“Other than music and body language, color is the only form of expression that does not require words.”  Leatrice Eiseman

One of my big takeaways from Lee Eiseman’s color class was the fact that we all have deeply embedded color memories. In most cases we are not even aware of these memories, but trust me, we all have them.

Think about your favorite color…do you know why you love it?  Perhaps you had a favorite stuffed animal that was that color or maybe a favorite Aunt, who always brought you a present, used to wear that color often.

Now, think about your least favorite color…do you know why you dislike it? Perhaps you injured yourself when you  fell off  the monkey bars painted that color or maybe a bully teased you who always wore a jacket that color. The point is, our color memories have a huge impact on us and determine our relationship with color.

This point was so well illustrated when we were discussing the color yellow. Yellow is perceived as the happiest color; it represents warmth and sunshine.

Imagine my surprise then, while walking back to our rooms, my friend told me she felt like crying while Lee was showing images of  yellow. She couldn’t figure it out until she had an “ah ha” moment. She realized that the anniversary of her Mom’s death was coming up and her Mom’s favorite color was yellow. Her kitchen was yellow, her house was painted yellow and she often wore yellow. Yellow had taken on a sad memory for my friend because she missed her Mom and the color yellow reminded her she was no longer with her. Once she made the connection she felt better about the color yellow and her sad feelings subsided.

So…take a minute to give some thought to your most liked and most disliked colors…  Can you remember…what did color do to you??

By the way….pinky beige is my least favorite color…maybe this is why.

EWW !!

If you would like help filling your home with colors that make you happy, give me a call. 617-965-3342.