Introducing Lucy Renshaw - a textile and design artist living and working in the UK, who also happens to be a fantastic tutor on our site and a bit of a colour expert. We spoke to her about her love of colour and how it can help us to remain positive even in these difficult and changing times...
Introducing Lucy Renshaw
One thing that always has a huge impact on my mental health and wellbeing is colour. At times of change or uncertainty, anything we can do to lift our spirits is going to be helpful; for right now, but also for our transition in to the new times ahead. So we look to positive influences that will help us connect, heal, stay positive and help us develop emotionally and mentally.
Colour is something that surrounds us and has profound subconscious effects.
If colour is tuned into in the right way, it’s a quick fix to feel good. For as long as I can remember, colour has been part of who I am, from the most vibrant Bermuda shorts worn to primary school (we didn’t have a uniform!), to a brightly decorated bedroom with art on every wall as a teenager.
This was the start of my journey leading to the Royal College of Art where I gained a Masters in Textiles and starting my own business in 2006, where I now have a studio based in the beautiful Derbyshire Dales.
Lucy working in her studio based in the beautiful Derbyshire Dales
In my workshops, I help you explore what colour can do for you. For me, for example, colour has enabled me to embrace everything from furniture and textile commissions, trade shows and exhibitions and consultancy, to a more holistic approach encompassing the process of design, the natural world and colour therapy.
For you, colour can lift your mood in so many ways.
Fear not, it’s not always about wearing bright wacky clothes or going crazy with vibrant paint on every wall!
We can introduce colour in subtle and sophisticated ways that complement our personalities and enable us to feel our best.
Every hue has a frequency which connects to different areas of our bodies and mind. These link to our mood, emotions and behaviour, both mentally and physically. This is something I teach in much more detail on my studio workshops and online courses, but for a further insight, I’d highly recommend watching the TED talk by Neil Harbisson: I listen to colour.
Let the sunshine in
Think about how you feel on a grey rainy day, compared to a bright sunny day.
Then think about the impact of being in a room painted a dark shade of blue, compared to a bright, light blue.
Both things can make you feel either uplifted or drained, or even hot or cold.
Amazingly, plants, herbs, essential oils and flower essences correlate with the same frequencies as colours, and can work in the way same to lift your mood.
Purple: helps you to focus on your thoughts and heightens your awareness. It has the energy of red combined with the calm of blue. Consider how you feel when using Lavender and Frankincense essenial oils, lifting your mood and putting you in a positive state of mind.
The colour wheel mandala
We are intuitively drawn to colour without even realising it, these frequencies are everywhere, and we are guided to the colours our bodies need.
If we learn to tune into the colours we are drawn to, it becomes easy to know what balances us and makes us feel good. We can then begin to introduce them into our lives in various ways.
I am drawn to bright, saturated and clear shades of yellow, pink, coral and fresh green - these are the colours of positivity, energ, and confidence, BUT if used too much (or not at all) I can feel the adverse effects - introverted, flat or a bit down!
I need these colours in my life!
We all have a palette, particular shades and tones that we are instinctively drawn to, which say a lot about our personality.
When selecting clothes, picking flowers or flicking through an interiors mag, see what palette you are drawn to, note the saturation, tone and vibrancy.
You could even create a ‘mood board’.
Workshop mood board
You can also take a look at all of Lucy's workshops and kits here and check out all of the creative options for staying crafty at home here.
Plus, if you enjoyed reading this have a browse of all of our recent lockdown articles >
