winter hues of Florida

I was able to escape from the frigid cold weather of northeast Ohio for a whole week. It seemed so strange walking around in lightweight clothes and flip flops in the middle of January when normally I'm bundled up with a coat, gloves and boots whenever I emerge outdoors for a winter walk. I definitely could get used to living in Florida, at least in the winter months and I truly enjoyed their winter hues which are so different than ours [see previous winter hues post]. I wish I could have placed them in a bottle and brought them home with me! But you just might see these wonderful hues in my upcoming projects!

Mental block? Then change your scenery!

As creatives, we have all had it at one time or another—the dreaded mental block. And it always tends to happen when you're juggling a multiple of projects or have a very tight deadline. Why is that?

What is a mental block? Dictionary.com defines it as an inability to remember or think of something you normally can do; often caused by emotional tension. If you have been staring at your monitor for over an hour and repeatedly move the same text box around, then I have to tell you that you are in midst of a really bad one!

Here are five things I do when I'm in the midst of a mental block:

1. Take a walk—there is nothing like fresh air to clear your senses. I always return from a walk ready to conquer anything!
2. Escape from your computer! Go outdoors with your sketchbook or someplace quiet where you can get to the root of the problem by just sketching and getting your thoughts down on paper.
3. Treat yourself to your favorite beverage (mine is Caffe Mocha) at Starbucks or a favorite hangout in town. Take your sketchbook or computer with you too. Our Starbucks happens to be noisy so I really can't concentrate there but a trip to one really helps.
4. Take a trip to your local library or book store (Borders is my favorite) and mingle among books for awhile. Looking at art books or design publications definitely will help boost your creativity when in a slump.
5. If you can spare half a day, then take a trip to a museum or art gallery. Just walking among the masters and looking at all the wonderful artwork and colors are always an inspiration!

Wishing you a colorful new year...

I'm a little late with my New Year wishes this year! Since the holidays are behind us now, I want to wish all of you a colorful New Year and share with you the gift that I gave to my clients this holiday season. I always obsess over my holiday gift because I feel it should represent me and come from the heart. And this year, I wanted to do something different. Since color is one of my passions, I designed a calendar based on the color wheel. I separated the color wheel into 365 days (not an easy task). The dates and months are shown circling around the color wheel. I had to print this poster size, 19 x 24 inches or the dates would not have been readable. And from a distance, they aren't but I never intended this piece to be practical because the message and colors are the most important elements.

the message:

COLOR IS POWERFUL.

IT SPEAKS TO US. MOTIVATES US. EVEN INSPIRES US. COLOR SOOTHES, UPLIFTS, AND TOUCHES SOMETHING DEEP WITHIN OUR SOULS. IS IT ANY WONDER SOME OF OUR FONDEST MEMORIES ARE ROOTED IN COLOR.

WISHING YOU A COLORFUL & MEMORABLE NEW YEAR!

Since I received rave reviews from clients and friends, I decided to sell copies of the calendar. I'm offering two options: OPTION 1 is printed on fine art paper which is 100% cotton and acid free for $30 and OPTION 2 is printed on 65# bonded poster stock for $20. Both includes shipping and handling in the U.S. only. Please email me at mcole@marigolddesign.com if you are interested in purchasing a calendar poster. I did revise the copy a bit, taking out the last sentence and emphasizing the first sentence more – please see below.

If you are a designer or passionate about color, this poster is for you! It looks wonderful hanging up. Of course, I have one hanging in my studio and I love looking at the colors, especially on a gloomy day!