Monday, August 22, 2011

I'd rather live in a crayon box.

Did you ever think of a word, name, or place and take note of the color?  For example, when I think of Bee's Curiosity Shoppe, the words are in orange.  My name comes into my mind in red, my best friend's is delivered in a rose pink.  Baby Bee's name oddly changes back and forth from blue to yellow.  It is so interesting how color plays into moods, thoughts, and feelings.  As I was glancing around at all the bright colors of Bee's belongings and wandering, "At what age, do we switch to beige?"

I find it peculiar that we stop surrounding ourselves with the vivid hues of our childhood.  Children love color.  It stimulates them, piques their curiosity, and makes them happy.  Why is it then, as we get older, we tone down our life?  Personally, I know bright colors make me feel animated and cheerful.  Yet, we cruise the stores picking out couches the color of charcoal, carpet the color of the Sunday paper (as in the inside of the paper, not the front cover), white linens, and "cream" colored dishes.  For the sake of imagination, would you rather live in a shoebox or a crayon box?

My thoughts on color and how it effects every day life was actually aroused months ago.  After Bee was born, I found myself wearing clothes stripped of color.  White, black, gray...black, gray, white.  It was quite the anomaly to my pre-pregnancy attire.  Now that the pregnancy weight is gone and I'm not stuffing myself into clothes like a sausage link, my love for the crayon box has returned.  My insecurities had caused me to turn myself into a walking black and white photograph.  This discovery had encouraged me to evaluate the way I use color according to how I am feeling, and how I could use it to my advantage.  It also started the ball rolling that maybe Baby Bee was onto something with her attraction to dynamic, bold colors.

Since the arrival of our little Bee, our bathroom has changed from a subdued, Earth toned shower curtain with matching bronze accessories and muted rugs to vibrantly bright blue, green, orange, and red sea creatures dancing along the shower, ducky and fishy (think Nemo) rugs, and towels the color of a Cheerio box.  The shocker is, I like it better.  It is playful, happy, it makes me feel good when I walk in.  My inner child is awakened.  Even the colorful toys strewn about the house during the day doesn't bother me.  It's a sign of life.  And I want more of it.  I crave it.  I would like to re-introduce my adult self to my inner child.  They deserve to be friends.

The whole idea behind Bee's Curiosity Shoppe is to inspire people to unearth their inner child.  We want people to embrace their imagination and not shy away from their creative selves.  I survey our spare bedroom, which is adorned with all the current art for sale.  It inspires me to add even more splashes of color to the rest of the house.  I want to transition from the shoe box to the crayon box.  Writing these blogs and letting Bee's Curiosity Shoppe develop organically and creatively, as well as being present in Baby Bee's world has brought me new life and light.  A light that I want to share and spread.  I feel that the more color I bring into my own surroundings, the more I can distribute to others.  It is time to jump into action.  I will transform my home by seeing through the eyes of my inner child.

So the next time you are tempted to scoff at that tomato red couch or pumpkin colored shag rug, stop and reconsider.  Let the child in you emerge and be free to embrace the rainbow.  It really is amazing what can be life changing.

Stay tuned for part 2: my transition into the crayon box.... 

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