This week, in the life of Sam Ziemba, has been filled to the very top with beautiful displays of one of art’s very best friends…COLOR! We all have our favorite color that we take to or that speaks to us in some way, but have you ever explored a cloud of various colors while you danced in the street? Or maybe decided to paint with color combos you just have no idea will go together, but in the end you are pleasantly surprised? Well…those events are what made up my very bright week of artistic fun. For starters, I participated in my very first Color Me Rad 5k (fyi, I am not a runner) and it was an incredible experience. Also, this week I decided to pick up a paint brush for the first time in a long time. I can’t explain why but I just felt so whole participating in these activities. There was such a vast expanse of creativity surrounding me that, somehow, had been missing from my life.

Beginning with the color run…it was an early Sunday morning and I walked the streets, adorned in a neon green tutu, following a sea of white to the beat of energetic music. The atmosphere was so alive and positive that you couldn’t help but smile and give in to those dancing around you. The most fun, though, came when they decided to pull out a surprise that I was not informed of. Standing in the middle of the crowd, already covered in beautiful color, I saw the man on stage pull out a leaf blower filled with colored powder. Next thing I knew, all of us were dancing to the music in a rainbow cloud. I am pretty sure that as an art student this is what perfection looks like. I know it doesn’t seem like this experience is directly related to art but somehow, dancing in that cloud, I felt like an artist. Which leads me to my next creative venture in finally picking up my paint brush.

That experience made something click in me, and I decided I wanted to be surrounded by color all the time; fortunately for me, I have the tools to do so. So today I decided to pick up a brush and play with color. I spent 3 hours completely lost in the beauty of it all. For me, this is what art is. It provides a permanent positive energy which leads into an even more permanent ache in your face from smiling. To me, this weeks events filled a hole I didn’t know I had. My happiness was found in color and I strongly encourage anyone reading this to push for that ache in your face and find your color!

And just because it was entirely too much fun, I have to share some highlights!