Yellow Paint

I’ve heard the story about how Van Gough ate yellow paint, despite its toxicity, because he thought that it was a happy color. He thought that maybe he would be happier if he could paint the inside of him yellow.

I don’t believe in romanticizing mental illness and I don’t even know if that was a true story, but I do think that life should be filled with color. When I see the bright giant sunflowers at the farmer’s market, I will buy them. When I have the option to wear a black dress or a red dress, I will choose the red one every time. I think life is too short to wear neutral colored shoes or to fill your apartment with things that look nice, but aren’t things you love.

My sister came up all the way from Tennessee to visit me and my new apartment and when she left my apartment really did feel more alive. While she was here we spent time painting a few large canvases to fill my empty walls. And they are beautiful and bright and I love them.