There’s Meaning to Your Color Choice

Aren’t you glad your life is in color? I sure am. I can’t imagine a black and white world. It’s amazing how color calms the soul, infuses life, or energizes your body. This phenomenon has led to scientific studies and that’s why we have such a term as “color psychology”. Color psychology is the study of hues as the determinant of human behavior and the impact it has on our feelings and senses.

It’s no mystery that marketing and branding relies heavily on how a certain color or hue affects a customer’s impulse to buy or experience. One may view this as an abuse of that power, but color choices are also important for spas where we go to relax, the amusement parks for fun, and the homes we want to enjoy.

Have you wondered why you are drawn to specific colors or why you even have a favorite color (s)? Upon seeing that particular color there’s something magical that happens in your brain that stirs up your feel-good senses. At other times you can even get an adverse reaction to certain colors… interesting, right?

When it comes to your home, consider what color(s) are right for each room’s function. Allow me to elaborate with the main colors:

Red

Red is often recognized by your brain as powerful, but warm, passionate, stimulating, and energetic. That is why you can often see red in living rooms or entertainment areas. One of the best uses of red would be in areas of high activity or where you would like to raise the energy level. It doesn’t mean you have to paint the whole wall red, but using red in accent chairs, pillows, and various décor is just as effective.

Blue

Hues of blue are fantastic for bedrooms and bathrooms. There’s something about blue that conveys that calming and freeing feeling. Blue is meditative, relaxing, and serene. No wonder we stare up at the sky and daydream as children. I myself personally am highly drawn to blues as it also reminds me of the ocean, a place where I feel the most carefree and at peace.

Green

The grass, plants, and trees give green that “earthy” tone. We feel safe and grounded around green. It is also relaxing and is a “feel good” color. It signifies nature and the great expanse of the outdoors. Hues of green are suitable for any room in the house.

Yellow

Yellow energizes your brain and makes you feel more optimistic. That is why smiley faces are yellow and the sun shines its yellow rays to awaken us to start the day. As the sunshine is life affirming, so is the yellow hue a symbol of cheerfulness and liveliness. This color captures joy and happiness and is a great choice for kitchens, breakfast rooms, and bathrooms as well.

Purple

Throughout the ages royalty has worn purple robes due to how expensive it was to dye the fabric that color. So it’s no wonder our brains associate this color with power and royalty. Various hues and tints of purple are considered refined and sophisticated. Purple when used properly can spark creativity and bring depth to a room. Variations of purple can be used to create a luxurious effect in bedrooms and a VIP feeling in dining rooms.

Pink

There’s a sweet nature to pink. It’s no wonder this color gives off a feminine flair. It is soothing, gentle, and comforting. We often find little girl rooms in pink, but various hues of pink can also be quite effective in parlors, lounge areas, bedrooms, and dressing rooms.

Orange

Orange is the warmest color. It’s sensuous and stimulating, energetic and vibrant, and fun! It is great for exercise rooms or an office. In my area there is a franchise of gyms actually called Orange Theory. I’m thinking they knew what they were doing when they named it.

Brown

The earth is brown, so it’s natural for our brain to attribute earthy and “down to earth” traits to this color. There is something reassuring and stabilizing about this color. It also conveys yummy, like chocolate, and a sense of hominess. This color can be very neutral but is also great for capturing the cozy feeling for the den or a natural/rustic look in any room.

Black

Black is sophisticated like the little black dress or elegant like a ball gown. It is also bold and defiant. Black is great for drawing attention to a specific feature of the room and can be used as an accent wall or to “tighten” the space of a large room.
However, be careful, as too much black can be overbearing. But when used properly this color can be very dramatic.

Grey

Grey is a special color that is subtle and conservative when it comes to keeping a space fresh and airy. It also has a calming factor and is understated in its elegance, not too bold and neutral enough to tie multiple spaces together in a seamless flow. This color can be combined with whites and neutrals, but it also brings any pop of color to life.

White

And let’s not forget the color white. It is clean. It is pristine. It is airy… we also see it as pure and serene and crisp. It has the unique power of making any room feel larger. Variations of warmer and cooler tones of white can be used throughout the home. However, be careful. Too much white can make a space feel sterile like a hospital or cold like the North Pole.

It’s not just wall colors but also the color of your furniture and accessories that work together to create that perfect space. It’s also the hue of the draperies and the tint of the polish. The color of the accent pieces, the vignettes, the light fixtures, and the rugs all culminate together to play on your senses. Explore and experiment with the vast array of color choices. Embrace the vibrancy and color of life and keep in mind what human behavior you want to encourage… wink, wink.

 

by Tatyana Pyshnyak, Voice Interiors

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Living inPASSION Series: What happened to your inner child?

I love my Fridays. I truly do.

Every Friday I am lucky enough to lead a mama group at the Athens Pregnancy Center in Athens, Ga. I cannot wait for 10am to roll around, nor do I want 11:30 am to creep up on me as well. Often enough, we stay together way past the allotted time.

I love these women. In turn, they’ve accepted me. I hope they know that they truly belong there; exactly as they are, because of who they are. In my mind, they are perfect. In my eyes, I’d change nothing about them, only what they themselves want to change in honor of progress and living on another level.

I believe in them.

And I believe in you as well. Otherwise, I would not be writing, spending my time, a precious resource, more precious than gold.

I would be deeply honored if you would stay close to me as I unpack the inPASSION Series over the coming months. They correspond very closely to the material in my Living inPASSION Series of workshops based on my ‘An Everyday Mama Finds a Passionate Life’ book. True story. My story.

You won’t be alone on this journey, our mama group will be right alongside you, spurring you on.

Today was the first day of this introspective material.

But before I get into that, let me tell you how great our mamas are. Sing a few praises.

We welcome every new woman with open arms. No judgement. Just love. Kind advice. Hugs. Prayers.

We tear up together. Laugh together. Dream together.

We share our stories knowing that we will certainly be heard. That someone is on our side.

We check up on our individual progress. We give a bit of our heart each time we come together.

A community of belonging.

I just want to honor them.

Now that I’ve satisfied my desire to brag, let’s move onto the material that may be relevant to you; the material we embarked upon today. These will be slight steps, so as not to overwhelm anyone, but to give everyone enough time to digest and alter their course in life or continue on stronger than ever before.

Our step one, a very important step, is to tap into our authentic selves. We cannot access the passionate side of life if we don’t know who we are, don’t know our inner voice and/or dreams.

The positive news are that you can definitely find the answers to all the three questions. You don’t even need to know the complete answer, but be willing to learn, to access life on another level. As soon as you start being open and willing, things will start to shift for you.

To help you tap into your authentic self, I’ve designed a few exercises that grow into each other and over time you will understand why they’ve been arranged in the order you are about to receive them and the reason behind every question.

To the best of your ability, with every ounce of honesty, please answer the following questions:

1. What did you enjoy doing as a child?
2. What do you enjoy doing now?

Think of activities, things, etc., that made/make you happy.

Take all the time in the world. Don’t rush it. This is not a sprint.

As cliché as it sounds, life is definitely a marathon.

Now that you’ve got those answers down, look back to see if you notice a discrepancy between then and now. Are these answers in stark contrast to each other? Are you surprised that the answers are relatively the same? Have you added on some items as you’ve matured?

By now, you are probably eager to find out why these answers are relevant and why I’ve placed so much importance on them.

Here is why:

I may not be an expert in many things, but in this area, I’ve developed a sixth sense.

The individuals that were successful enough to transition their childhood likes/wants/desires into their adulthood, prioritizing them, including them, and nurturing their inner child in that manner, tend to be the happiest. Especially the ones that were able to hold onto their inner child authenticity AND added on a few mature likes/wants/desires as well. But those are the cherries on top.

If you are in stark contrast to what you used to enjoy to what you enjoy now, it is time to evaluate.

The inner child is still there. Perhaps hidden behind the cares of the world, screen time, and easy fast-food entertainment, but still there, nevertheless. Eager to run around in nature, listen to music, draw, sing, paint, write, explore, express, be silly, be creative, be joyous, willing to connect, willing to try again and again. Fearless. Free. Fun.

If you don’t remember what it is like to be a child, look at the children around you.

If that is not an option, I triple dare you to take on the homework assignment I’ve given to my dear ladies: GO OUT THERE AND HAVE SOME FUN!!!

Remember the word FUN? Children place so much emphasis on that word. Why? Fun allows us to forget about rigidity and to live in the moment, flexible, feeling, free to explore facets of ourselves that can only bloom within that space of possibility.

For all the type A people, don’t overthink this. Smiling at yourself in the mirror can be a great start. Why? Because you may start laughing! You never know where a bit of laughter may take you. Dangerous! (Haha!)

Perhaps looking at yourself in the mirror is something we all must do. No judgement. Just love. Create a space of safety in which the child will be free to peek out, and then perhaps, emerge!

So what happened to your inner child? Perhaps nothing. Perhaps something. What I do know for a fact is that you’ve still got it. As long as you live and breathe…

 

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If I made you think just a little bit and you haven’t been put off by it, but in fact, liked it, please come back soon and check up on this series.

You just never know what is waiting for you on the other side of the Door of Possibilities!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Back to Basics: Your Home, A Safe Haven

We speak of refugees as if they are so far away, in a different land, somewhere exotic, with a plight that is uncommon, untouched by so many around us, far removed from our everyday reality. In fact, that is not true.

Many of our family and friends are floundering around, searching far and wide for refuge, a place where they may rest their souls and replenish their spirit. Wind down their bodies after a long day.

You may be wondering why I seem to be ignoring the obvious; where is their home? Why am I not mentioning their home? Don’t we all, for the most part, have a place we can call our own?

We don’t.

Let’s start at the beginning. Remember your childhood? I hope it was a good one, filled with memories you long to relive, with a warm home and parents, warmer still. As for me, I’d rather stay in the present.

When you got home from school, did you feel a sigh of relief as you crossed the threshold of your household? Did you think, great, now I can be me! This is a place where I am accepted and loved unconditionally. I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to act. I don’t have to hide. I can simply, live… and thrive… Did you feel that fuzzy feeling? I hope you did. Most children don’t.

We are taught that we aren’t enough, that we must be someone else to be accepted and appreciated… to belong. We must be fast enough. Quick enough. Pretty enough. Compared to Billy next door and Susan on the other side of the street.

And off we go through life, lacking something, constantly searching and questing for that beautiful feeling of belonging. Discredited within our own authenticity.

How about now? As an adult, do you feel that your home is a place of rest, your day’s destination where you know you can completely let go and abandon yourself to yourself, knowing full well that you are accepted and allowed to be you?

Writing in bed with my favorite water bottle, drinking hot, rose petal tea. 

If not, WHERE do you find your haven? Are you filling that longing with something else? Are you ignoring the fact that not all is well with your soul, that some things must be set right in your life?

And if you are a parent, WHAT are you doing to MAKE SURE that your children can be liberated from the constraints of the world when they are home? Is it a priority for you to make them the delight of your eye, no matter what? Do they feel wanted? Do they feel they belong?

Let’s not repeat the patterns of the past, veiled in drudgery and lack of understanding.

The human race has time and time again proved that we can survive anything, but must we? We can be strong and carry on and put up a brave face, but should we?

Why can’t we just allow ourselves to express this basic need to belong to someone that values us, where we can be safe to express ourselves, even our silliest, most stupid sides? Why don’t we reciprocate and do the same for the ones that are closest to us?

So often we hide from the ones we love. Fear is a mighty opposition. Fear of a broken heart, misunderstanding, being laughed at.

What are we doing today to make our dwellings, homes where mothers and fathers rest in each other’s embrace, whispering their dreams one to another, with children laughing and playing, chatting, expressing themselves, strengthening their voices, all in a safe space, cocooned within the freedom of love?

How do we protect the boundaries of our havens; places of heaven on Earth? What rules must be put in place to make sure that the world’s intrusions do not permeate your home?

Perhaps a cell phone rule may be a great way to start. Perhaps a ban on video games? Cut down on TV time? Coming home on time?

It is time to start interacting with your husbands, wives, children, pets. Time to cook up a storm. Plant a garden. Kick that dusty ball around. Dance within the halls of your home.

Life is beautiful, together. Life is meaningful, together. Life is filled with abundance that can fill many voids, if we are within a group where we belong.

I am not calling you to fit in within this group. NO. Belong. Stand out. Be truly you. The pretty and the ugly. All of that, held together with love in a place you call home. A place where your heart can rest and confide. Your body may sleep well. Your dreams are the treasured possessions within the walls. Your home, a mighty fortress against the world.

It isn’t hard to thrive in life when you have a place where you can seek shelter, replenish and restore.

Please, seek first to fix your foundations, and then, whatever you do, will be firmly rooted, not swept away by the sea of life.

I call upon the husbands and wives, parents, grandparents, in some cases, even children; the authorities of their respective households, to be LIGHTHOUSES for the ones around you, the ones that matter most. Do not allow them to be lost in the darkness of the void that will never be satisfied, a void created by the world to distract us from what really matters most; LOVE.

Love your homes, respect them and look after them, as a sign of love for the inhabitants.

In all things, do your best.

It is never too late to start a new day. Never too early to put in the effort.

If you want something extraordinary, don’t fool yourself into thinking that your ordinary effort will be enough. If you want something new, don’t keep doing the same old, same old way.

I pray that you may hear the call to do something a bit differently today… tomorrow.

Whatever your dreams may be… it is easier to get them done, where you belong; together.