I'm a color equity ambassador and believe that all colors are for everyone! Obviously, I use a lot of color in our patterns and designs, so I'd like to share more about color and its uses throughout the next few months. Our first guest post comes from Adrianne Hawthorne of Ponnopozz. Definitely check out her website and make sure to shop our collaboration collection HERE.
Here's what Adrianne has to say about color:
People always ask me what I'm inspired by. Color is always the answer.
I know that might seem generic or easy, but it couldn't be more true for me. I pick the car I'll own by color, my favorite pastime as a kid was going through the Crayola box and I often imagine color palettes in my mind before drifting off to sleep each night. When I first became a graphic designer, my favorite part of any web or branding project was color palette selection. Color combinations are EVERYTHING to me.
It took me awhile to realize this. Yes, I went through the "I'm wearing all black every day" phase about five years ago. It was fun. I felt like a cool art person. But mostly, I was bored. Around that time, I got hired at Google in California – my dream job. I packed up and left my home town Chicago for the new adventure that lay ahead. But things didn't pan out as I'd expected. I excelled at Google but I was all alone and I didn't fit in with the rest of Silicon Valley. Out of some weird form of rebellion, I started dressing in wild colors and patterns and blogging about my fashion choices. One thing led to another and soon enough, I was back in Chicago – but this time, with no job or goal.
That was hard for me. I'm a perfectionist who has never been without a job. But Silicon Valley had burned me out and I needed time to recharge. I lived off my savings for nine months while I enrolled in nearly all the art classes Lillstreet has to offer in hopes of regaining my creative flame. I started painting and what came out was a colorful menagerie that had since only lived in my head.
After my first art show ended in September 2018, I'd nearly sold out of all my work. I realized then that other people love and are inspired by color as much as I am. And that's when Ponnopozz became a real thing.
I paint plants because I love them and I love their shapes. To me, my work is really all about the COLOR and less about the subject – but I find that plants make good canvases for wild color. Lately, though, I've expanded my compositions to include abstract shapes and funky patterns. I'm learning that color can really be projected onto anything, not just plants. So, I'm exploring that in the new work I'm creating and I'm truly having fun with it.
One thing that people always say about my work is how happy it makes them feel. And, it's true. Color allows us to express ourselves. Different combinations elicit different emotions and that's what I love about it. That's why I express myself with color every day – from the clothes I wear to the color of my living room to the car I drive. Color makes me feel like ME in a way that nothing else can.
To learn more about Ponnopozz and Adrianne, visit ponnopozz.com and shop our collaboration collection HERE.