BACK TO BASICS: Noticing/wondering/being curious about…
*COLOUR*
“Curiosity fuels creativity.
If you can notice and wonder, you can create.”
Pat Zietlow Miller
I found this quote👆, and then researched more into the ‘author’ - and she IS an author, of many children’s books - see here. Obviously I’ve not read them, but I think I’d like them, and you would too - lots about kindness, being brave, being creative (like “What Can You do With a Rock?’) and being yourself. Think I love her already! And of course I loved the quote enough to include it here!
So back to today’s creative thinking prompt…
Notice / Wonder / Be CuriousAbout… COLOUR
“Colour is a collaboration of the mind and the world.”
Paul Cezanne
We see in colour, and we ‘see’ everyday - from the moment we open our eyes to the moment we close them, colour is present. So it’s interesting to look deeper into our connection with colour, and how it influences us creatively.
Within one glance, we see a multitude of hues, saturations and intensities of colour - when do we ever really take the time to look at them? And why should we anyway?!
Colour impacts our mood, our emotional state, our perception. So it’s obvious then that it also impacts our creativity.
Nature is the ultimate colour experience - the changing seasons, the weather, the cycle of growth - we can always find colour inspiration in nature, and it also has a positive effect on our wellbeing. But we spend most of our time indoors, in artificially created environments, which don’t always consider colour. And the colour which we ‘carry around with us everyday’ in the clothes we choose, must also impact how we feel and act.
Creative Thinking Prompts (w/c 3 June 2024)
As well as ‘noticing’ colour this week, I’d also encourage you to think about your environment and what you choose to wear in relation to colour too.
But here are some more specific prompts about ‘Noticing, Wondering and Being Curious About… Colour’:
1. Next time you’re out in nature, choose one colour and find all the variations of it! Where does one colour turn into another, for example when does something which is green become yellow? There’s obviously a whole spectrum but it’s interesting to see how we ‘categorise’ colours.
2. Notice how you eat with your eyes! How does the colour of the food on your plate affect your belief about what it will taste like (or whether it’s good for us or not!)?
3. Do you feel any different when you dress all in black, to when you wear something more colourful? Maybe try ‘colour-drenching’ yourself by wearing a single colour outfit one day - send us pics if you do!
4. Is there a particular colour which makes you feel more creative? Or sparks your creativity more than another colour? This may be in your environment, or what you wear, or perhaps even what colour pen you use for taking notes!
“Studies have shown that people exposed to the color green before brainstorming, generate higher-quality ideas compared to those not exposed to this color, suggesting that green fosters greater creativity and problem-solving.” The Vibrant Connection: Can Colour Influence your Curiosity Mood?
5. Are you drawn to particular colours? If so, why do you think this is? Do you have any strong associations to particular colours? Does it vary depending on the use?
6. And finally, how do you use colour in your WORK/BUSINESS? As small business owners, our colour-use is actually really important. Do you have brand colours? Do you tend to wear your brand colours? Do you just go for ‘all colours’, or ‘no colours’ and if so, why? Was this a conscious decision? Are you afraid to use bold colours? I found this interesting article about colour use in marketing and persuasion.
This is obviously a HUGE topic, and not one I even scratch the surface of in one email. But hopefully it will get you thinking more about colour, and mean that you notice and wonder more about it this week.
P.S. If you’d like some ‘colourful’ ideas to do with kids, check out this blog post I wrote.
P.P.S. Just another reminder to get your ticket for our next INSPIRATION DAY in Saltaire on 5 July. You can book your ticket here and don't forget to use code WONDERCLUB to get your £15 discount.
“Wonder makes us more creative and more desirous of studying the world around us. It makes us humble, less materialistic, more generous, and better community members… Wonder makes us less stressed and feel like we have more time… Wonder quite simply makes us want to be better, more tolerant people.”(Parker, 2023)
