Blues and blacks: symbols of inspiration for writing, creating, dreaming. I probably dream in blue, and most certainly think in blue. Sometimes yellow enters in the distance; it softly blends with the soft blue haze and quietly mutes the image. Then, serenity enters.
In this serene holodeck world, creativity also begins to enter. I create (or is is the holodeck on automatic pilot?) a vividly lush green background with bright colorful flowers blossoming in the foreground. They symbolize life and energy.
“Oh, we are us, sir. They are also us. So, indeed, we are both us.” -Data in “We’ll Always Have Paris.”
While other colors enter images and then leave, I often go back to blues and blacks for intense sources of inspiration. Despite their lack of ‘high energy,’ these colors remain a constant for many artists and creators.
I think of the writings of some of my earlier favorite authors like Sylvia Plath, Emily Dickinson, Hemingway, Andre Brink, and Doris Lessing. Inspirational but at times, very dark. The emotional and physical battles they lost and of course, so many that they proudly won.
Black often brings on inspiration (writings of Israel, Palestine, Ireland, South Africa, Tibet). It’s no grave surprise that I couldn’t stop writing when I lived in South Africa and spent time along China’s borders back in the late eighties. Blue is often the same way. (Picasso)
Have you ever noticed that when true inspiration comes to you, its often not convenient? You scramble to find something to write with or on — a paper napkin or scrap paper by candlelight. When I was last in South Africa, it was an antiquated typewriter with sticky keys which I gave a beating to while watching smoke bombs from Soweto in the near distance.
I wonder: did the recent Code Red provoke me to write this? Perhaps at a subconscious level. Or perhaps it is the trip to Central America. It’s hard to tell with these kinds of things, isn’t it? (don’t think too hard or long about this……the mind can be stifling).
In worlds accustomed to ongoing deprivation, capital punishment, gas masks, home destruction, discrimination and religious wars, there’s always something to ignite fire in your belly. And somehow along the way, you move to blues and blacks.
Yet, at home, in the melting pot that has plenty of deprivation and discrimination, we often take a stand back. We feel that perhaps there’s nothing to lose on foreign soil by stepping up or moving forward. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what a united states of states we would be if the courage ‘outside of ourselves’ that is always accessible to us ‘inside ourselves,’ could be replicated at home – everyday.
The wonderful thing about exploration away from our home environment, is that we’re forced to slow down and reflect. We start saying to ourselves, “how glorious, why don’t we remain in this place — reflection on the things that matter the most — all the time?“
And then we return home and begin to slowly suffocate again in a nation that pats itself on the back for its internal trimmings: Starbuck coffee shops, strip malls, fast food chains, a so-called democratic government, sitcoms that make my stomach churn and endless commercials that tout the latest pharmaceutical drug to cure stress, anxiety, acid reflux, ADD, ADHD, depression………Sound familiar? It is where you may in fact be living.
—Enough, Ruling Your World, Fast Food Nation, In Praise of Slow, The Death of Television, WalMart: The High Cost of Low Price—
We live in a society that takes pride on less sleep, working more hours, having more gadgets and widgets and participating in as many social online forums as we can – all in lieu of real human interaction and simplicity.
An illusion that we have to live like this – most of the time? An illusion, just like your favorite painting in all your favorite colors, the one with the blue and black shadow, the shadow that gives you clarity, inspiration and energy to refocus on things that matter most.
When we start to not just dream of a simpler life, but live in one, all of the shades begin to melt and fuse together. The clutter becomes softer, the noise diffuse, and those fabulous mellow blues bring you to the most serene holodeck you can possibly imagine.
Says Loehr and Schwartz in The Power of Full Engagement, “We celebrate breadth rather than depth, quick reaction more than considered reflection. We’re wired up but we’re melting down.”
and
“At the heart of the problem is a fundamental conflict between the demands of our man-made civilization and the very design of our human brain and body……we are machine-centered in our thinking—focused on the optimization of technology and equipment—rather than human-centered—focused on the optimization of human alertness and performance.”
Some will argue with me that this is overly stereotypical of American and western societies and that many people do in fact live their lives in harmony and balance; and often have examples to prove it, i.e., yoga, buying organic, banning television, spending time with their kids in nature.
Sadly, it is not the norm in most of the circles I witness. The pace continues to accelerate and everyone struggles to keep up, buying more technology that we hope will increase our productivity and free up our time to do the things that make us feel truly alive. I’m not anti-technology — as long as it serves us.
See the world as a clean white canvas that has more possible outcomes than you have ever imagined. Indulge in blues and blacks for renewed inspiration or whatever that ‘blue and black’ is for you. And just when you think you’re about done, start over. Each outcome will bring more clarity than before you started. And most certainly, more joy.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
