color

let's begin today with a definition; according to dictionary.com, color means this:

That aspect of things that is caused by differing qualities of the light reflected or emitted by them, definable in terms of the observer or of the light, as:
The appearance of objects or light sources described in terms of the individual's perception of them, involving hue, lightness, and saturation for objects and hue, brightness, and saturation for light sources.
The characteristics of light by which the individual is made aware of objects or light sources through the receptors of the eye, described in terms of dominant wavelength, luminance, and purity.
A substance, such as a dye, pigment, or paint, that imparts a hue...

it's not until definition #11, which says:

Variety of expression.
Vivid, picturesque detail: a story with a lot of color in it.

well i don't know about dictionary.com, but that's not what color 'signifies' to me at all!! but that's just it, i can't expect to get a true "symbolic significance" from a dictionary, what i'm going to get is a "definition". and in this case, that's not what i'm looking for!

what's sparking this ponderance into 'color', you ask? well i'm in the process of thinking of what color to paint my living room...and it got me thinking, what's in a color? do colors have powers? is there symbolic meaning behind colors?

i can't help but think back to the time when renee and christina and i fell asleep in christina's freshly painted bedroom; chrisina had just painted it a lilac shade, like a very pale purple, and it was one of the most soothing shades i had ever seen! so soothing, that the three of us totally drifted off together into a deep slumber!!

so if lilac is soothing, what do other colors mean? my room is currently a light, baby blue-like color! which i have found to be completely and totally therapeutic, and dream-inducing! someone told me recently that a pink room will make you feel confused, and unable to concentrate. interesting, eh?

here's some more symbolic meanings behind colors i found;

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.

Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation

Yellow is the color of sunshine. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy

Green is the color of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money.

Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven.

Purple combines the stability of blue and the energy of red. Purple is associated with royalty. It symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. It conveys wealth and extravagance. Purple is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic

White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the color of perfection.

Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery.

Black is a mysterious color associated with fear and the unknown (black holes). It usually has a negative connotation (blacklist, black humor, 'black death'). Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious color (black tie, black Mercedes). In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.

so how is it that a color can invoke certain feelings in us? how is it that a shade can actually change our mood? in my opinion, it just goes to show how affected we are by our environments. some people claim that it's all about genetics, and while this may not be the strongest argument to oppose that statement, it definitely has merit!

why take the color of a classroom for instance; you remember the one, that pale yellow shade that made you think of stale piss...well every time i see a wall painted that color, i can't help but be reminded of the prison that was st. patrick's high school!! can you imagine if they had painted it like a bright orange, or a forest green?? we might actually NOT dread going to that institution every day!!

so kiddies, the lesson today is the next time you're out shopping for new duds, consider that bright top, or flashy sweater that you might otherwise have overlooked...why not add a splash of color to your life!! yes, black might make you look thinner, and true it never goes out of style, but can you imagine what life might be like if there was only black?? stray from what's safe, and take a chance with color!! you might be surprised by how it makes you feel!!

why just see above, for examples...

what do you think about an orangey color for my living room???

arizona sunset...mmmm, yummy...