Tracie Eaton is a smart, savvy commercial artist who loves what she does. She also happens to have trained as an Occupational Therapist (OT). I’ve recently been introduced to Tracie, and when we met it was seriously like a meeting of spirits. When we started talking about my new website design and how the impact of colour turns up every single day, I was hooked. I knew others needed to learn what I just had.
I asked Tracie to write a guest blog for me and here it is.
- This is not a branding post
- This is not a marketing post
- This is not a let me read you colours post.
This is a smart, well thought out and insightful approach to why colour matters.
CONSCIOUS INTEGRATION of COLOUR & CREATIVITY for HIGH IMPACT OUTCOMES
Guest Blog by Tracie Eaton
We see colour all the time, but do we actually pay attention to the impact is has on our world, our behaviours, our emotions?
Colour subconsciously affects us in both a physical and emotional way. Scientifically colour is simply light and energy. Each colour we can physically see has a different vibrational frequency. And, due to the different frequencies of each colour, our bodies and our emotions will respond differently. Logically, this is a very simple process. Colour therapy/art therapy/light therapy has been used for years to affect a person’s mood for clients predominantly struggling with mood disorders or mental health concerns. However, the use of art or colour in this way is limiting. There is one thing missing.
What really needs to be discussed is the process of creativity. In business, and in life the ability to think creatively ensures problem solving, looking for new and interesting opportunities, taking calculated risks, understanding that there is success in making mistakes. Now when you combine the process of creativity with targeted use of specific colour…we can have a profound impact. The creative process relaxes the brain, you are able to focus and distraction disappears. This has been proven in many art therapy clients. It is time now to use these concepts to improve our business performance.
As an artist, my world is colour. I live and breathe colour and creativity every day. If I am not painting, I am thinking about painting. I see the nuances of colour everywhere. Green isn’t just green you know! There are multiple shades of green…each one feels and reflects differently & I see that.
But I am a business woman too. My livelihood and lifestyle expectations demand a solid return for my business efforts and this is an absolute priority. This has led me to create a programme that uses the effects of colour to not only assess an individual’s or business team’s challenges, but also their strengths. Combining this with a Creative Immersion experience, and we have a way of assisting people to transition, and minimise the personal, emotive & sub-conscious challenges they may have. This helps them in their ability to move forward – in their life and in career.
I first discovered the impact of colour during my time as an Occupational Therapist. Most significantly when working with colour when no vision was involved. And everyone picked the feeling of specific colours exactly the same – even when they could not see them.
Colour has a bio-psyhco-social impact. Colour and creativity affects ALL aspects of what makes us human…what makes us successful – in whatever success means for you. When you are completely immersed in the creative process, three key limiting behaviours are eliminated:
- Judgement
- Fear of failure or making mistakes
- Self-Expectation
And, when you are painting with colours that resonate with you in a way that you feel fulfilled, complete, challenged (and yes this happens), results are extraordinary.
I know…this is a bold statement…and I can but use my own personal experience as evidence of the impact that consciously understanding and using colour in your environment, in how you present yourself, and perhaps even in creative pursuits can have.
A recent example was a painting I completed for a charity auction. I was completing this to support survivors of domestic violence. The colours that I felt would resonate most successfully with this audience were pink, magenta, purple, white, silver, blue and green. The combination of all these colours together provide energy of self and unconditional love, strength, nurturing, calmness, purity and clarity of direction, washing away sadness, purification, peace & balance. When you have been through such trauma as these women had, these emotions are exactly what you need to move on.
When I started painting this piece, initially I was excited and happy. Now, I must say, I have never liked pink. I resisted this colour. I felt agitated by it. However, I did not even think about this at all when I decided to paint with it. What shocked me was this…the more I was painting, and forming the piece, the more upset I became. I started to get very angry, emotional, I burst into tears at one point and had to stop. Part way through I painted another piece in yellow and green – uplifting, happy and compassionate colour energies.
When I went back to the pink painting, very quickly the negative feelings I felt came back. I was not consciously aware of what was going on. Until I stopped. You see, I too have had my share of trauma, which left me with my own emotional scars. Similar to those that the women I was painting for would be feeling, and ones I thought I had resolved. The reason I felt so emotional, resisted pink so much was that I simply was not able to give myself the unconditional self-love I needed. I did not feel worthy of it. And when this is the predominant emotion the energy of pink/magenta elicits…no wonder I was upset! These colours were eliciting emotions in me that I was afraid to deal with.
Move forward a few months, and pink and I have a wonderful relationship. I wear it often. I completed the artwork with joy. I have progressed in my business with vigour, meeting ALL my business goals successfully. I have an inner calmness I have NEVER experienced, and have no doubt that I will achieve what I want to – and I deserve it. The process of throwing myself into creating with a colour that sub-consciously vibrates to elicit the emotions I was afraid of, assisted me to let go of the fear around these….and very, very quickly move on. And both my business and my personal life have been most positively impacted.
Yes, colour is interpreted differently person to person, culture to culture. Regardless of this, colour and creativity are incredible mediums to enable us to unlock, clear and shatter the very things that hold us back. The results…well…pick one:
- Clarity of direction
- Focus
- Problem solving
- Motivation
- Increased productivity and return
- Strong relationships
- Staff retention in business
- Joy
- Sense of Achievement
- Trust
Your life, your business…is only limited by one thing…you. Find what stops you, and work with colour and the creative process to let that go.
To begin your colour & creative journey, do not hesitate to contact me on 07 5530-1217
tracie@tracieeaton.com
https://www.facebook.com/TracieEatonArtist1/?pnref=lhc
https://www.tracieeaton.com
