Joy is where you find it, or where you make it. Since we won’t be pursuing many of our usual pleasures for who knows how long, at least we can open our senses to the joys that are under our noses.
I’ve been exploring Ingrid Fetell Lee’s ten “aesthetics of joy,” as described in her book Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things. (Definition: Aesthetics is the pleasure we derive from perceiving an object or experience through our senses.)
Here are Lee’s ten aesthetic categories:
Energy: vibrant color and light
Abundance: lushness, multiplicity and variety
Freedom: nature, wildness, and open space
Harmony: balance, symmetry, and flow
Play: circles, spheres, and bubbly forms
Surprise: contrast and whimsy
Transcendence: elevation and lightness
Magic: invisible forces and illusions
Celebration: synchrony, sparkle, and bursting shapes
Renewal: blossoming, expansion, and curves
These azaleas gave me a burst of joy. (Energy/color, abundance, celebration–those bursting stamens, renewal. They also smelled wonderful. Is fragrance part of abundance? idk).
This morning I put on my gray sweatpants (it was that kind of day), but then, instead of choosing a gray top, I color-consulted myself and asked:
“Will I dress the way I feel now, or will I dress the way I want to feel?”
I wanted to feel energized and cheerful, so I chose a soft red (coral rose), with a scarf that echoes the rose and has a pattern of subtle polka dots (Play). Suddenly, even in sweatpants I felt better.
Bright (saturated) colors and reds are energizing, and even if those of us who look better in quieter colors can’t wear them, at least we can use more in our environments—from furnishings, to paint to flower gardens.
Below is how I used saturated color to transform my former garage from ancient dingy white to a joyful welcome every time I pulled my car in. I even painted the metal storage rack.
Play. Color, Surprise, Abundance. My clients Amy (a Vital Spring who can do all sorts of crazy saturated color and pattern mixes) and her 18-year-old daughter Rachel (also a Spring, but much softer) are keeping themselves amused by playing mix-it-up with their clothes. At Rachel’s suggestion, they assigned a number to each of their tops and bottoms. In the morning they each pull a top number and a bottom number out of a hat, and that’s the day’s outfit. Because they are working from their harmonious color palettes, they are the integrating factor. Here are two examples:
How can you bring more joy into your life with color?
One-on-one personal color analyses are on hold until my clients and I feel safe seated just two feet apart. However, I am once again available to do color palettes for your home (in mask and gloves). See Creating Joyful Spaces, my other website for more information. You can also subscribe to my free newsletter, “Alive with Joy.” My subscribers tell me they look forward to finding it in their inbox: “It’s inspiring, thought-provoking and often funny,” says one reader.
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