Creative Space Aesthetics

Erica Unroe

David Stringham

MUED 371

11 December 2018

Abstract
 A creative space is any place in which creativity takes place, including, but not limited

to, a classroom, band room, art room, practice room. Not only is this the study of this space, but

also how the elements of the space can affect the emotions and focus levels of a beginning

instrumental musician. There are many different components to a creative space, but this

research will specifically address three: Color, Decoration, and Lighting. How these connect to

the emotions of instrumentalists are of the utmost concentration of this research. In addition to

this, practical applications as to how to incorporate these into a classroom, and why our creative

spaces at James Madison University look the way they do are also addressed. Further research

includes considering other aspects of the aesthetics of the Music Building. Ultimately, we

conclude that everyone is different, and works best in different environments. It is nearly

impossible to accommodate every single environmental aesthetic need, but knowing the general

relationships between environment and learner is important in working to attain that goal.

Creative Space Aesthetics

The origin of the of the word “aesthetic” is from the Greek, meaning “of or for perception

by the senses, perceptive” (Online Etymology Dictionary) It’s not often something that we think

about, but does the color and aesthetic characteristics of creative spaces have an effect on how

beginning instrumentalists feel, focus, work, and practice? By making conclusions through many

different sources of research, it can be seen that there is a correlation between the psychology of

a beginning instrumental musician and the environment around them. There are many different

things that contribute to the “look” of a creative space. For this research, however, the

relationships of Color, Decoration, and Lighting to beginning instrumentalists will be studied.

 “Color is a basic Human Need… like fire and water, a raw material, indispensable to life.”

-Fernand Leger

Color

Color is everywhere. “The vast majority of information we process from the outside

world is visual. And everything we see is colored” (Eckstut & Eckstut, 2013). Not only is color a

very big part of our everyday lives, but it also has a great impact on our emotions and feelings,

whether we are aware of it or not. When designing, or imagining a creative space for a beginning

instrumental musician, it is important to be aware of the colors being used, and how they

generally affect human emotion.

Two different studies, one including children (Boyatzis & Vargese, 2010), and one

including college students (Kaya and Epps, 2004), concluded that overall, brighter colors were

more closely associated with positivity than darker ones. This is a conclusion that most would

have seen coming. However, more recent studies show that our natural assumptions about colors

and emotions may not be the most accurate. To further investigate this, each color and its

emotional effect will be discussed individually.

RED

Red has, for years, been associated with anger, rage, and hate. However, more recent

studies show that most people don’t have these same feelings about this color anymore. While all

colors have negative feelings attached to them, red no longer is seen as a primarily angry color.

Some positive emotional traits of this color include love, romance (Kaya and Epps,

2004), enthusiasm, passion, and creativity (Nijdam, 2009). Negative ones are anger, aggression
(Nijdam, 2009), fighting (association with blood), and evil (association with Satan) (Kaya and

Epps, 2004).

Warmer colors, like red, make a room less spacious when painted on the walls. However,

the colors increase stimulation. Because of this, people, and students will tend to be more

anxious in a room painted or filled with this color (Kaya and Epps, 2004). Red is a force to be

reckoned with. Smaller amounts of this color in a creative space may have a greater positive

impact on a beginning instrumental musician. Too much of this color could potentially make

them more anxious, or add to any frustrations they have about learning without being aware of it.

ORANGE

“There is a narrow band in which orange can show off its true self, but in that narrow

band, it shines” (Eckstut and Eckstut, 2013). For a while, Orange wasn’t even considered a color.

However, when we think about it, we see orange in many places in our lives. Most traffic cones,

‘road work’ signs, blaze hunting vests, prison garb, life vests, and more are colored orange.

Because of this, and the fact that orange is so easy to spot, a trait of orange is associated with the

sense of warning. We feel this because of the ways that orange is used in our world.

Positive emotions that this color can convey are wisdom, desire, joy, and self-love

(Nijdam, 2009). Negative emotions attached to orange are upsetting and distressing (Kaya and

Epps, 2004)

Similar to red, this color is considered “warm”. When a space is painted this color, it

makes it seem less spacious, and can also induce more anxious emotions (Kaya and Epps, 2004).

A practical application for incorporating this color involves the brightness, or lack thereof, of
orange. Painting or using a lighter, or slightly darker shade of orange can completely change the

emotions associated with it. (Thompson, 2003).

YELLOW

To humans, the color yellow is easier to physically see than any others. Our eyes are

simply more sensitive to the wavelengths of light in yellow. For example, if one was looking at a

pale yellow and a pale blue, they would still feel that yellow was the “brighter” color. In their

study on children, Boyatzis and Varghese (2010) found that they associated more positive

feelings with brighter colors. Because of the brightness of this color, we can confirm the belief

that yellow is one of the happiest colors we interact with.

Yellow has significantly more positive emotional associations than negative, but like all

colors, there are still two sides. Some examples of positive emotions are happy, joy, pleasant,

lively, and energetic (Nijdam, 2009). Common negative emotions are panic, fear, and caution.

(Nijdam, 2009).

This color can serve as an example of the fact that all colors look and feel different to

everyone. Not all people see yellow as a positive, happy color. This isn’t always tied to the

physical aspect of seeing yellow, either. For example, in Boyatzis and Vargese’s research (1993),

they found that one child perceived yellow as a sad color. This was because there was an instance

in her life when her mother told her that she didn’t look good in the color. This semi-permanently

made her associate negative feelings to a color that is normally seen as one of the most positive

ones in existence. The perception of all colors is different for everyone, but when thinking of

designing or decorating a creative space for a beginning instrumentalist, using the common

emotions associated with colors would be an idea to consider.

GREEN

“Green is the essence of life” (Eckstut and Eckstut, 2013). In a study of college students,

Kaya and Epps (2004) found that students found green to be a relaxing and comforting color.

This is because green is usually associated with nature and the outdoors.

Positive emotions associated with green include relaxation, calmness, happiness, comfort,

peace, hope, and excitement (Kaya and Epps, 2004). The most common negative association is

greed. (Nijdam, 2009)

Unlike red and orange, green is considered a “cool” color. When used in a space, shades

of green “make a space restful and increase spaciousness” (Kaya and Epps, 2004). This color has

a significant amount of positive emotions tied to it. Knowing this, we can conclude that this color

can also help a beginning instrumentalist in a creative space feel calm and relaxed.

BLUE

This color can normally be associated with many different emotions. This color can be

associated with water, the sky, but also depression and sadness, like the phrase “feeling blue”

(Eckstut and Eckstut, 2013).

In Kaya and Epps’ research (2004), they found that blue was associated with a substantial

amount of positive emotions. Some positive feelings that correlate with the color blue are

relaxation, calmness, happiness, comfort, peace, and hope. Negative emotions from their study

include sadness, depression, and loneliness.

Like green, blue is a cool color, and makes one feel more calm and makes a room feel

more spacious. (Kaya and Epps, 2004). The emotions and possible stresses that a beginning
instrumentalist may feel can be subdued by being surrounded by a color such as this, that evokes

calm feelings.

PURPLE

“Is there any color more extraordinary, exquisite, exalted, delicious, delectable, desirable,

more je ne sais quoi?” (Eckstut and Eckstut, 2013). This color, most commonly associated with

royalty, still evokes both positive and negative emotions. Some positive emotions associated with

purple are leadership, romantic, and mastery. Negative feelings tied to this color are sorrow,

tiredness, and frustration (Nijdam, 2009).

When researching the emotions of color with college students, Kaya and Epps (2004)

further confirm the reality that the emotions behind color are different for everyone. Their

research found that when some students thought of the color purple, they associated it with

laughter and children, which evoked more positive feelings. On the other hand, some disliked

purple mostly because it was simply not their favorite color.

Ultimately, every person perceives color in a different way for many different reasons.

However, for most people, the general feelings associated with each color are accurate. When

considering choosing, decorating, or painting a creative space for a beginning instrumental

musician, it is important to consider their emotions in that space. Most are not conscious about

the colors of a space and how they affect them, but even without being aware, colors are always

affecting how we feel in certain spaces. If educators are aware of how certain colors evoke

emotions in humans, we can help beginning instrumentalists feel more comfortable and calm in

their creativity and musicianship.

 There are multiple ways to incorporate color in a creative space. In regards to colors of

the walls of a space, it is important to choose colors that evoke motivation and stimulation in

both teachers and students. At the same time, though, too much of this could be distracting to

learners. For example, a way to paint the walls is to refrain from painting all of the walls. In a

classroom, painting the “teaching wall” or one of the walls a darker or brighter color than the

others can attract attention to the colored wall, and also allow learners’ eyes to take a stimulation

break by averting their vision to the non-painted walls if needed (Thompson, 2003) Most

educators don’t have the opportunity to paint walls, though, so the emotions associated with the

colors above can be considered when picking colors of decorations, posters, furniture, and more

in a creative space.

Decorations

Decorations in a creative space are in no way a necessity, but they can be beneficial to

beginning instrumentalists and their emotions and focus. While there is very limited research of

the impact of decoration on beginning instrumental musicians, we can take conclusions of others

and apply them to the situations of these music students.

Posters in a creative space provide an “opportunity for more passive absorption of

information” (Catapano, 2013). We can think about the fact that, when students aren’t looking at

their music, or at you, they’re more than likely looking around the room. What will they see as

they look around? This idea can serve as motivation to use meaningful decorations to enhance

their learning. (Catapano, 2013)

Robert Gifford (1988) researched the effect of decoration on the amount of

communication between subjects. Gifford (1988) concluded that more home-like decorations
evoked more conversation than a space that was not decorated at all. The fact that more

communication happened in this space proves that there are definitely psychological effects of

this kind of decoration on humans. This environment makes humans feel more comfortable,

“evoking a sense of refuge and unguardedness that is associated with home” (Gifford, 1988).

When researching the decoration of a counselling room, it was found that one of the main

focuses when thinking about decoration was to create a welcoming, and positive environment.

This can happen by considering the colors of decoration and the organization of physical

materials in the space. (Pearson, 2012) When considering the emotions of beginning instrumental

musicians, thinking about the ideas of counselors is beneficial to designing a creative

environment. Beginning instrumental musicians may have emotions of fear and discomfort, and

an attainable goal with simple, but comforting decorations can help them be more comfortable in

their space.

As seen before, not everyone has the same opinions about aesthetics, especially

decorations. While decorations can be beneficial for beginning instrumental musicians and their

comfortability, but too much of a good thing may not be the best option. This can be proven by

an experiment conducted by professors of psychology and statistics at Carnegie Melon

University. This research showed how distracting too much decorations can be to younger

learners. They concluded that when students are creating and learning in a highly decorated

classroom, they tend to spend more time off-task and distracted, and therefore learning less than

if they were in a space with limited to no decorations. (Fisher, Godwin, Seltman, 2014).

Ultimately, there are no problems with decorating a creative space. When thinking about

how to decorate a creative space, we can think of how our decorations can enhance learning in

the space. The goal can be to be purposeful with any decorations. Spaces that are full of
educational decorations of calming or motivational colors can help beginning instrumentalists

focus and feel more at ease in their learning. Spaces that are too filled, maybe with unnecessary

decorations, can be distracting to learners and ultimately have the opposite effect on them.

Lighting

Most classrooms and practice rooms are fully-installed with florescent lighting and few

windows, if any. This lighting does it’s job, but in relation to emotion and focus, other lighting

can be preferred. By comparing and contrasting two aspects of lighting, Dim versus bright, and

natural versus artificial, the impact of the lighting on a beginning instrumental musician can be

solidified.

In Gifford’s research (1988) on lighting and communication, he found that brighter light

resulted in more conversation and focus, while dim lighting resulted in less conversation, and

less focus. We, as humans, associate dim lighting with sleeping and rest, and brighter light with

alertness. To help maximise focus in a creative space, brighter light, as shown here, is usually

preferred.

When considering the benefits of natural light versus artificial light, natural light is most

likely preferred. According to a team from Bristolite Daylighting (2014), natural lighting has

many benefits on a learner, “ranging from improvements in mood and mental alertness to

improved vision.” They conclude that natural lighting make students more efficient and help

them achieve higher test scores.

While, for most educators, it is impossible to incorporate natural lighting into a space that

was built without none, it is still useful to know what kind of lights are statistically better for

focus for beginning instrumental musicians in their creative spaces.

 Individual Differences

The content in this research is not the ultimate conclusion to the design of a creative

space. Every person is different in their own ways. This can be seen in a book entitled Daily

Rituals: How artists work by Mason Currey. In this book, we see the vast differences between

creative people and their own personal creative spaces.

According to Currey (2013), Maya Angelou had an interesting creative space. Maya was

unable to work at home, so she reserved a hotel room to write in. She claims that her home was

too pretty, and that she couldn’t work in a pretty environment. Her hotel room was small, with

only a bed and a trash can. She would bring limited materials into this room, including a bible

and a deck of cards. Maya worked best in a small, minimalist room that wasn’t particularly

“pretty”. Maya, like some beginning musicians, will find a small space like this more productive

than one that is too “pretty” or decorated.

Also from Currey’s (2013) work, other people work in the complete opposite way. For

example, Francis Bacon lived in disorder. “His studios were environments of extreme chaos”

(Currey, 2013). His studio walls were covered in paint splatters, and the floors filled with broken

furniture, books, paintbrushes, papers, and more. Bacon, like some beginning instrumentalists,

will work best in “messy” environments. (Currey, 2013)

Every learner and person are different in how they work in their own surroundings.

Colors are perceived differently between each person, based on life experiences and memories

(Boyatzis and Varghese, 2010). Beginning instrumentalists will also indefinitely have different

emotions in messy, or highly decorated spaces versus clean, less decorated spaces.
 A practical way to create a space that can help adhere to all needs of beginning

instrumentalists could be to have some portions of our space be less decorated, and other

portions moreso. For creative spaces like practice rooms, painting different practice rooms

different colors, or having specific and lighting or decorations in each one could contribute to

control and help beginning instrumentalists with their learning and focus.

Emotions of Beginning Instrumentalists

Beginning instrumental musicians have similar stresses and anxieties that more

experienced instrumentalists do. Creative spaces are the home to pre-performance preparations

for beginning instrumentalists. It is important for instrumentalists to put themselves into a calm

state of mind while preparing for a performance. Performing comes with many anxieties and

worries, so being surrounded by a calm, comfortable environment is very important to each

individual learner. (Juslin and Sloboda, 2010).

Future Research

It would be interesting and beneficial to further research our own creative spaces in our

daily lives. For example, the Music Building at JMU has a very specific atmosphere. Completed

in 1989, most walls are painted bellini pink or evergreen. The time period in which the building

was constructed can explain just why these colors are present. Throughout modern history, each

decade has been assigned a number of “pantones”, or the most popular color of that time. By

using Eisman and Reckner’s book (2011), we can further research what these pantones are for

each decade. There are many pantones for the ‘80s, but two of the most prominent colors in the

music building are exact matches to two pantones of this decade.

 Most practice rooms, room 119, and room 321, and some of B71 are all painted a similar

shade of pink, called “Bellini: PANTONE 13-1114”. In the 80’s, “Personal Colors” were the

rage. “Color analysis became a hot topic -- how to choose the right colors to enhance personal

coloring as well as developing the confidence to make the right choices” (Eisman and Reckner,

2011). This popular color around the building, Bellini, was a common pantone of the time period

of the construction of the building, more than likely being a reason why it is used on the walls.

If one has ever spent time in rooms 142, 318, or 108 in the music building, they would

indefinitely have noticed the color of the walls. This color is essentially an exact match to one of

the most popular pantones of the 80’s. The green shade of the walls, called “Evergreen:

PANTONE 19-5420” was made popular for many reasons. The bottles of Polo Ralph Lauren’s

perfumes were this color. Princess Diana and Prince Charles’ fashion also established the color

scheme for the “preppy” at this time (One of those colors being Evergreen) (Eisman and

Reckner, 2011). These factors made this color very popular in the 80s, therefore probably being

one of the motivations behind this color being painted in our building.

Not only are the colors and reasonings of our creative spaces a topic for research, but

discovering how they make us, students, and other beginning instrumental musicians (Tech

classes, Piano, etc.) feel when we create in them. This research can be conducted in a form of

experimentation. A possibility is to test stress levels in different rooms of our building, and

survey the reasonings why these feelings are present from person to person.

The final topic for continued research in our personal creative spaces involves lighting in

the music building. Some windows throughout the building have curtains shut, or are painted

over with black paint to prevent natural light from coming in. There are surely practical
reasonings behind why the light isn’t entering these spaces, but we can wonder why they are

covered up, and what may happen if we let the natural light return to these spaces again.

Conclusion

Everyone works best in different ways and in different environments. This research is in

no way the ‘be all, end all’ solution or answer to all of the questions of the aspects of aesthetics

that work best for everyone. Getting to know your students, or asking and surveying them about

the environment in which they feel that they work best is a way to gain this knowledge. Not only

this, but simply being aware of the emotions that certain colors evoke, and the general preference

of decorations and lighting, we can try to be as inclusive as possible to the needs of our

beginning instrumental musicians, and all of our students.

Reference List

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