Well hello sunshine! It’s a bright and happy world… Is it really? It depends on the lens you look through.

If you turn on the news, it’s generally all doom and gloom. If you’re an Australian, like me, then you’ve probably have been affected by the recent bush fires in some way or another. The perpetual cycle of negativity which can have a poor affect on our mental state.

The collective feeling is understandably somber as we reflect on the impact these fires have had particularly on vulnerable animals.

I’m naturally optimistic by nature but I’ve been feeling terribly sad about all of this too.

I recently ran a children’s art and design workshop where students between the ages of 5-12 years had to come up with original designs. All the children’s art works were bright in colour.

These gorgeous colourful designs made my heart sing and I felt my energy shift and my mood shift from sadness to joy! What was it about these designs which excited me so?

The pure joy of bright colours used in new and interesting ways.

Have you ever walked into an environment with blank walls and you have an emotional response?

You could feel sad or indifferent. Fill that space with interesting colours, shapes and objects, textures, patterns and suddenly it suddenly transforms and you have a completely different experience?

Do you have an emotional response to colour? ABSOLUTELY! In particular dots and dabs, blocks of bright colour makes me want to shout: YES!!! My energy changes and suddenly I feel happy and inspired.

A big thank you to my art students for this gift of colour and hence joy! What a gift! What does it feel like? Well, hello sunshine!

Challenge: What can you do to change your mood and shift your energy more positively?

Hints: Look around your environment and think about how choices of colour, including artworks or lack of art works affect your mood.