Kim Bernard, an artist based in Maine, searches for yellow colors during her walks, allowing her to discover the hidden beauties around her. She recalls: “A manhole cover, a yellow raincoat, a fire hydrant, and the numbers on a mailbox” were among the things that caught her attention.
A New Experience with Colorful Walking
Colorful walking is a simple quest to pay attention to a specific color that is hidden in your ordinary environment. Bernard describes this activity as a way to reduce stress and increase awareness. This method helps her and others step away from thinking about daily tasks and distractions and focus on the beauty around them.
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Bridget Campbell, a content creator in Venice, California, realized that dependence on her mobile phone was preventing her from enjoying the natural beauties. After experiencing a colorful walk, she felt she had returned to her body and enjoyed the moments. She says: “It’s a way to get out of your head and into your body.” Searching for a specific color allows her to distance herself from intrusive thoughts and pay attention to her surroundings.
Benefits of Colorful Walking
Cheryl Fisher, a professional consultant in Annapolis, Maryland, explains that colorful walks help individuals focus their attention on their surroundings. She states: “We live in a fast-paced world where we often can’t look at our environment.” Searching for color enables a person to step away from their phone and pay attention to the environment around them.
Mary Reisberg, a professional consultant and creativity coach in Boulder, California, believes that choosing a specific color helps individuals cultivate their creativity. Selecting a specific color provides a basic structure while leaving plenty of room for exploration. She says: “Even on familiar paths, there are new things that can bring surprise.”
Individuals can use various methods to choose a color. Picking a favorite color or using color swatches to select a color before leaving home are among the methods. Additionally, one can choose a new color midway through the walk. Campbell sometimes sees an orange flower and decides to choose orange for the continuation of her walk.
After selecting a color, all you need to do is go outside and see where that color appears. There’s no need for beautiful paths filled with flower gardens. Campbell advises those who think their environment is too gray to engage in this activity, as colors can emerge in places they haven’t noticed before.
When you find a match, instead of quickly moving on to the next, take a moment to watch and enjoy what has caught your attention. Fisher notes: “The real gift is sitting with it and just finding it.”
You can also do this activity with friends or family to have new conversations. If you need a keepsake, you can take photos during the walk and then turn the photos into a collage. Bernard has asked participants in her colorful walk to select their favorite image and arrange them in a grid. These collections become like a colorful patchwork.
Finally, enjoy the walk. Reisberg points out: “We live in a world where everything is content.” She sometimes takes photos to share, but in some cases, the discoveries remain just for herself. If it seems a bit silly at first, that’s okay. Adults often aren’t used to this kind of curiosity and should give themselves the opportunity to be surprised.
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