I have trained as an artist since age five, as a designer in college, eventually teaching COLOR and DESIGN to high school students. The fundamentals of each of these principles begin with C O L O R. C O L O R within Art and Design determine:
Style,
Atmosphere,
Dominance,
Balance,
Space,
Movement, and much, much more.
C O L O R refers to a GREEN SOFA, BLUE SKY or BRILLANT RED CAR. These labels refer to inanimate THINGS.
Consider this. In the 1920’s the famous fashion designer, Coco Chanel returned from a vacation to the Mediterranean with a significantly darker complexion – otherwise now described as a TAN. The Fashion World went wild over her new “look!” She was declared Exotic! Glamourous! Seductive! The process of darkening her complexion was a huge news maker and, as a result, tanning, naturally in the sun or now electronically, is commonplace. So, explain to me WHY WE NOW DETERMINE INDIVIDUALS WITH DARKER COMPLEXIONS NO LONGER EXOTIC, GLAMOUROUS OR SEDUCTIVE? WHY ARE WE USING TERMS LIKE DANGEROUS, LESSER-THAN, EVIL, LESS INTELLIGENT?
Enough with the labels! We are all far more than the amount of pigment in our complexion! It is time we praised individuals about the QUALITY OF THEIR CHARACTER AND FOR NO OTHER REASON. Let us remember to
Recognize intentions,
Honor beliefs,
Accept willingness to right the wrongs,
Recognize love for fellow human beings.
It’s about the LEGACY WE LEAVE BEHIND, not the labels we may have collected along the way.
Today’s Quote:
“I dream of a day when my little children will be judged by their character instead of the color of their skin.”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. paraphrased from “I Have A Dream”
