Colours can be interpreted in different ways from mood to actions. I want to use the psychology of colours in my solo performance to illustrate my feelings towards that person. However, i may not use the colours for the mood they portray and use them in a way they make me feel. For example, Green is associated with envy, but i might use this as a good positive colour.
In this blog post i will be examining the colours and explore what they represent and how they make me feel.
Red:
Red is an attentive colour, a colour that stands out and most visible. Red is associated with danger and aggression. However, red is also associated with love , strength and warmth. Throughout society we use red for the stop signs on roads and as a signal to stop at a traffic lights? Angela Wright believes that red, “has the property of appearing to be nearer than it is and therefore it grabs our attention first. Hence its effectiveness in traffic lights the world over”(Wright, 2008). The colour red for myself makes me thing of danger and love, depending on the intensity of the colour. A hard red i associate with danger however, if the intensity is lowered and a soft red appears i associate that with love and warmth.
Blue:
Depending on the shade of colour blue has different meanings. Deep blue maybe associated with unhappiness and feeling cold. The term ‘Feeling Blue’ is associated with unhappiness, hence the term ‘Feeling Blue’. The lighter shade of blue could be associated with coolness and calmness, there’s something very pure about light blue. Wright believes that, “Strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter, soft blues will calm the mind and aid concentration” (Wright, 2008).I associate colour blue as a negative colour, a colour which makes me think of unhappiness and depresseion.
Yellow:
Yellow seems to be a strong colour, a colour of confidence and strength. Wright believes “The right yellow will lift our spirits and our self-esteem; it is the colour of confidence and optimism” (Wright, 2008). However, the wrong strain of yellow can be seen as a negative effect. Wright states, “the wrong tone in relation to the other tones in a colour scheme, can cause self-esteem to plummet, giving rise to fear and anxiety” (Wright, 2008). Yellow is a strong positive colour for me as i associate this colour with summer, the sun and freshness, which makes me happy.
Green:
The colour green can be associated with the environment, and freshness. In society green is the colour for re-cycling, by the use of advertisement we now associate the colour green with the environment. The colour green for me is also a strong positive colour as it also reminds me of freshness and being a favorite colour of mine i associate it with being happy.
Orange:
Orange is a bold colour, also associated with warmth as well as red. Orange is also associated with security. Orange is a strong positive colour. I feel orange is a strong independent colour which portrays strength and independence.
Pink:
Pink being a different shade of red, can be associated with love, warmth and strength. Pink is a feminine colour usually associated with girls. Pink is a positive colour for me as i feel it portrays femininity and strength for women.
Grey:
Grey is a dull colour which reflects a negative vibe. Wright states Grey, “is depressing and when the world turns grey we are instinctively conditioned to draw in and prepare for hibernation” (Wright, 2008). Also, grey is associated with depression and a lack of confidence. We know this as Wright states, “rey has a dampening effect on other colours used with it. Heavy use of grey usually indicates a lack of confidence and fear of exposure” (Wright, 2008).
Black:
Black is a powerful colour. Being the darkest colour, black can be quite a protective colour. The negative side of black is that is often associated with night time and some peoples fear of the dark. Wright states black, “communicates sophistication and uncompromising excellence and it works particularly well with white” (Wright, 2008). Black is a negative colour for me as i see it as a colour of mourning and sadness, as it is a colour of respect when mourning and attending funerals.
White:
White is a pure colour, a colour associtated with pureness and virginity. The colour white is a positive colour for me as i also associate the colour with purity.
During the performance i am questioning whether to put a sheet of information of what each colour represents, or to the leave the audience interpret the colour for themselves. However, as my performance is about closeness and my feelings towards people, i will have to form a chart which tells them what colour means to me so they know how i feel and im being completely honest with the audience.
Work Cited:
Wright, Angela (2008) Psycological Properties of Colours in Colour Effects. [online] London. Available from: http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours [Accessed 27 Februray 2014].
