To fill the colours in my aura…

This morning while getting ready, brushing my teeth in the bathroom, looking back at me in the mirror, I had a epiphany. There, on the shelf which is above the sink, stood the half-empty perfume bottles I get for free when working in the duty shop during the season. Most of them were filled with a pink liquid.

But these are not my favourite. I only took them because, although I liked the smell, I wouldn’t have chosen them in different circumstances.

My favourite is a dark amber colour. It’s stronger. Bolder than the pink girly ones.

When younger – and rich enough to buy perfume regularly! – I always had a Lancôme bottle of Poème. Again, not pink. But a golden rich orange shade.

I had never really paid attention to this detail before. Even when I’ve had the time to walk idly in the shop, sampling dozen of perfumes per day, I’d always appreciated the shape of the bottle but never the chroma.

This got me thinking of my taste in wine. When it comes to rosé (which I very rarely choose) and white, I go for clear pale wines.

On the contrary, I love intense garnet red wines.

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Later today as I was reading a great post by The Slow Traveler, I saw a confirmation through the lines of Carolyn’s article on photography and Instagram.

“Think about what really interests you. Is it architecture, light and shadow, nature? The subject doesn’t matter. It just has to be something that really interests you. Because if you’re not passionate about the stuff you’re photographing, you can’t expect others to be (…) as Instagram changes, so should you. Or you’ll be left behind, bored of your own stuff, and feeling uninspired.”

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I searched aimlessly interesting facts on the net about this sudden colour obsession. I have never thought seriously about the impact each of those colours could have on me? Don’t get me wrong, I’m team colour 100%!! But I haven’t really taken the time to think of its meaning and how it taps into emotions. 

I read that we’re biologically wired to pay attention to bright colours because brightly coloured animals or plants are often poisonous. We’re drawn to red fruit over green fruit because it indicates ripeness and sweetness.

So it’s not all only because I miss the Mediterranean shades and got disgusted by the Breton wet countryside after all?

Red is associated with the heat of energy, passion and love. Orange is for creativity, youth and enthusiasm. Yellow is for happiness, hope and spontaneity. Me, me, me all the way… well, apart for youth maybe!

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More seriously, from the photographer point of view, these last 5 years have been complicated for me because the area where I live seems to have been painted in different shades of grey, green and blue. On top of that, the Scandi trend in home decor has pushed many of us to choose white and cream over anything else. And Instagram queens have all created a world where architecture and nature have been lightly sepia filtered. This is all very pretty BUT…

I love contrasts. I like shock. Bright pink bougainvilleas. The special shade of cobalt blue from La Villa Majorelle. Purple Lavender fields. The yellow of Pastis, Marseille’s anise-flavoured spirit. Summer fruit. Spring greens…

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So maybe that’s why I’ve been a bit lost in inspiration lately. My Instagram feed is frustrating because I unsuccessfully try to mix what I like and what other users seem to like… I’ve become a sheep who expects to be one of the border collies!!

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Photos from the Temporary Exhibition at the Château de Trevarez.