Is one particular color any more
likely to inspire your creative muse than another? Moreover, if you incorporate
this color into your environment, could it perhaps even increase your creative
output? While I’m sure that some of you are most likely thinking “no,” the
answer is actually “yes.” In fact, studies have demonstrated that color has a
powerful impact upon us humans, and the colors with which we surround ourselves
can have a positive—or negative—effect upon our imagination, originality, and
inventiveness. And, using one particular color in our environment can, indeed, intensify
our creativity. First, however, perhaps we should have a
short review session on color:
The three primary colors are yellow, red,
and blue. Secondary colors are colors created by mixing primary colors.
Finally, tertiary colors (called intermediate colors) are colors made by
blending one primary color with one secondary color, or by blending two
secondary colors. The achromatic duo is black and white, which are not
considered true colors, and every color and its various hues can be achieved through
some combination of two or more primary and/or secondary colors and/or the achromatic
duo. For instance, if you mix blue with yellow, you get green; red with yellow,
orange; red with blue, purple; green with yellow, chartreuse; or red with blue
and yellow, brown. What’s more, when you blend black with white, you get gray, which
is also an achromatic, but if you add a dab of yellow and blue to the mixture,
you get taupe. The exact color results, of course, depend upon how much of each
primary, secondary, and/or achromatic is used.
Okay, so are you now thoroughly confused?
Be that as it may, the question remains: What color is most conducive to
creativity?
Let’s begin with yellow, which many of us
associate with sunshine, as well as happiness. When used in your environment,
yellow produces “a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, and even stimulates
mental activity,” according Raetta Parker (n.d.), author of “The Meaning of
Colors.” On the other hand, according to David Johnson, author of “Color
Psychology: Do Different Colors Affect Your Mood? (2007), you should be
cautious about using yellow because “it is the most difficult color for the eye
to take in” and can be overpowering if used to excess. What’s more, as Parker
maintains, “Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color that can also exert “a
disturbing influence,” and studies have shown that “babies cry more in yellow
rooms.” Therefore, we can safely conclude that yellow is not the best color for
enhancing one’s creativity.
All right, so what about red, a color many
of us associate with fire and passion? Well, according to Maleeka Spriggs,
author of “Favorite Color Reveals Personality Type” (2009), in which she cites
Faber Birren, author of 24 books on color, “Red is the color of extroversion,
of a person with desire, appetite, and a will to live life fully.” Moreover, as
Parker says, “Red is the color of fire and blood, so it is associated with
energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire,
and love.” When it comes to using red in our surroundings, however, Parker
warns that we should keep in mind that it’s “a very emotionally intense color,”
so red has the ability to enhance metabolism, increase respiration rate, and
raise blood pressure,” leading one to the conclusion that red, like yellow, is
not the ideal choice for inspiring one’s creative muse. After all, if one’s
heart is pounding and blood pressure escalating, one cannot possibly be at one’s
creative best.
Lastly, we have blue. And, according to
Jonah Lehrer, in an article for Science Blogs (2009), a study conducted by the
University of British Columbia and published in Science (2009) showed
that the color most conducive to creativity is blue because “. . . moments of
creative insight are best achieved when people are in a relaxed, peaceful state
of mind;” and as Johnson (200&) says, the color blue “causes the body to
produce calming chemicals.” This conclusion is also supported by Parker, who
says, “Blue is beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism,
produces a calming effect, and is strongly associated with tranquility and
calmness.”
So now you have the answer: Blue. But what if you don’t like blue? Not
everyone does, after all. All right, then consider using something in the green
family in your surroundings (remember the foundation for green is blue mixed
with yellow). As Spriggs (2009) maintains, green is associated with nature and
can create a sense of health and well-being. Plus, as Parker (n.d.) says,
“Green invokes feelings of safety, has great healing power, and is the most
restful color for your eyes. It also symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and
fertility.”
In conclusion, in order to reach your full
creative potential, while all colors are acceptable in moderation, you should
perhaps consider painting your office or other creative “space” something in
the blue family—any shade from sky blue to robin’s egg blue to periwinkle to
blue gray, etc. However, if don’t like blue, go with a green shade, for
example, sage, lime, apple, or perhaps teal or mint or asparagus. Of course, if
you abhor blue and detest green, then go right ahead and use a shade of yellow
or red, but limit its influence, perhaps reserving this brighter, more
overpowering hue for throw pillows, vases, candles, or other accessories, and
painting the walls a soft neutral. In the end, though, when it comes to
decorating your surroundings, it’s really your call. After all, it’s your environment,
and your environment should reflect your own unique creative personality,
however flamboyant, vibrant, or un-blue it may be.
This is a sample chapter from my book Color You Creative: Exploring Creativity and Rediscovering Your Inner Child, available at Amazon Books in both hard copy and Kindle versions.
Sources:
Denman, K. (n.d.) Color Psychology &
Color Association. Retrieved from Sewanee.edu
Johnson, D. (2007) Color Psychology: Do Different
Colors Affect Your Mood? Pearson Education. Retrieved from infoplease.com
Lehrer, J. (2009) The Color of Creativity.
Retrieved from scienceblogs.com
Parker, R. (n.d.) The Meaning of Color. Retrieved
from resources.oncourse.iu.edu
Spriggs, M. (2009) Favorite Color Reveals
Personality Type. Retrieved from weeklyworldnews.com
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