into art, it just makes me angry. Art should be somewhere to escape the world and to point out what is wrong with it, not to try and control the world and demean others. Build up life, build up influence. He continues to say that men are more like the basis of art- the drawing and angular side. The foundation. When I first read this, I hated it. I hated it so much. I think that it is wrong and stupid to say such things. However, I don’t think he’s entirely incorrect in making the connections the way he did. I don’t think that color can’t be used without shapes and lines, but it isn’t necessarily a picture of anything at that point. Adam was created first, then Eve. We don’t know exactly what was created first in art- the color or drawing- but I think that for a painting to be successful, there should be lines. Lines that are complemented by color. Color does not have to be subordinate to the lines. Just like Eve was not subordinate to Adam, but she was created so that he would not be alone. And then God saw that it was very good.

Cézanne writes, in the 1960s, that color is sensual. He did “experiments” with drugs and colors and said that colors were enhancers to the drugs. While this may be true, colors should be their own drug. People should fall in love with colors instead of having to look for another way to accommodate their need for pleasure or escape. Color should be able to bring about senses and feelings. I don’t think that people should be doing drugs in the first place, but to have them enhanced by color just seems wrong to me.