In continuation with the last Creating Real Color story, this week will cover the color orange with Meg Cabras. Meg is a cyber criminology major at Florida State University. She also serves their Asian American Student Union as multimedia co-chair, using her artistic capabilities to create graphics for club events as well as videos. In her free time, she covers songs and creates physical and digital art. I have always admired the way she incorporates creativity into every part of her life, whether it be what she wears or the notes she takes for class. Whenever the opportunity arises, she is prepared to lead a group and solve problems in ways that really go outside the box. 

Gallery • 7 Photos

Question 1 – What emotions does the color orange evoke for you? 

Answer – Funnily enough, I have recently taken this “color oracle” test that tells you your subconscious thoughts based on the colors you find pleasant and unpleasant. Because of the way that I am, I placed orange as pleasant, and it mentioned how picking this color meant that I “find inspiration in anything that makes your life colorful, intense and exciting.” To me, depending on the brightness of the orange, it can make me feel adventurous, thoughtful, creative, warm or just happy in general! This is why my dorm room is very warm-colored, and why you will always find an orange/red/yellow marker in my pencil case!

Question 2 – What do you think of when you see orange? 

Answer – When I see the color orange, I get reminded of my aunt’s living room where I spent most of my childhood. Plenty of good memories with my cousins and family are associated with that color, but so much more has gradually added on to my love for the color: the sunsets in my hometown in Florida that cheered me up when I felt small, Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange, comedy club posters, childhood memories of reading about Camp Half Blood, Universal’s pretty Cabana Bay, the fact that it’s a mix of red and yellow, and so much more!

Question 3 – What song reminds you of orange? 

Answer – I get reminded of every song in Channel Orange, but also “This Must Be the Place” by Talking Heads and “Sun Go Down” by Fat Night!

Question 4 – How do you create? 

Answer – Like most people who create, I am always driven by emotion, curiosity or need for conceptualization. I get a lot of inspiration in my art from fantasy, whether it be images in my head from reading a book, a daydream (or you know, a regular night dream) sequence or a line from a song that sticks closely to me/ creates a world in my head. From there, I try to use any media I feel like using (drawing, clothing, knitting, making videos, songs, whatever), because expression is a free world baby!

Question 5 – What role does creativity play in your life? 

Answer – Creativity is somewhat a necessity for my sanity, as I’m sure it is with a lot of people. I’m pretty good at bottling up emotions, but luckily enough, the world of creativity means you can make whatever you want with whatever you have to express just about anything you think or feel. It can come in ways of dress, physical art, poetry, music, comedy, you name it! I am enamored with that feeling of freedom that I get when I feel creative, the ability to send a message or express myself without limitation. I love fantasy and imagination, and creativity is just a way to bring my hypothetical world closer to reality.

Question 6 – Who or what or where are some of your inspirations?  

Answer – I find inspiration in people who don’t limit themselves to what they’re known for, those who aren’t afraid to grow. People like Hayley Williams who make genre-less art. Without a care for what people established as her “norm”, she successfully changes her music style between polar opposite genres based on what she believes is appropriate for her message. She also uses her platform to speak out for women empowerment and mental health awareness, and she started a hair dye business under the premise that she used to dye her hair as a form of self expression, and wanted to create a brand that makes people feel the same way. I aim to have this kind of genre-less self expression, openness to growth, ability to adapt, passion for what I do, and use of my platform, however small, as ways to speak up for what I stand for. 

That concludes the interview with Meg. If you would like to find more of her art and covers, click here. To find the original Creating Real Color project, click here. Next week will continue with yellow with Ineitza Stromak. 

All artwork and photographs courtesy of Meg Cabras. 

__

For more information or news tips, or if you see an error in this story or have any compliments or concerns, contact [email protected].