Practical Uses of Color to Affect Your Mood

“I hate yellow! Why does it always go with Happy? It looks sickly and gross to me!”

Probably the component of art that is most familiar to everyone is color! And we know that color has the power to invoke a wide range of feelings. But not everyone has the same color associations!

There are indeed widely accepted associations between color and emotions. Yellow for happiness, red for anger, blue for sadness. Those are some pretty solid trends. But everyone’s perspective is different. From cultural backgrounds to personal associations, there may be variation from person to person on what color invokes a particular emotion. In China, white is the color for mourning while brides wear red. Someone whose favorite aunt always wore purple may think of that for their happy color.

Even among those who stand by the traditional associations, their preference in the shade of color may vary. For example, one person may think a very pale blue is sad, while another’s sad color is that off a deep pool, and another might think of a lonely night sky.

So when exploring with color, taking some time to introspect on the personal emotional color palette could unlock further self-awareness and empowerment. When you know your colors, you can use that information! When this is actualized, it happens as quality self-care.

Practical Uses

Decorate Your Space

Interior designers have long been championing the mood altering effects of the right coat of paint. That’s because there’s some merit to it! When you’re decorating your space, think about how you want to feel in that space. What is your role in that space and what do you need to invoke within yourself in order to flourish there? A woman may not want to invoke the same emotions in the boardroom as she does with her children. A child may not need to invoke silliness at his homework desk. What is your goal for the space?

The next step is to ask yourself: What are your colors for those emotions and how can you incorporate that into your space?

A manager in a competitive field may want to feel strong in their office. So they may choose a black chair and black desk accessories. They probably won’t have a teal desk, though a student who wants to feel calm while doing their work may. A mother may want to be nurturing and joyful in the homeschool or distance education areas so may add a lot of green plants in a happy color pot. A work from home customer service representative may be looking to fill their work space with happy happy happy colors!

Colortherapy to go

Think about your on-the-move items. Water bottle, thermos, bag, car accessories, suitcase, etc. Where can you add the colors that you need throughout the day? For years, I went with a black or gray purse. Sophisticated, right? Coral is the name of the game these days! My happy color to brighten my day just a smidge.

Honor Your Emotions

So we have these high needs emotions that need a little more tender love and care, right? Brainstorm how you can use their color to honor them. When you’re feeling sad, for example, you can grab a blanket of your sad color and curl up with it. You can get an anxious color notebook to journal out your worries. When you’re feeling good in the morning, put on a happy color shirt.

Processing thru Art

Of course, there’s always processing events through art, which usually involves color. Since there can be a myriad of emotions in an event that needs to be processed, this can be a great place to put your feelings palette to work. Oftentimes, giving shape to events gives people a sense that the power dynamic has changed, that the individual, instead of the emotions, is in control. Using your colors gives you more power over the process than feeling obligated by social construct to denote a particular emotion with a particular color.