Thoughts on Blue Monday

Looking at the bright side of blue. . .

“Above the clouds the sky is always blue.” —Therese of Lisieux

Today marks the 2024 edition of Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year, or so they say. The combination of short, gray, winter days over much of the Northern Hemisphere; re-starting the boring workday routine after a month of holiday celebrations; Christmas bills coming due; the grouchy hunger caused by a “lose 10 pounds in 2 weeks” diet; & bunfights at the local gym over the last open stationary bike all lead to a general sense of overwhelm and disappointment, according to the sociologists’ expert algorithm.

But is the third Monday of January really so awful? Actually, Sky Travel, a UK travel agency, launched the concept of Blue Monday in 2005 to flog winter getaways to the sunny south. In other words, while seasonal affect disorder (SAD) is a real issue for many people, there is nothing about today that makes it particularly worse than any other cold, wet, dreary, winter day.

Blue, both the color and the word, hold so many connotations and archetypes. On the downside, there is Blue Monday, feeling blue, singing the blues, blue language (and cursing up a blue streak), and for long-time PC users, the blue screen of death.

Instead of the Blue Meanies, let’s think of all the positive archetypes of blue:

• Bluebird days are those glorious winter days of blue sky and sun sparkling on fresh snow.

• Ultramarine blue pigment, once ground from precious lapis lazuli, symbolizes heavenly blue and the divine.

• Blue is associated with trustworthiness, making it a favorite corporate logo color.

• Blue-sky thinking is a synonym for creative brainstorming without limits.

Blue is a color beloved by many artists. Frida Kahlo painted her family home an intense shade of cobalt blue in 1940 to create her “intimate universe”, a space in which she could embody her creative visions.

Henri Matisse used ultramarine blue gouache both in his late cutout series of Blue Nudes, and Jazz, his famed book of stencil prints and reflection on the nature of the artist’s life.

Yves Klein is probably the artist most famously associated with the color blue. He invented International Klein Blue, ultramarine pigment mixed with a special acrylic resin. Klein used this blue to express and signify infinity and ultimate meaning.

Indigo blue is a variable color, but always having associations with spirituality and royalty. Isaac Newton placed it between blue and violet in the color light spectrum, while the traditional plant dye is a deep blue with green undertones.

Here in New Mexico, birdwatchers enjoy the January arrival of flocks of Western bluebirds, who eagerly devour the ripe blue berries of the juniper trees. (My completely unscientific hunch is that the anthocyanins of the fruit enhance the birds’ feather colors before the start of mating season.)

Turquoise, the semi-precious gem found in the American Southwest, symbolizes water and sky. It bestows mystical power when worn, and also protects from ill health.

My own favorite shade of blue paint is manganese blue, a wonderful, granulating, sky-blue, watercolor pigment that is no longer manufactured.

Check out my Pinterest board, Paint It Blue, to refresh your eyes with this inspiring color family.

What’s your favorite shade of blue? Do you feel especially blue at this time of year, or are you seeing blue skies ahead this month? Please share your thoughts in the comments!