"Maybe there's nothing wrong with you, but there is something wrong with what's been put on you."
Color analysis was the first time in my life that I remember considering that idea. That nothing was wrong with me – that I was okay, and inherently who I was supposed to be – but that other things had been added to my person that weren’t right. Color analysis absolutely shifted my world. I found a me in the right colors that I think had been lost for a long, long time, if she was ever even fully there.
But more than anything, that idea that there was nothing wrong with me, but that wrong things had been added to me, was a catalyst that transcended a decade of growth, healing, self-discovery, and settling into the comfort and steadfastness of existing as who I actually am. While I believe that inner work isn’t dependent on a change of your appearance, for me, those parallels of internal and external change have allowed me to arrive at a place where I feel authentic and rooted in my true self, and able to show up in the world as who I really am.
How did I discover personal color analysis? Here’s the backstory.
While a young graduate student at Moss Landing Marine Labs, I started getting a lot of unsettling questions from friends: “You look pale; are you okay?” and “Are you doing alright; you look tired,” and so on. I had adopted my clothing to my earthy, science-y environment, and had inadvertently starting wearing clothing in which I looked terrible. But I didn’t understand that. I thought maybe I was aging fast, or wasn’t tan anymore because of the foggy weather, or I just didn’t know how to do my makeup. It wasn’t until years later when I was a new mom and I stumbled on seasonal colors, and it sparked an intense curiosity and (desperate?) hope that maybe that’s where I was off track.
I had a personal color analysis with Amanda Brown in Corona, CA and was blown away by the experience and what I’d seen – I was a Bright Winter – and basically the opposite of what I’d been wearing for too long. It helped that two friends came along to the session and witnessed and affirmed that they saw the striking difference, too.
As I started to adapt my clothing (with lots of trial and error along the way), I continued to be struck by how different I looked and felt. It was like I had nearly faded to a hologram version of myself before, and now I was fully present. One day I was wearing a Bright Winter yellow top, and an acquaintance commented, “those colors sing for you.” Not only was that one of the most lovely compliments I’ve ever received, I also feel like it embodies the experience of wearing my colors – I feel like I am basking in their harmony.
You know those things you discover in life that are just so amazing for you, you wish everyone had the opportunity to experience them? My short list went from Jesus and sensorimotor psychotherapy, to Jesus, sensorimotor psychotherapy and personal color analysis.
I loved PCA so much I really wanted to share it with others. I trained with Christine Scaman of 12 Blueprints in Ontario, Canada in 2017.
Prior to becoming a certified color analyst I was the graduate program coordinator at Moss Landing Marine Labs. I received my Master of Science in Marine Science from MLML, and a BS in Evolution, Ecology and Biodiversity from UC Davis. I believe my science background is a great complement to the color analysis process.
I live in Carmel Valley with my husband, two boys, and golden retriever Smokey. I enjoy hiking, mountain biking, thrift shopping, tennis, boogey boarding, reading and working in our untamed yard.
