I'm certain I've missed my true vocation. Surely I should be naming crayon or paint or nail polish colours? The names captivate me. I marvel at the imagination of such folks that have these jobs and I always read and pay attention to the names of the colours, ever disappointed if they're simply a meangingless jumble of numbers. My friend Linda mentioned visiting her mom in a retirement home and painting her nails, mentioning that the staff had found the particular colours that her mom loves. "What were they called?" I asked her. She replied, "I think one is called 'Dull Pink' and the other's 'Pretty Ugly Gold'. As you can see I have no idea!" I had to laugh, both at the humour in Linda's response and in our differences. The first thing I'd have done was to check the names! I used to think this was some sort of secret fetish of mine until I joined online painting groups and realised that so many of us covet naming colours as a job. Actually Linda could be a pretty accurate colour namer, although I don't think many people would want to buy them. Excuse the messiness of my painted nails. Unless I use a fast drying polish, I always smush it somehow. Too impatient. I'm also sloppy in applying it sometimes but I don't let that worry me too much. It is what it is--a bright or pretty reminder to have fun and pamper myself. I was always that kid with one sock down around my ankles and my hair falling out of its braids. Now I'm that woman with nail polish on my cuticles. Also I bite my nails. And cuticles. I know. I know. I didn't when I was pregnant. I couldn't stand biting my nails or drinking tea (which I love). My nails got so long when pregnant that I had to use a pen for our rotary dial phone. Did I ever feel elegant! I vowed to keep them like that but immediately started to bite them again after my son was born. An old habit that tells me something is on my mind long before I realise it consciously. But back to colours. I was delighted when choosing nail colours to take with me while visiting my son in Arizona to stumble on a creamy neutral called Vacation Time. Well that was meant to be! When choosing a shade of yellow paint for my kitchen, I must admit to being swayed by the name. So we have 'Falling Star' in the kitchen. In the bathroom, the walls are 'Peartree' and the ceiling is 'Oyster Shell'.
Imagine how dull and boring life would be without beautiful, interesting names to enhance colours. Imagine how creative the namers of colours have to be. Yep, pretty sure I missed my vocation there. Wishing you the most colourful of days, in the most delightful ways.
8 Comments
deb
4/11/2021 02:24:37 pm
Oh I feel you on being swayed by the color names! I've done that before for sure
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4/11/2021 12:27:19 pm
Love color names AND love bright colors. I never thought of it as a job and now I want to do that!
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Lisa
4/11/2021 12:45:52 pm
You’re so not alone. Love color names - I so love when they are spot on. I bit my nails for decades. I don’t anymore but the damage I did to my nail beds is annoying. They grow but they are so weak now and always break at the same spot.
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4/11/2021 08:29:29 pm
I love this post soooo much. I also think I would adore naming polish colors.
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Linda
4/11/2021 10:37:52 pm
OK, if the colour are still in Mom's room I will get the true names. Just so you know I have one bottle of a coral coloured nail polish called "Mock Snob". You didn't know I did my own nails??? I don't. - I use it to mark my jewelry tools so I know they are mine if I take a workshop or am working on a project with friends. You can also make nail polish abstract bits and then use them in collage!
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Oh, it would be so fun to name colors! I did my nails a couple of weeks ago and they looked great for about three days. They started chipping and the race was on to pick it all off! Why bother with remover when it’s so satisfying to pick it off!? Oh, and the color was called Original Poodle! It’s a dark rosy pink and really pretty. Even the name of the company is cool, Belle en Argent, means beauty in silver because the box is, you guessed it, silver!
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AuthorWelcome! I'm Sue Blott: a writer of all things, a poet at heart, mom, wife, daughter, step-mom, grandma, tea drinker, tai chi-er, mystic, artist, dreamer...and now a blogger! This is my world. Categories |