The power of art Rothko style

Why do you where black?

“Why do you always wear black?
“Because I am in mourning for my life.”
(The opening lines of Chekhov’s The Sea Gull.)

 

Sounds depressing doesn’t it!

The Power of Colour

 

So exciting to read about one of my Colour Girl clients  love affair with colour in issue 8 of Alive – Southern Cross’s health and well-being magazine. Carol Ronayne looked fabulous! Fantastic interview and write up by the mega talented Bronwyn Sell. Great feedback for me – have always believed in the power of colour!

 

Will try and source a PDF so I can load the article  here:)
Shame I was away overseas in Sicily at the time of the photo shoot!

What’s your personal brand?

 

What’s your personal brand?

LEON GETTLER

If you are fed up with your job, want a pay rise, or an exciting new career, it might be time to rethink your personal brand. Personal branding is a way of getting your name mentioned and people knowing what you’re about. Think of Donald Trump, Sarah Palin, or Oprah Winfrey.

A brand is a unique package that defines who you are. It’s all about generating a cohesive representation of you, primarily on-line.

Personal branding experts say people these days need to develop a brand if they’re fed up with their job, want a pay rise or an exciting new career, or just to get noticed at work.

Can personal branding go too far? Absolutely. If everything you do sounds like a sales pitch, it won’t work because it does not sound genuine. And you need to be aware that personal branding can act as a constraint on behaviour.

We all have good days and bad days, but a personal brand is always “switched on”.

Everyone talks about personal branding in terms of image but from my experience, it works better as a guidepost.

When I left The Age three years ago and started working for myself, I put a lot of thought into what I was about, and what I wanted to do. That told me what sort of jobs to target and I have actually knocked back lucrative work because it did not fit in with how I saw my brand. The guidepost principle in that personal brand is important for anyone setting on their own.

Personal branding has really taken off with social networking and although drive for personal branding has really gathered momentum in recent years, it was all summed up famously by management thinker Tom Peters in Fast Company 14 years ago. “Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You.”

Extraordinarily, all this was written before social networking, before sites like LinkedIn and Facebook allowed people to create their own profiles to share across networks.

Indeed, personal branding helps explain why LinkedIn is changing job hunting, something I wrote about earlier this year.

Writing in Forbes, personal branding expert Dan Schawbel says your online profile, all part of your personal brand, will replace your resume in the next 10 years.

Part of the reason, he says, is that social networking will continue to grow.

Another reason is that more people are now managing their careers as if they were entrepreneurs. Even if they are in a paid job, more are now looking out for the next gig.

“It’s too easy to get laid off now, which is why you need to build your online presence before you need it, and constantly look for the new opportunity that will further your personal brand,” Schawbel writes.

With a guest spot in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Jerry Wilson, a senior vice president of Coca Cola – which knows a thing or two about branding – suggests several ways to build a personal brand.

The first is to look at all your strengths and weaknesses to see if there are opportunities or even some prospects for self development with further education or finding a mentor.

He then suggests working out what you are really passionate about and then taking steps to create a strong brand. “If you’re currently in search of employment, what better time than now to define ‘Brand You’ and then schedule informational discussions with people in targeted fields of interest,” Wilson writes.

“If you are with a great firm, yet you’re in a bit of a career rut, re-invent ‘Brand You’ by building fresh capabilities by volunteering for special projects in other departments. This approach is very effective for you and productive for the organisation. Regardless of your current situation, you should have a proactive plan to enhance the value of your personal brand. In today’s economy, your personal brand is being judged every day. Either position yourself, or others will position you.”

- BusinessDay.com.au

How colour influences our lives

I’m so excited to have been asked by a journalist to share my passion for the benefits of colour. The article she is writing is for
the Southern Cross Alive magazine and is about the influence of colour on our lives.

One of the benefits of colour is its incredible healing power

Colour is used in many forms to heal and aid the sick, diseased and the distressed. Colour has been used in healing from ancient times, as far back as Atlantis. The sun’s rays have been known to have magical healing qualities and these rays passed through a spectrum, will give you colours that have very good healing qualities for certain illnesses and injuries.



Colour is used in ways such as visualising certain coloured rays in treatment of a patient who is known to have a certain illness, etc. It can be used in the form of passing sunlight through panes of coloured glass or filters and by using coloured lamps. Another method used to obtain the colour for therapy is by putting water in coloured, clear containers out in the sun and allowing the sun’s rays to pass through the coloured glass into the water, then the water is sipped. Leave the containers out in the sun for 2 hours only and bring them in before midday.



Some healers like to use the visualised coloured rays only but some like to help keep the colour energies around the patient also by keeping the colour in the food they eat, the clothes they wear and the colour of their surroundings.



Colour healing should only be done by people who are expert in knowing what colour or what mixture of colours is needed for a certain patient with a certain illness. Each colour and colour combination has its own vibration and to make it compatible with the patient vibration, an expert assessment must be made. As well as being very distinctive visually, each colour has its own feeling and taste. So while one colour would be a good treatment for one patient it may cause problems for another. Over exposure to certain colours may result in side effects, so colour therapy must be used wisely and only by those who have the knowledge to use it.



RED: is the colour of energy, vitality and power. It is used for burning out cancer, drying up weeping sores or wounds, etc., it will warm cold areas to reduce pain. Red is a powerful healing agent for healing diseases of the blood and circulation. It will help with depression. Red is not to be used on people with high blood pressure or anxiety. If you stay under the red ray too long or are exposed to red for a considerable time it will make you very agitated or even aggressive.



ORANGE: is also a colour of energy. It is used to increase immunity, to increase sexual potency, to help in all digestive ailments, chest and kidney diseases. Orange will have a gentle warming effect if used lightly. Orange, like red should not be used for too long. It is not a good colour for nervy people or people easily agitated.



YELLOW: is the colour of intellect and it is used for mental stimulation, it will help you think quicker. It is good for clearing a foggy head. To help cure dermatitis and other skin problems and again it must be used carefully because it is very stimulating and it could cause exhaustion and depression.



GREEN: Is the colour of harmony and balance. It is good for tired nerves and it helps with the heart area. It will balance the emotions and bring about a feeling of calmness. Green is a good general healing colour because it stimulates growth so it is good for helping heal broken bones, regrowth of tissue of all kinds. Green is a good colour for pregnant women to help create an atmosphere of serenity and calm. Too much green may create more negative energy if there is some already present in the person being treated.



BLUE: is the colour of truth, serenity and harmony, by helping to sooth the mind. Blue is good for cooling, calming, reconstructing and protecting. Blue will help feverish conditions, it will help stop bleeding and it will help with nervous irritations. It is very good for burns. Too much blue could leave you cold, depressed and sorrowful.



INDIGO: is the higher aspect of blue, so it will have all the attributes of blue plus it is very good for the head. It will clear a congested head to allow a clearer path for the conscious to the spiritual self. It is used for the diseases of the ears, nose and eyes. Plus it is very good for sinus. Indigo is a good astringent and it is a good purifier. Too much indigo could give you a headache and it could make you very drowsy.

PURPLE: is also a colour that will connect you with your spiritual self. It is good for mental and nervous problems. It will assist very well with rheumatism and epilepsy. Helps with pain, is used in deep tissue work and helps heal the bones. Too much purple and you don’t tend to live in this world.



LAVENDER: is the colour of equilibrium, it helps with spiritual healing. It is used as a tranquilliser and it will aid sleep. It is a colour of replenishing and rebuilding. It is like a tonic for the body. Too much will make you very tired and disoriented.



WHITE: is the colour of purity. It will purify the body on the highest levels. It is the highest charging field to bring peace and comfort at the highest level. White is the best reliever of pain.



SILVER: is the colour of peace and persistence. It is the major purging colour so it is very good for removing unwanted diseases and troubles from the body. It is best for cancer of tissue and blood.



GOLD: is the strongest colour to help cure all illness. It is so strong that many people are not able to tolerate it, so people have to be conditioned to gold over a period of time. Gold strengthens all fields of the body and spirit.



BLACK: is a colour that is not used very often but it will help bring a patient to a state of grace. It will help them reach the silence and the peace of God.

http://www.empathys.co.uk/220.html

How to make your waist look smaller

Even if you don’t have the waist of Scarlett O’Hara with a little bit of fashion ingenuity, you can make the waist you have look smaller.

The waistline is one of the more difficult areas to alter through exercise and diet.In fact, exercises targeting the waistline can actually increase its size if done incorrectly by building up the lateral muscles of the abdomen.

The best strategy to give your waist the appearance of being smaller than it actually is to dress correctly. Here’s how to make your waist look smaller

1. Emphasize Your Shoulders.This is one of the quickest ways to give the illusion of a smaller waistline. Look for tops that have stronger shoulders with small shoulder pads to give added width in the shoulder region. Don’t overdo the shoulder pad concept if you don’t want to look like a football player. Use scarves and dramatic jewellery to draw the eyes upwards toward your shoulders and away from your waistline. These accessories will further define the shoulder area giving the illusion of an hour glass shape.
2. Step 2 Wear A Slimming Garment.

   A body shaper worn under your clothing can help to slim the waist as well as give the appearance of a flatter tummy. The body shapers of today are much more comfortable than the girdles of the past.

3. Step 3 Wear a Belt.

   Belts, especially darker shades, tend to draw the eye inward, giving the illusion of a smaller, more defined waist. Avoid wearing light or brightly colored belts which can magnify the problem of a large waist. Instead, choose belts that fit well in shades of black and dark brown.

4. Step 4 Wear a Full Skirt.

   Another way to hide a thick waist is to wear a long straight jacket with a shorter skirt and heels. This fashionable look draws attention away from your thick waist and emphasizes well toned legs.

   A full skirt worn with a strong shouldered top and waist clinching belt can help to give the illusion of a small waist. The width of the skirt and the emphasis on the shoulders give the appearance of an hour glass figure.

Some other ways to look instantly slimmer include:

Stand up straight. If you improve your posture, not only do you decrease visibility of the rolls in your stomach, but you also gain confidence!! Pair that with a winning smile and you’re good to go.

Choose  colors carefully. Avoid bright colors and patterns; they instantly make you look bigger than you are! Dark colors make your heavy sections look small. Are you top heavy? That means switching to dark colored tops. Also, avoid horizontal stripes; these accentuate your girth! If you are bottom heavy, go for darker pants, skirts, or jeans to slim down your bottoms and legs. Finally, avoid “baggy” clothing, and wear stuff that fits you closely.

Wear your hair and makeup in a flattering way. People will be too distracted by your beautiful face to care about everything else.

Wear clothes that are the right size. If you’re a size 20, don’t try and squeeze into a size 16. It will make you look bigger if everything bulges out. But at the same time, don’t wear clothes that swamp you – really look at your body and wear clothes that fit properly.

Emphasize the smaller part of you and camouflage your problem areas. If your waist is relatively thinner than your hips, wear form-fitting shirts and skirts that flare out. If your middle is thick and your legs are normal sized, wear looser, tunic blouses with thin, straight-legged pants. DON’T wear loose tops with loose bottoms.

Buy clothes that fit you. Whether you are a size 8 or a size 48, if you wear the wrong size clothes, you’ll end up looking bigger than you are. Wearing clothes that are too tight leads to bulges and lumps, just as choosing clothes which are too large adds to your size and makes you look bigger. Try things on before you buy them!

Choose items which skim over areas you want to disguise. For instance, if you want to make your tummy look flatter, move away from skin tight vests, and choose a flattering tunic. Instead of choosing a mini skirt, hide chunky thighs under a floaty skirt. However if you go baggy, this will also make you look larger.

Highlight your good bits. If you have a beautiful slender neck, but a bit of weight on your waistline, draw attention to your neck with an eye catching necklace, or other accessories. If you have toned arms, wear a sleeveless top to make the most of your assets

Concentrate on using clothes to direct attention away from your stomach and toward your upper body and legs. Accessorize your neckline or choose tops with patterns or embroidery above the breasts.

Choose trousers that have a narrow or tapered leg. Flat front, side and back zips will complement your figure, while pockets, pleats and tight pants will only draw attention to your mid section. Leggings and stirrup pants are great, provided they are not too tight.

Select full skirts that do not gather at the waist. Straight or slim skirts will narrow the silhouette of your lower body, creating the illusion that your overall line is slimmer.

Wear tunic-style tops and sweaters; they’re flattering, yet spacious.

Select square shape jackets as they are roomy and cover the stomach.

Look for generous sheath dresses that create a column line from your shoulders to your lower leg. This style gives the illusion that your shape is more linear.

Avoid any clothing combination that defines your waist, including any belted or drawstring looks.

How to Make Short Legs Look Longer

How to Make Short Legs Look Longer

Not every woman was born with long, model-esque legs. However, just because your legs are on the petite side doesn’t mean you can’t have legs that look long, lean and sexy.

#Step 1 – Choose pants and skirts with vertical details which will create a strong vertical line, making your legs appear longer. Some example of vertical detail include a front crease, piping, pleats, cords or a vertical row of buttons.

# Step 2 – Wear a monochromatic outfit. If you keep the same colour from head to toe, it will not only elongate the look of your body and legs, it will also make you appear thinner.

#Step 3 – Put on some high heels if you can. Even an extra inch or two will help. If you really prefer flats, go for shoes with pointy rather than round toes.

# Step 4 – Pick dark jeans that graze the floor. Paired with the shoes you choose from the previous step, your legs will instantly look longer and slimmer.

#Step 5 – Skip the popular low-rise jeans and pants. A pair of trouser with a high waist tricks the eye into believing your legs start at a higher point than they actually do.

Tips & Warnings

An assymetrical hemline (sloping)  can make your legs appear longer.

Avoid horizontal details, cropped pants, and cuffs at the bottom of your trousers, as they will actually make legs appear shorter.

Don’t wear blocks of colour.

Choose pants and jeans that are narrow and have a straight leg or boot cut style. High heels will complete the outfit and make your legs look even longer if the hem of the pants reaches mid heel.

When choosing a bathing suit or underwear, grab ones that have high cut legs- that will make them look longer.

Shorts should be fairly short. The more skin showing, the better.

Add colors that look good on your skin.

What about skirts? To add length choose:

* Mini skirts

* Long skirts with high heels

* A line skirts just below your knees paired up with nice heels.

Avoid:

# Mid calf and low waist skirts

Life in Color: Yellow

Photograph by Michael S. Lewis

I came across this photo and post the other day and instantly felt inspired – I hope these vibrant colours uplift you too.

Malian Woman

Photograph by Michael S. Lewis

Yellow evokes the shine of the sun and is found throughout nature and the man-made world as a color that commands attention. This highly visible hue is found on everything from bumblebees to school buses, traffic signs to highlighters. Misbehaving soccer players are shown yellow as a warning, and Tour de France racers know the man in yellow is the rider to beat.

Here, a woman in Diafarabe, Mali, holds her brilliant yellow scarf against a blue African sky. Her landlocked country is a desert land that was once a hub for ancient Saharan caravan routes.

Source:http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/photos/life-color-yellow/?source=email_photo#yellow-fabric-lewis_1554_600x450.jpg

Colours of Fiji – how to look and feel great today

I’m very happy at work at the moment – just returned from Fiji and now sitting in the sun working on my new book. It’s part auto-biographical, part memoir, part travel in theme – sharing my search for passion around the globe. Very inspiring!

Being in Fiji was a tonic for the soul. All those rich vibrant colours. How depressing it was to return to NZ and be engulfed in a sea of black. Even the Kiwi couple we met in Fiji wore black! Look at the contrast in the photo below:

Somehow black just looks flat. Laurie and I were so colourful that the marketing manager of the resort we were staying in took our photos and wrote to us once we left:

“Bula  Cassandra  and  Laurie, “Bula”  Bula”   So wonderful  to  receive  your  pleasant e mail and  am glad  to know
That  you  are happy to  see  your  photographs. I   really  admire  your   outfits  and  really  giving us  the  Bula  Bula  atmosphere….”

Her email tickled me pink and reminded me of the uplifting and memorable power of colour.

I wrote the below while sunning myself on the beach:

Bula black – sleek, black, muscular skin

White beaming smiles

Lips placed tenderly over the pale pink conch shell

Yellow sound oozes out like honey – nature’s nectar, sweetening the air

Frangipani cream – so sweet, so delicious. Centres of yellow sunshine

The sky – Fiji gold. Melting across darkening azure skies.

Fruit salad delight – a riot of pure joy. Pinks, yellows, golden oranges – suffused with berry delight. My lover’s shirt is pure delight.”

Colour is one of our biggest forms of non verbal communication. It affects how we look and feel and how others feel about us. As artist Paul Klee said, “One eye sees and the other feels.” Choosing the right colours can make you feel more confident and optimistic and look younger, slimmer, healthier and more exciting. Harness the power of colour to enhance your natural beauty and transform your life – go to www.thecolourgirl.com and learn how I can help you look and feel great today.

How to be more confident with colour

I’m heading off to our country retreat – while there I’m popping into the parrot ranch for a spot of colour.

Loads of people tell me they’d love to wear more colour but many don’t know how to combine colours successfully.

To be more confident with colour look to nature – she really knows how to be colourful.

Birds, with their feathery cloaks of colour,  are a wonderful source of colour inspiration.

Ever wondered how to wear blue?

What about green?

Or is red more your thing?

Or is it simply too hard to choose?

Even the black parrot adds accent colours for sparkle – you’ll see red, but look closely and you’ll see pale blue too!

There’s no excuse for dressing head to toe in black this winter. Look and feel fabulous – wear more colour today!