The Colors That Changed Me: How Discovering My Palette Transformed My Confidence and Career

MY COLOR STORY PART 1:

A Life Shaped by Color

This post is Part 1 of the My Color Story series, where I share how discovering my seasonal color palette became the foundation for confidence, calling, and creative work.

From childhood wonder to a career in design, my love for color was always leading me somewhere—I just didn’t know where yet. Discovering my color palette would eventually become the thread that connected creativity, confidence, and calling—long before I had the language to name it.

My Seasonal Color books are more than guides. They tell the story of my journey—the bridge between where I once was and where I am now. My life has always been filled with color. Not always a colorful life, but one rich in hues that quietly shaped my path.

God speaks to me in a language that resonates deeply within me—the language of design and color, aligned with how He created me. From the beginning, color wasn’t accidental. It was part of my blueprint.

Explore the foundation behind this journey → From Blueprint to Becoming

Where My Love of Color Began

One memory stands out clearly.

It’s the late 1960s. I’m about six years old, homesick from school, sitting on a barstool in my mom’s girlfriend Lovetta’s kitchen while my mom runs errands. Lovetta’s kitchen was unforgettable. The moment you walked in, your eyes landed on a breakfast bar painted the brightest, happiest yellow imaginable.

But the real magic came next.

Lovetta handed me a cake tin filled with colors I had never seen before—periwinkle, gold, bronze, silver, and neon shades that shimmered with possibility. These weren’t ordinary crayons. They were extraordinary.

Sitting at that yellow bar, coloring freely, I felt joy, safety, and wonder all at once. Even then, color was speaking to my soul.

When Color Became More Than Creativity

Lovetta herself was vibrant—bold in personality, style, and spirit. Her colorful home and that magical tin of crayons left an imprint on me that I still carry today.

Looking back, I see how those early moments shaped more than my creativity. Color became a form of expression, connection, and belonging. It reflected how safe I felt, how seen I was, and how freely I could create.

Even now, those memories remind me why color still matters so deeply. It was never just about what I liked—it was about who I was becoming.

A Dream Taking Shape Through Design

Fast-forward to the 1980s, and I found myself living a dream—attending fashion school, immersed in creativity and design. After graduating, I planned to launch my own garment design business.

Before stepping fully into that next chapter, I chose to pause and enjoy a carefree summer with my two children. We spent our days at the public pool and afternoons at the library, savoring the simplicity of being together.

At the time, I didn’t realize that this pause was creating space for something new to emerge.

The Book That Changed Everything

On a particularly hot afternoon at the library, while my children explored their favorite shelves, I wandered toward the fashion section—without any specific goal in mind.

That’s when I saw it.

A book titled Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson.

As I flipped through its pages, something stirred deep within me. The concept of seasonal color analysis was new, yet instantly familiar. It connected my lifelong love of color with my design training in a way I hadn’t experienced before.

In that quiet library moment, something shifted. This moment sits at the center of the My Color Story series, where each chapter explores a deeper layer of identity, confidence, and becoming.

Discovering My Color Palette

Discovering my color palette was the moment everything aligned. It gave language to what I had always felt—why certain colors energized me, why others muted me, and how color could restore confidence rather than overwhelm it.

That discovery didn’t just change how I dressed. It changed how I saw myself.

In that library, I didn’t just discover a book. I discovered a new way of seeing—one that would shape my confidence, guide my career, and become the foundation of my life’s work.

This was only the beginning of my color story—but it was the moment my blueprint began turning into becoming.

Continue the journey → My Color Story – Part 2

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