Key choices in your colorful world.
People are complicated.
Combining a diverse contrast of colors in art and life, we paint a fascinating picture.
Dark vs. Light
In painting, values refer to the amount of dark or light of a color, between the extremes of black and white. This is a powerful component of many great paintings.
A whole painting can fall apart if the values are not well placed.
Beautiful light is born of a contrast to darkness.
— Ross Turnbull
Similarly, the things you value in your life will strongly impact your decisions. And if they don’t, hello depression.
Learning to be true to your values is key to good mental health.
Certain values in life can be black and white. Don’t murder, don’t steal, don’t sleep with someone else’s partner.
The don’ts contrast with the do’s.
Do take care of yourself. Do take care of those you love. Do make room to follow your heart.
A whole life can fall apart if your values are not well-placed.
Colorful Choices
But life and art are more than black and white.
As important as black and white are in a painting, the myriad of colors in between these extremes create the unique mood of each work of art.
In life, the richness of color between the extremes of value leaves us room to express ourselves. What will you do with your time, when all obligations are met? I hope it’s something joyful that expresses who you are.
A painting also contains very personal choices.
Soft vs. Hard
Most paintings have both soft and hard edges. There is no right or wrong about these. They need to be assessed in the context of the whole painting.
Soft edges tell the viewer to flow through those areas and explore the painting. Hard edges say, stop here.
People also have hard and soft edges.
I imagine soft edges in people as the interests you enjoy most. You welcome them, and others who share those interests; an easy flow.
Not just in the form of hobbies or sports, although those are valid too, but also in the characteristics you want to possess such as kindness or gentleness. A kind person will be drawn to other kind people.
Hard edges in people could relate to boundaries.
There are times when boundaries are essential to the integrity of a person. Those whose core values do not align will not be comfortable spending significant time together. This is natural and should be respected.
The Complement of Opposites
Granted, there are times when colors that are not related can complement each other. Yellow to purple, blue to orange, red to green; these are far from each other on the color wheel but can look stunning when nearby on a painting.
You already guessed where this is going with people. Friends with different attributes can greatly enhance life for each other. I think it fair to say that there are no rules about this. Try it out and see.
I do that with painting. Smack a color down to see if it works, and if it doesn’t, paint another color on top. It’s a constant learning experience.
So is life.
Takeaway
There are no rules that will always make a painting better. So many factors work together that each painting takes on a life of its own. There will always be exceptions to any rules.
There are no rules about the colors you choose to paint your life with. Finding the ones that suit you best can be a lifelong challenge. To complicate things further, they can change with time too.
Let’s delight in the diversity of expression as we strive to be true to who we are in a complex and colorful world.
Not everything I write is published on this website blog.
If you want to read all my writings, you could connect with me on Medium. This platform allows 3 free articles per month for non-members to read. Members pay $5 US per month and in return have access to unlimited articles on almost every topic imaginable.
Here is a link to my profile which also shows other articles I have published on Medium.