Embrace What You’ve Been Given
"It's what you do, with what you have that makes you what you are."
— Suzanne Caygill
This quote by Suzanne Caygill, in one of her Salon talks way back when, has been rolling around in my head the past few weeks which means eventually it will get disseminated to anyone within earshot and that, my dear blog readers, includes you.
When I meet with women it is a very rare find to come across one who is feeling quite good about what she’s been given — her inherent coloring, body signature, and personality. More often I am given the long list of complaints or the wish list. I used to wallow in those lists myself. Mine started with, “if only…”
Then one day I drew a stick figure of myself on a piece of paper. I added hair/eye/skin tone with colored pencils. I drew all the lumps and bumps, all my perceived flaws. And I drew little arrows and made nasty labels, like “slight tummy” and “fat kneecaps” and then I put a star beside which perceived flaws I had the power to change. And then I noted what would be involved to make that change. How much would it cost myself and others? And then I asked myself, if I changed that thing (lost ten pounds, had my teeth straightened, visited a plastic surgeon etc.) would I be any happier with my appearance? The teeth got a little attention which was really their due, and the rest of me got embraced as I am. Because even if I could shed the tummy and have my knobby knees sculpted and get those hips reduced and the bust lifted and enhanced I would still never look like the super model or actress whose gift to the world is posing for a camera. Because if that was what I was meant to do, my friends, I’d have been given what I needed to do it. My gifts lie in other areas and my body is uniquely designed to help me share them.
"It’s what you do, with what you have that makes you what you are."
Once you’ve got clear about what you are not , you can focus on what you are. What are the truths about your body? Are you strong and sturdy? Are you curvaceous and feminine? Are you swift and spare? Are you short and sweet? Are you tall and tenacious? Are you a breath of fresh air, do you come across as calm and gentle, are you powerful and intimidating? And how are you equipped to do what it is you are passionate about doing? The thing you’ve been gifted to do?
"It's what you do, with what you have that makes you what you are."
What light do you bring into a room? Are you lit from within by sunlight? Are you lit by twilight? Do you contain an inner firelight? Or are you lit by Moonlight? We need ALL of these to help light our path so when you shine your unique light for the world to see you play your very special role. But if you are so busy trying to copy someone else’s light, we will miss yours entirely.
"It's what you do, with what you have that makes you what you are."
Where in Nature would we find you? In a cheerful daisy or a crimson rose? In a rushing river or in the burble of a slow stream? In a dark forest or among a field of hay? As your color analyst I’m looking for that anchoring in nature. Not to check off some category or archetype but because it’s important to see how you relate to the Universe.
A lot of people think that Seasonal Color Analysis is just about finding your best colors and styles and that it’s about dressing according to some rules of the latest color system. But for me, the color & style guide is simply the tool we’ve been given to discover who we are, who we were created to be. And taking that and creating a visual harmony between you and your clothing so that you can see your own beauty reflected back and so that you can truly shine your light for all the world to see.
"It's what you do, with what you have that makes you what you are." Suzanne Caygill