#clear winter

it's because I'm at my core a winter creature. I was born on the winter solstice and I've always thought that was pretty metaphorical for my love of the sunshine.

Sure summer is pretty and I love plants but it's too hot and it doesn't have the same glittery magic as a sunny winter day.

I don't have the typical look or personality of a snow queen. I'm not blonde like an Elsa or have dark enough skin to contrast with white ice. I'm not cold and unreadable. In fact I'm usually smiling and rather cheery.

but what makes ice and winter so important to me is that it's luminous. from the rainbow aurora borealis to the glowing blue ice of the sea, winter is bright and vivid.

that's why nothing but white images of winter bother me.

Yes, snow is white but it's also reflective. Pine trees look so richly green in a frozen forest. Human faces flush pink with cold and joy. The sky is never as blue as it is in winter.

my friends have always said that I'm an earthy type and I do see it. I'm motherly and soft looking thanks to my curves and huge eyes.

But I'm also a bossy bitch and fiercely intelligent.

winter is tough. It's strong. It demands focus, strategy, and leadership.

This is why I could never be an earthy mother in a place that it is eternally green. It's simply not challenging enough.

I'm too ambitious and my steel-like control over everything at all times would not do well in somewhere consistently peaceful. I need things to fight and conquer.

An excellent real world example is why I thrive as a education curriculum development designer, but was only a subpar daycare teacher. I am simply too competitive and driven to be happy as only a caregiver.

I do like the simple moments. Sitting by a fire and listening to winter storms howling outside are wonderful.

But they are a break, a breather. Between my eternal hunt for progress.

I embrace my wintery ways. What's more, I learned that you don't have to look like an Elsa to thrive in the winter color palette.

Seasonal Coloring Palette Moodboards: Clear Spring (Warm + Clear)

By far, Clear Spring has the brightest selection of the bunch. Take every Crayola color you could ever think of, and brighten it up to the max. From berry reds and warm purples, to rich, emerald and fern greens. The lightest of the light work in yellow, blue and green. Neutrals lean cool, relying on smoky shades and surprisingly, coal black.

Seasonal Coloring Palette Moodboards: Soft Summer (Muted + Dark)

Soft Summer is delicate and soft. A muted collection of cool tones, primarily heavy on the blues, berries and wide variety of off-whites. From classics like sea foam green and dusty rose, to bolder periwinkles and hot pink. Black is brightened by electric lighting into a deepened charcoal, and antique rose meets with ivory as a warm white.

Seasonal Coloring Palette Moodboards: Deep Autumn (Warm + Dark)

Deep Autumn has one of the darkest color palettes. Rich, tropical hues feature a bright rainbow of show-stopping shades. From teal to turquoise to forest green, olive green and lime green!The feast continues with quirky aubergine, magical purples, rusty golds. Cooler reds and true black deepen the palette, which is heavy in creamy, woodsy neutral and the occasional pops of coral.

Seasonal Coloring Palette Moodboards: Light Spring  (Light + Warm)

Light Spring is the lightest warm color palette. Clear, saturated pastels with a bright, colorful edge. From velvety purples to painted evegreens and bright blues. All shades of the sky, celeste, teal, and baby blue. Bottled greens and contrasting peachy corals meet into golden yellows for fresh staples. Sandy neutrals vary on the spectrum of chocolaty browns.      

Seasonal Coloring Palette Moodboards: Warm Spring (Warm + Light)

The rich, rustic hues of Warm Springs are the first thing to stand out. They feature colorful, toasty mid-tones and some more muted options. From greenish blues and yellowish greens to rusty peaches. True yellow and tomato brighten the combination. Neutrals are creamy, arid and somewhat dusty, either peachy, caramel or an off-white greenish gray.