Backstory

INTOYellow is a tool for people to be able to turn optimism into action.

To be able to convert something negative into something positive, or to explore optimism as an “ism”. It’s a color that I created to conceptualise that it’s meant to be the embodiment of optimism. It is something that I viewed that when I put it into the world, it starts to generate more great things.

Optimism as a movement, as well as a color for mental health awareness.

There is still a lot of stigma around mental health discussions. So as I started gifting this color to artists to work with, one of the threads coming up was that artists suffer more from mental health issues than other folks. In particular, there were issues of suicide, and the color started to resonate with artists for different reasons… it has unlocked an awareness; it has become something else.

What is Optimism?

It is defined as: hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something. When most people say optimism, you’ll hear it juxtaposed against pessimism, or you’ll hear optimistic is not realistic. A lot of neurological studies of what optimism is in the brain have shown that biologically we are meant to be optimistic.

So there is this inherent biological optimism, and then there is how we see and interact with the world. In my view, optimism isn’t the opposite of reality; it’s a perception, a filter. How you perceive things.

I believe that we can craft a brighter reality.

I have seen how you can make a positive impact. On a scientific level, the positive vibrations affect the molecular construction of things, so I believe in the idea of positive energy but I don’t believe that negative energy is necessarily bad. It is the yin and the yang, both are necessary part of the harmony and equilibrium of life.

There is a harmonious balance created by combining gray and yellow.

I do a lot of public work, and a lot of it is a actually a balance of grey and yellow. The gray actually makes the yellow and other colors vibrate. I call it void gray, or cloudy day and sunshine. Essentially it is about the intention and perception of creating something that has a positive impact. A positive vibration that can be regenerated.

Today I totally see the beauty that comes out of darkness, out of gray, out of melancholy. But I also know that this is just one aspect of our existence, and I want to feel all the feelings across the spectrum of my humanity.

The color becomes a movement.

Learn more at UMEWE.org 

The umewe mark is a ‘seal of collaboration’; when it appears, you know that a project or product was created through diverse organizations, brands and individuals, uniting with the shared intention to create a brighter world. Uncle Riley created the seal (and the name-sake social benefit corporation) to generate positive energy, unify diverse groups and help turn void into value and blight into bright. The seal has been applied to countless collaborative civic initiatives, programs and projects (that include creatives, communities, organizations and municipalites).