Conversations About Color with Ashley Molholm
Artisaire focuses on creating stunning and artisitic-driven wax seals for the wedding and stationary industries. Ashley manages the brand's presentation through social media, website design, and partnership management. This requires her to be a jack-of-all-trades, as she does everything from aid with the development of new products, to collaborating with other companies (like Tono + co!). A huge part of Ashley’s professional life involves working with color, as color theory is one of the things Artisaire prides itself on. Artisaire makes all of their wax in-house and even has a full color lab to create additions to their gorgeous 64-color collection.
Ashley admits that she has somewhat of a split personality when it comes to color. Much of her professional life is working with colors that are softer and less saturated for her clients. “When I’m working with our brand, it’s more about creating an emotion and a connection with the colors that we’re choosing and being intentional in those choices.” She also keeps a solid eye on emerging color stories and trends throughout the year. Right now she’s been noticing warm ochres, beiges, and mauves as color stories that are beginning to catch on. (Stay tuned for Tono’s own version of these colors!) “To see the perspective on color and how adventurous people are becoming is something that’s really fun to see. That is the lifeblood of our craft.”
Confidence and color go hand-in-hand. This is a recurring theme we’ve seen over and over. We all strive to discover the colors that best represent us and those we feel most confident in. Personally, Ashley is drawn to bright, bold tones, specifically blues. Our STORM is Ashley’s favorite color and what she is most comfortable wearing. “Blue is my statement color. When I think of a bright color, I immediately feel confident, it kind of brings that side of my personality out. I feel like it almost gives me permission to really be that way, be that form of myself.”
More often than not, our relationship with color is dictated by those around us and the environments we find ourselves in. When we first begin to experiment with our own style, we tend to start by basing it off of someone else’s style, or responding to the opinions of those around us. Ashley recognizes that this is how she too developed her taste for blue and her own personal style. Growing up on Vancouver Island and spending much of her time on a farm has been very impactful in how she views and feels color. As a child, Ashley spent much of her time with her grandmother. The styles she developed growing up were influenced by her grandmother’s fashion and were very inspired by the time they spent together. Her grandmother gifted her a lapis blue necklace that opened up Ashley’s world to the possibility of color. She has been hooked on deep blues ever since. In a sense, it was permission for her to explore and discover this color on her own. “Now it’s my spirit color. It’s just so funny how sometimes giving yourself the permission to experiment with color or choosing the color for yourself can be really liberating. But sometimes it take a catalyst like that to get us there.”
Listening to others' stories about color and why they love specific shades also opens us up to new possibilities. It is, in a way, color empathizing. Knowing why a particular hue makes someone more confident or evokes a certain emotion can create that emotion in us too. Just like music. This is something Ashley chooses to practice, especially working in an industry where color is such a predominant part of her daily routine. Being in tune with the color relationships around her and understanding how they affect her clients and coworkers is what makes Ashley such an effective color communicator.
At its heart, this is the reason we love having these conversations. While color is what we are most passionate about at Tono + co, it’s ultimately about connecting with our customers and those around us. Connecting over color is more than sharing what we like and do not like. It’s about sharing each other’s passions and celebrating in what brings us confidence, life, and joy.
Photo Credits
Tabletop: Photography by Cory Weber, Styling by Sincerely Ginger Weddings, Stationery by Ciarra Claire
Wax Seal Photos: Mason Neufeld Photography
Horse Photos: Dani Cowan Photography