Your Life in Color

by Dougall Fraser

  When using green, it is important to channel this powerful energy by highlighting the artist within you. This color will stimulate a desire to create from the soul, and that process is not complete until we have a tangible expression of our creativity. For many of us, this simply involves getting out of our own way and allowing the artist within us to create. We all have a creative side, regardless of what we may tell ourselves. And just because you may not make your living as an artist does not mean you have no creativity to express. If you have ever enjoyed writing poetry, painting, dancing, photography, or even just putting together an outfit to wear for the day, then you are connecting with a source of dark green energy within you. Emerald will help you revitalize and bring out that expression of creativity in yourself.

  Green’s creativity-enhancing effects have been shown through a wealth of scientific evidence. Stephanie Lichtenfeld, a psychologist with the University of Munich, conducted a series of experiments to test the psychological effects of the color green.2 In one experiment, 69 participants were given two minutes to come up with as many uses as possible for a tin can. Before starting the task, half of the students looked at a computer screen showing green, while the other half observed a computer screen showing white. The goal was to see how subjects’ brainstorming abilities were affected by the use of color. Upon completing the test, participants who looked at green scored about 20 percent higher. The lesson here is that creativity does not only refer to traditional hobbies like painting. You can use green to stimulate possibilities and solutions that might not otherwise come to you as easily.

  In a different experiment, 35 German college students were asked to look at a geometric figure and then draw as many geometric objects as they could in two and a half minutes. Just as in the previous study, this experiment tested how the color green would affect brainstorming abilities. However, in this case subjects were using the visual medium of drawing instead of working with ideas. Before beginning this exercise, half the participants looked at a green image, while the other half looked at a gray image. The students who looked at green were found to be more creative, drawing more geometric objects than those who looked at gray.

  Another experiment was conducted in the series, this time using high school students. But in this case, students were shown green, blue, or red before beginning the exercise. The goal was to see if any color could stimulate creativity or if it was specific colors. In this case, the students who were exposed to green exhibited higher levels of creativity than those who were exposed to red or blue. What I love about these kinds of findings is they show the variety of ways in which green can be used. Creativity is a quality that can be utilized visually, conceptually, through sound, and in myriad other areas. Working with green, even briefly, will give you a valuable boost of creativity you can use wherever you like!

  One of the questions I am sometimes asked about working with color energy involves making sure it is exactly the right shade (in this case, emerald green). You may be concerned you are perhaps using the wrong shade of green, and that it will not be effective for you if this is the case. While I completely understand the desire for accuracy, let me put you at ease. I’d like to clarify that you do not have to see the exact emerald shade of green in order to spark creativity in your life. When I see emerald green around people, I am referring to any medium to deep shade of green. Remember, this is not an exact science. Basically, as long as you are in the general vicinity of the color (as in, any kind of deeper green), you are on the right track.

  Here is another experiment to support the idea that you don’t need an exact shade of green in order to benefit from using the color. In a study in the United Kingdom, 108 students were split into three groups and tested to see the creative effects of the color green. The first group of students used green paper to take a creativity test. The second group was tested in a classroom that was filled with green plants and had windows with views of natural scenery. Finally, the third group took the test in a classroom that had no exposure to the color green. The results showed that being exposed to green made both the first and second sets of students more visually creative than the students who saw no green. But the most fascinating element of this study was that students who used green paper were just as creative as the students who were around real plants and saw views of nature.3

  The green paper in this experiment was not the exact same shade as that of the live plants and nature, yet it had the same effect for the students. Of course, it would be ideal (for a variety of reasons) to go outside and absorb green energy by looking at plants and nature directly. But you can still benefit from green even if you don’t have access to a natural setting in your daily life. Seeing the color green, in any form, will give you a boost of its creative energy. For an immediate boost of creativity, try setting your computer background to an image of something green! That’s what I like to do when I am writing or taking on any kind of creative endeavor that involves my computer.

  Another welcome effect of emerald green is, it helps us reduce stress and feel relaxed. While being calm is not a requirement for creativity, I personally find I am much more able to express myself creatively when I feel loose and decompressed. Supportive of this idea is a stress study at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam. Around four dozen college students took a computerized math test and were simultaneously monitored with sensors that detected their hearts’ electrical activity. During the increasingly difficult math exam, the students were shown on-screen comparisons of their results with much higher national averages. Perhaps it is due to the fact that math has never been my strong suit, but this test sounds like a nightmare to me! In any case, all the students were given failing grades, regardless of their actual results.

  Why were all the students made to fail? The study was measuring the effect of green on students’ stress, and failing a hard exam is a good way of achieving the goal of being stressed! This test was chosen for its proven history of raising stress levels for students. The only difference between the two groups of students was that half of them viewed green images before and after taking the test, while the other half viewed images that did not contain any green. And wouldn’t you know it, the students who viewed the green images had significantly lower heart rates after the stressful test. According to Magdalena van den Berg, who led the study, “short durations of viewing green pictures may help people to recover from stress.”4

  Pablo Picasso is reported to have said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” I love that quote, and I think it speaks strongly to the challenge we all face in fostering creativity throughout our lives. Children love to dress up in costume, dance, sing, and use their imaginations freely. As adults, however, we often forget about expressing ourselves, and we focus instead on the to-do list of our lives. Not only that, but there is also the mistaken belief that no one but professional artists has the right to showcase their creativity. Self-expression may not seem important to you, but living with this kind of unexpressed, stagnant energy is one of the most common reasons my clients feel an imbalance in their lives. Utilizing your originality transcends hobbies like art and will overflow into other areas of your life, with wonderful results. This is also why emerald—or deep, rich green—is about to become such a powerful addition to your creative toolbox.

  I believe an artist exists in all of us. Part of our soul’s desire is to express itself, and creativity is the lifeblood of self-expression. Any person who invokes their inner artist is immediately surrounded by swirls of green energy. For some, being artistic may be an easy energy to access. Or perhaps your creative side isn’t as obvious. I will explain my creative journey with green below, but the main thing you should know about this color is it is even more important if you do not see yourself as creative or particularly expressive. Even if you are a financial advisor, attorney, or someone who might not traditionally see themselves as creative, emerald green can be used to solve difficult problems and arrive
at new potential solutions to any situation. That is the point of strengthening this energy. It will open new avenues of creative possibility and bring a sense of calm balance to your life.

  Be patient with your personal exploration of creativity. For some reason, artistic expression has the power to inspire self-criticism in some. This feeling can be reduced when we find an outlet that makes our soul sing.

  Allow yourself the freedom to experiment with different forms of creative expression and see how each one makes you feel. As you begin to invoke your creative self, emerald green energy will help you move into a variety of creative expressions. It is easy to identify creativity with painting, dancing, music, sculpture, drawing, or some of the more traditional forms of creative expression. Or perhaps your creativity manifests in writing, as it does for me. The point is, it doesn’t matter how you express yourself, as long as you do it.

  When we activate emerald green, we are invoking the energy of communication. This applies not only to artistic expression, but to verbal expression as well. Darker green highlights the way our words, thoughts, and intentions flow from us. Using this color will affect the way our expression is received within our community and, more importantly, what energy will be brought into our lives in return. An added benefit of working with this color is it will help you to express yourself with other people in a fundamental way.

  Our feelings sometimes get stifled somewhere between our hearts and our mouths. Yet conveying our feelings accurately through words is a critical part of any healthy relationship. Countless relationships are needlessly put at risk by the trap of thinking, I don’t have to say how I feel; she already knows. Our actions are equally as important as the words we use with loved ones. We were blessed with a voice that allows us to relate to other people. Green can help us find the words we need to express how we really feel.

  Communication is such a powerful tool, because it allows us to connect with other people and hopefully overcome differences of opinion. In today’s charged climate, our world is often inundated with nasty fights and hostile opposition to any different idea. Turn on a political news show at any time and you will see examples of this. We often disagree over religious and political beliefs, which is what creates separation in the world. This separation allows us to believe we are somehow morally better than those who hold different views.

  However, we often find common ground more easily when it comes to artistic expression. Art can cross religious as well as political divides. Creativity has the power to make us feel alive and ask questions.

  The suggestions I make to my clients are ideas that I intuitively believe are in alignment with their unique personal expression, but it is up to them to take the steps toward realizing that creativity in life. We do not need creativity to live, but it is a critical component to a happy life. If we are willing to take real steps toward the creative life that we want, emerald green can and will work its magic.

  I have a client (whom I now prefer to call a colleague) who has published several books and utilizes the power of color in various effective ways. She often uses a combination of spiritual, universal, and physical activations to invoke her creative self. I thought it would be fun to interview her on her experience.

  INTERVIEW WITH LICIA MORELLI

  Dougall: Hi, Licia; thanks for agreeing to share your story. Can you tell me a little bit about your experience with emerald green?

  Licia: Of course! I had talked with you about green being really helpful in my process of transition and healing and also in this next phase of my work life. I have taken several classes with you, and green has been my favorite color throughout. It is the color I use during my writing process. I used green for my first book, Lemonade Hurricane, which is a children’s story that teaches mindfulness and meditation to kids. It is the color I am using to write my next book. I also use green to help me write promotional copy for businesses that need help finding a unique voice. I work with several different businesses, helping them come up with taglines, which has become another way to express my creativity. Green is now the color I invoke as I move forward in my career. It really is one of those colors that changed my life.

  Dougall: That’s amazing! And if I may ask, how did it change your life?

  Licia: Well, you once told me you saw emerald green running down my arms, which indicated that I might be a writer. What you thought was so funny about this was that I never really talked about wanting to be a writer when we first worked together, even though I did. It’s just something I omitted from conversations. And what you told me was that I needed to come to a place where I could truly embrace that creative aspect of myself. So green really did change my life. Because for so long, I didn’t give myself permission to call myself a writer. I have always loved writing, but I didn’t go to school for it. I didn’t go to graduate school for an M.F.A. or do any of the things that many authors will have you believe are the steps that you have to take in order to be a legitimate writer.

  Dougall: And before we worked together, what was your experience with color in general? You mentioned that green is your favorite. Did you always love green, or did it evolve as a result of us pairing it with the creative intention?

  Licia: The intention part of it is something that definitely evolved over time. Because initially, I had no idea about your work with color or what it meant. I think I had heard you on a radio show, and I called in to get a reading. This was before I had taken any kind of classes with you. The first color that you ever saw around me was purple. You talked about how purple is the color of the leader, and that idea really resonated for me at the time. Looking back, I almost see it as there are some colors we easily connect with, and there are other colors we have to graduate into. Purple was a color that came easily for me. I am comfortable being a leader in various parts of my life; I have always helped guide others. Purple felt safe and familiar. But green was a color that was intimidating for me, because it had to do with expressing my personal creativity. I saw green as emotionally exposing myself, because creativity involves putting yourself out there. And it wasn’t until you saw green running down my arms that things really clicked for me. You found it remarkable that I was not sharing my creative side with others, when it was clearly such a big part of who I am. And that’s when I realized that I wanted to own what I want to say, and own the way I communicate with the world.

  Dougall: And the funny thing is, it has always been a huge part of who you are. It was just a matter of putting your creativity at the forefront of your consciousness, as part of your true identity.

  Licia: Exactly.

  Dougall: And can you tell me a bit about how you use green in your daily life?

  Licia: Yes. So when I want to sit down and write, I need to focus. Before I begin writing, I will wear something green or drink out of a green cup. I basically put it in my visual landscape, just to remind me I am working with green. I also feel like green helps me with the emotional aspects of expressing my creativity. Some days, I’ll use what I call the “Glinda bubble.” I will visualize myself in a big clear bubble, just like Glinda the Good Witch from the movie The Wizard of Oz, and then I infuse the bubble with green. I remind myself that the green will be guiding me in the creative decisions I make that day. This energy extends throughout my day, from the e-mails I write to the social media posts I make. Wherever I communicate with creativity, the green will be infused throughout.

  Dougall: And you notice a difference?

  Licia: Yes. I more notice that when I’m not doing this, it is harder for me to focus on the creative task at hand. Like, instead of writing the book, I’ll pick the Internet, or some other thing, to distract myself and avoid my creativity. The green helps me to get into that creative space and stay there.

  Dougall: Did you ever notice that green helped bring out an idea for you?

  Licia: It was more that it helped me with writer’s block. One of the things I sometimes struggle with is taking one of my blog posts and then fleshing it
out from a few paragraphs into a whole chapter. If I ever felt blocked, I would visualize emerald green running down my arms, through my fingertips, and into the keyboard. I’d see the keyboard light up in green from the energy flowing through my arms, and then things would just start coming to me. It’s like the green energy lent stamina to my efforts.

  Dougall: Amazing. Thank you so much, Licia!

  ACTIVATING EMERALD GREEN NOTES

  WHERE AM I EXPRESSING MY CREATIVITY?

  Communication and creativity go hand in hand. How often do we have the room to express who we are from a soul level? Most working adults spend the majority of their day aligning with the expression of another person in their job. Your job may be to highlight the company brand, or perhaps you teach someone else’s curriculum. The examples of putting someone else first are limitless in most people’s lives. But in the art world, we are given the opportunity to find our own voice and our own point of view. As we activate emerald green, we reconnect with our voice. We shine a light on our own unique spark of life and create a safe environment to express our true feelings and core.

  Self-expression does not only mean you are personally creating some kind of “art.” A great way to support this energy in your life is to appreciate the music, acting, or photography of other artists. You can use this energy to awaken your own creativity. For example, if I write a new blog, I need to use an image that will accompany the piece. I will often visit websites that support independent, lesser-known photographers and graphic designers. I can spend hours searching for the perfect image to echo the message of my blog. I love the idea that, somewhere in the world, another person is accessing their creative spirit. That creative expression then joins with my writing to invoke a well-rounded, meaningful message. I may not have taken the photo, but I connect to my own creativity simply by appreciating the work of another artist.