The Resonance of Color

It was my pleasure to interview Betsy Karp and to learn more about the energy and power of color in everyday life.  Betsy started painting at age 5, majored in painting at Syracuse University and lived in Florence, Italy at the age of 20. She became a fashion designer and also designed textiles and unique scarves.  Betsy worked for revered designers like Ralph Lauren, Vittadini and Oscar De La Renta.

Betsy traveled all over the world for her work, always with reverence for fashion, fabric and color. She designed a line of women’s sportswear under the brand name ”Betsy Karp” with her late sister Bonnie.  The line was available in 75 stores and after September 11^th, it was too difficult to keep afloat and the company shut down.

She was in a funk after her business folded and gravitated toward color to lift herself up.  Around this time, she got a degree in Integrative Nutrition and started helping people lead heathier lives.  She also consulted with and started several programs within the School System and also the Corporate World (Chanel & Makeup 4 Ever).  Her program “I ADORE ME” for a school in the Bronx was one of her favorite projects.

Betsy became more and more involved in the world of color and had the brand name – THE COLOR COACH.  Part of her new life and business was teaching her clients how important color was in their lives and how they could use it to feel better about themselves and their lives.  She taught them to ask the question – “How does color resonate in your life?’ and to look at color as a vibration and energy frequency.

I asked Betsy about the color “black” as I wear it often along with many New Yorkers.  She said it is the absence of light and that it can bring people down.  It is a safe color, making us look thinner, not showing perspiration stains and a color that helps us fade into the background.  Betsy suggested limiting wearing black to the Winter season or breaking up the density of the color with a scarf or jewelry.  On the other side of black is white, which is fresh with the absence of color. People can come out of their shell with color and can transform in areas of their life where they are stuck.

I first learned about the Chakra system when I studied Aromatherapy over 20 years ago.  When I asked Betsy about it, she gave a beautiful explanation in the detail below.