The Color Purple, What It Means
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Why are purple and blue the top 2 favorite colors of most people? Is the meaning of the color the reason for this? Let’s find out.
In a poll with 378,806 respondents, 16% chose blue while 15% chose purple as their favourite colors. http://desktoppub.about.com/gi/pages/poll.htm?linkback=http://desktoppub.about.com/od/choosingcolors/p/color_meanings.htm&poll_id=7979890264
Even in my hub on the color yellow: http://hubpages.com/hub/My-Favorite-Color-Whats-Yours, most of those who commented also answered that their favorite color is either blue or purple. I wonder why?
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Shades and Tints of the Color Purple
Before we look at the meaning of the color purple however, let us first clarify the many nuances of the color purple.
Purple is actually a shade of the color violet. While lavender, mauve and lilac are tints of the color violet. As I mentioned in my color yellow hub, tint is the lightness of a color while shade is the darkness of the color.
Purple is produced by mixing red which is a warm and stimulating color, and blue which is a cool and calming color. Thus, the color purple embodies a duality: warmth and coolness as well as excitement and calmness. The dominant effect depends on which color (blue or red) predominates. Thus, if there is more red than blue as in the color magenta, then the effect is warmer while in the color lilac, the effect is cooler because there is more blue than red.
In this hub, I am using the color purple as a term to include all shades
and tints of violet.
The Color Purple, Its Meaning and History
Roman emperors as well heads of the Christian church usually wear purple-colored ceremonial robes. It is not a surprise therefore that purple has come to be associated with wealth, royalty and authority.
Actually, in history, the purple dye or specifically Tyrian purple, is only obtained from certain species of sea snail belonging to the genus, Murex. According to Wikipedia, "twelve thousand snails of Murex brandaris yield no more than 1.4 g of pure dye, enough to color only the trim of a single garment." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyrian_purple. The dye is thus very expensive to produce. It is no wonder then that in olden times; only the royalty can afford to wear purple-colored robes.
Fortunately, aniline dyes which are the sources of the color purple have been successfully extracted from other sources and are now obtained synthetically. Now, purple-colored clothes and other things are accessible to everybody and not just to the royalty.
Purple is also associated with spiritual as well as earthly powers. This is the reason why higher spiritual development is illustrated as a purple-colored aura. Purple thus represents purity of thought and deep spiritual understanding.
For those who are into chakras, purple is associated with the crown chakra. This chakra is located at the top of the head and it is connected with the nervous system.
On the downside however, purple is associated with mental disorders.
Some Trivia About the Color Purple
- The color purple is well-liked by highly creative and eccentric people
- Purple is the favourite of many teenage girls
- The birthstone for those born in February is Amethyst which is a purple-colored gem
- Other purple stones are: Ametrine, Iolite, Lavender Jade, Lavender Quartz, Lepidolite, Selenite and Sugilite
- Purple represents the planet Jupiter
- Tinky Winky, the purple colored character of the television show “Teletubbies,” became the center of a controversy when Rev. Jerry Farwell, an American televangelist, claimed that Tinky Winky is homosexual. He based his claim on Tinky Winky’s purple color and triangular antenna, supposedly symbols of the Gay Pride movement.
Effects of the Color Purple
If you need the following:
- Upliftment
- Calmness of mind and nerves
- Enhanced spirituality
- Unlimited creativity, then incorporate the color purple as part of the things that surround you. You can start with purple colored flowers like lilac and lavender.
If you also want to create an air of luxury, mystery and magic, then wear something purple.
The Purple Lotus
I am devoting a whole section to the purple lotus flower because this has a sacred meaning to many. Also, it is believed to symbolize all that man desires to achieve especially in terms of consciousness, spirituality and triumph over evil. Why? Well, it’s the way the lotus grows and flowers.
The lotus germinates and grows at the bottom of a muddy and filthy pond. When it starts to bloom, a bud slowly emerges and lifts its “head” above the filthy water and turns its “face” towards the light where it opens up in full bloom. Thus, this represents what man wants to achieve – to rise from the mud and face the world with beauty.
The Color Purple - Novel, Film, Musical
When I was doing my research on the color purple, I discovered that there is actually a novel titled, The Color Purple. This was written by American author, Alice Walker in 1982. It was later adapted into a film starring Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey and directed by Steven Spielberg. Later, it was also made into a musical.
So the next videos come from the film and the musical.
Purple in Language
Purple in language has both good and bad connotations.
- Purple cow means something remarkable, unusual, eye-catching
- Purple prose has both good and bad meanings. The good side means the writing is highly imaginative. On the bad side, it can mean highly exaggerated or full of lies.
- Purple speech also has a bad meaning. It means profanity or raunchy language
- Purple haze of course indicates confusion or euphoria and may even mean a drug-induced state of euphoria
Odds and Ends and Summary
Light purple usually evokes romantic and
nostalgic feelings. This probably explains why young girls love light purple.
Dark purple meanwhile evokes gloom and sad feelings. It can cause frustration. Thus, according to Feng shui, purple should be used sparingly.
So to sum up, the color purple means: elegance, power, royalty, nobility, luxury, sophistication, spirituality, mystery, magic. Did I cover everything?
Dedication
This hub is dedicated to all you purple lovers and especially to my good friend Phebe who after reading my color yellow hub asked if I could do one on lilac which is her favorite color.
This is also for my hubber friends who said that their favorite color is purple - James Watkins, Tony0724, TattoGuy, Lady Libris. Did I miss anybody? If I did, I'm sorry, but this is of course for you too.
By the way, I*n*v*i*c*t*u*s wrote a purple related poem and linked with this hub. Here's the link.
My Other Color Hubs
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Very nice hub as usual.My youngest daughter,christine's favorite color is purple....everything was purple.To her it
was a color of imperial,regal rank.At summer time she always planted out flowers with purple colors for our yard to make it looked brilliant and effective.She saved your hub
as one of her collections about purple.....
Hi Ann,
Thanks for dropping by and being the first to comment. Yes, I heard about the Red Hat Society before but I did not bother researching about them. I did not know that their second membership color is purple.
Well, pink is a tint of purple so I guess you are right.
Thanks again Ann. Hope to see you again.
Hi Mimi,
It's great to see you again!
Your garden must look so pretty with all the purple flowers. Do you have a picture? I'm happy that Christine included my hub to her purple collection. Please thank her for me.
God bless! See you again.
You wrote this one for me huh Jill ? You are to sweet !!!
Yes Tony, it's for you! I hope you like it.
As I mentioned in your previous hub on yellow it is one of my favorite colors. So I appreciate the thought.And the flowers as usual were well done ! Jill your photography is awesome !
Thanks Tony. I enjoyed doing this for you purple lovers.
nice hub, very informative :)
interesting...
Thanks very much Blaise. It's good to see you here.
I have always been drawn to purple, considering I am an Aquarian and my birth stone is amethyst. But I didn't know it is one of the favorite colors of many people. I don't know many people who have it as their favorite, actually. More blue from those I know, and green is also very popular considering the movement, lol. Well, I love all the rainbow colors. For me it is more intensity than actual color. I think that is called saturation? Anyway, loved the hub. Thanks.
This is such a great Hub. I never cared for purple...actually it was my least favorite color until about 4 years or so ago when I really got into yoga, and made a lot of transitions in my life. All of a sudden I really fell in love with the color. It was almost representative of positive change. It's so random that I just read this hub because my mom and I were talking about this other day. Such a well written hub and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.
Hello Storytellersrus - It's great to see you again! Actually, I didn't also know until I started my research. I thought all along that the top choices are blue and green. Anyway, now we know, as several hubbers here have indicated purple as their favorite color. That's why I dedicated this hub to them. And of course that includes you now.
Thanks for the visit and comment!
All the best!
Hi theherbivorehippi - thank you for dropping by and leaving a wonderful comment. Yours is a very nice story about how color affected your life. It at least shows that color can indeed produce some changes. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Hope to see you again!
All the best!
Beautiful hub Jill and I love the videos and photos. It brings back memories. I was a lavender freak at 13. Everything had to be lavender! Now I know why :) I like the lotus story too.
This Hub is so comprehensive - you covered so much - very nice.
Hi Green Lotus - Thanks very much for your kind words.
Oh, that's very interesting. What made you change favorite colors? Was it just part of growing up or did something trigger it?
Yes, the lotus story is really inspiring, isn't it?
Hello suziecat - It's nice to see you here. Thank you very much for the visit and inspiring words!
Growing greener, i guess, but green and purple is still my favorite color combination :)
Hi Green Lotus - Oh, I see.
You are right, the combination of green and purple is great! My niece used it as her color motif during her wedding last year and it was very dramatic.
Thanks for coming back to answer my question. See you!
" The color purple is well-liked by highly creative and eccentric people ", so that is why I am so eccentric and romantic because I like light purple more.
I had to read this right away because I really am a purple lover and muchness thankness for the mention at the end, great hub Jill, I loved it !
Hello TattoGuy - how true, how true! Fits you perfectly!
Thanks for dropping by. I'm happy you love this hub. Thank you!
I need to say I hate purple colour. I cannot help myself, but this colour makes me feel cold. I have nothing at home purple for the simple fact that is the only colour I cannot stand.
I love blue coulour.
jill- the hub is great. Do not take personally my colour preferences. Lol- you hub drew me close thanks to a word purple. Have a great and amazing day! Lizzy
Hi Lizzy,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment.
No, I'm not taking your comment personally. Everyone has his/her color preference(s). You are actually the first one to say that you hate purple. I'm also sure that the other purple lovers will not mind your saying so.
As I said in my other hub, my favorite color is yellow. I wrote this hub especially for friends who like purple. I'm also planning to write future hubs on the other colors especially blue and green. They are the favorites of many people too.
All the best! Hope to see you again.
lovely hub i am a purple lover, eccentric also, oops
Hi Brenda,
That's great! So this hub is for you then! The other purple lovers will surely bond with you!
Thanks very much for the visit and comment. Hope to see you again.
Wonderful, informative hub - maybe because I love the colour? And of course, your pictures are a joy to behold. Thanks, Jill!
Hi Shalini - why am I not surprised that you love purple? Somehow it seems to fit you or at least my idea of you (since we have not meet in person).
It's nice to see you again!
Thank you very much for your beautiful words!
I enjoyed the hub even though purple is definitely not my color. Sometimes, I'll have a purple top to break the monotony but that's about it. You've included interesting uses of purple nuances in language and its symbolic meanings as a color. And as usual, stunning pictures!
Hi anglnwu,
It's nice to see you again!
I'm glad that you enjoyed the hub even if purple is not your favorite color. That's great!
Thank you very much for your kind words!
Jill of alltrades, I just read an interesting article about colors and what the choices of colors tell about the personality on yahoo. Thought you may be interested since you've covered a couple of hubs on colors:
www.deweycolorsystem.org
Check it out.
Hi anglnwu - Thank you very much! I appreciate it. You are very sweet. I'll check out the website after I post this. That will help me when I write about the other colors.
A wonderful tribute to what seems to me, a color of mystery and majesty. Have you ever heard the song, "Start Wearing Purple?" The chorus goes 'Start wearing purple, wearing purple. Start wearing purple for me now. All your sanity, your wits, they will all vanish; I promise! It's just a matter of time.' Which I think is hilarious and says so much about the color purple.
Good I link it!!!
Hi Dolores - You are right, it's a color that denotes mystery and majesty. Hear that, purple lovers?
No, I have not heard of the song. The words do sound funny.
Thanks for visiting and sharing this tidbit.
All the best!
Hello Jenny - Thanks very much. I really appreciate your linking it.
purple is the most beautiful and romantic color among all colors.
Hi American Cam - So you are another purple lover! There are many of you here.
Thank you for dropping by and leaving a comment.
Of course there must be The Color Purple (movie)! Have you seen the movie The Purple Rose of Cairo? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guLFLWYlQxU Cool and informative hub, I enjoyed reading :D
I think you missed violetsun - or are you doing a separate hub on the color violet?
Hi Cris - it's great to see you!
No I haven't seen the movie The Purple Rose of Cairo. Thanks for the link. I'll check it out after this.
You are right, I missed violet sun, oh well.... Unless I find more new materials about violet, I'm not inclined to write a separate hub on it, yet. I have to do the other colors first before I do another one on violet. Anyway, as I said, I'm using "purple" to include all the shades and tints of violet. Maybe you want to write about violet sun? Go go go....
All the best! Thanks again.
So happy to have found this hub! Please count me as one of the purple-loving hubbers. In fact, I'm wearing a purple shirt right now. My family teases me about my purple passion, but its simply who I am. Going to bookmark this one for sure!
Hi stephhicks - Nice to see you here!
Oh, so you are another purple lover! Then is hub is for you! I'm sure the other purple lovers here are happy to know that.
Thanks for the visit and the bookmark!
All the best! Hope to see you again!
Thanks Jill of alltrades, I've read a few of your hubs now, but really liked "my" pruple one!
Hi gramarye,
You are most welcome! So it means you are another purple lover? Great, there are several of you here!
Thanks very much for visiting and leaving a wonderful comment!
Jill of alltrades, Nice job! Wonderful and infotrmative! You have certainly made some really good points here! Purple is such a vivid and vivacious color! No wonder it has such a rich history! Thank you for sharing, In His love & Blessings!
Hello DeBorrah - thank you very much! You always say the nicest things! As I told you before, you are an inspiring person.
I take it you are another purple lover then?
Thanks once again for the visit and wonderful comment.
God bless!
Jill, my kaibigan!
Great and interesting hub! I relate more purple with violet as they are close hues. For me it is deeply spiritual, and I don´t mean any relationship with clerical ranks....
Thumbs up!
Warmest regards and infinite blessings,
Al
Hello Mystique, kaibigan - Thank you very much for visiting and leaving a wonderful comment.
I am not surprised that you also identify with purple. Your name alone is an indication that you do like purple. Why? Because as I said above, purple represents mystery, spirituality, majesty.
God bless!
Lovely hub and information on purple! Though, I do love the colour, I have found myself being ever more attracted to purple lately and it is wonderful for see more of what it represents here! You photograghy is stunning as per usual! :)
Hello I*n*v*i*c*t*u*s - it's so nice to see you here!
Hmmm - I think purple is just right for you. You embody the color's warmth and mystery!
Thank you very much for the wonderful comment!
i wonder if it was because Tinky Winky was a boy, and he was carrying a handbag that he was labelled gay.....
Hello Brenda,
Well, maybe the bag was another reason aside from the color. Oh well....
Nice to see you again!
God bless!
...this caught my attention in a second, most of my friends are fanatic of this color, lately I began to appreciate this color as well...and I appreciate it more after reading your hub, nice pics perfectly blended with great information/trivia.. thank you very much for this purplish hub!^.^ ...beautiful!
Hello pinkhawk,
I'm happy that the color caught your attention. Well purple contains a tint of pink as in your pinkhawk. So it's understandable that you got attracted to the color.
Thank you very much for dropping by and leaving a wonderful comment.
God bless!
A most delightful and informative hub you shared! I do like many shades of purple - does that have to make me eccentric?? :-( :-)
If you don't mine I would like to link to my 'purple poem hub'. Your color trivia would link wonderfully! Thank you so much for sharing - I voted you 'awesome'!
Hi frogyfish,
It's nice to see you! It's been a while.
Well, purple does not only mean eccentric. It can also mean mysterious or spiritual among other things. So choose which one you want to be. Hahaha.
Yes please, I will be so honored if you link this with your purple poem hub. I will link back too!
Thanks for the awesome vote. I really appreciate it!
God bless you!
I like purple and I was born in Feb. Great hub. Thanks
That's great, Granny's House! So this hub is perfect for you!
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!
Hello Professor,
As this hub was on my feed page,I couldn't resist the temptation of reading it and I am really amazed to find some nice and sound analysis of colors,specially that of lotus and purple,that relates me to the only Lotus temple we have in India.Now I know that your photographs are always of the best quality those are found on the hub pages.
Hello Suny,
Nice to see you again!
That's great to know!
Thank you very for always leaving heartwarming comments on my hubs! You are a good friend!
All the best!
You are very welcome!
Thanks Granny House!
Hi Jill,
A very impressive elaboration of Purple. I don really like the color purple, but i do appreciate it character and combination with nature. It really make the environment look beautiful sometime. Cheers!
Hi Allan,
Thank you very much for your wonderful comment!
Purple is not my favorite either but I really like it especially when combined with other colors like green.
Thanks for the visit. Hope to see you again!
God bless!
Enjoyed your description about purple and linking it with everything associated with the color. I love purple in flowers, in shop window displays, in natural foods, though I personally would not wear it, being too strong a color for me, but I could admire it if someone else wore it.
Hello fanciful,
It's nice to see you!
Thanks very much for your wonderful comment. I also can't wear some shades of purple but like you I also love looking at purple things. I even saw a purple car once and it looked really cool!
Thanks for dropping by!
God bless!
Wow what a great hub, and I love purple, now I've got to figure out if I'm creative or eccentric or a little of both. :) Did not know that purple represented Jupiter. Thanks for sharing such wonderful info about one of my favorite colors. :)
Hello Money Glitch,
Nice to see you!
Thanks very much for your wonderful comment!
Chances are you are a combination of creative and eccentric. Isn't that interesting?
I'm glad that this hub is just right for your color preference.
All the best!
Hackers favorite color is Purple.After reading your hub,I can very well understood what color purple means-calmness and excitement.
Hello ed,
Oh, I did not know that purple is the favorite color of hackers. However, it is not surprising because of the meaning of the color - excitement and mystery.
Thanks for sharing the info!
Jill-Your hub is so informative. I learned a lot. I voted it up. Lovely. I had to smile re: the bit about the lotus flower. I have a hub, Whispers of Truth, in which I posted a poem I had written about the Lotus and the Sunflower. Let me know if you check it out. Thanks for a great hub.
Hi Denise,
Thanks very much for your lovely comment! Thanks too for the vote up.
I'll go over to your hub after I post this. Maybe we can link up?
Thank you too! It's my pleasure to share what I know and enjoy.
God bless!
OMG,I love purple.Well,blue and purple are my fav colors. But it depends on the shade. Sometimes when I go shopping,I get excited when I see something nice with these colors,you know like a notebook or something.usually for me,the color combination of blue,purple and pink(more magenta though than baby pink) just gets me excited. I love the lotus story and how you got the meaning of purple so accurately. I love mystery and magic.hahah.
Hi Aria,
Oh, so you are also a purple lover. Great! This hub is for you then! I have so many purple-loving friends. My favorite color is yellow though, and I have a hub about it. Well purple and yellow are complementary colors. How about that!
I'm happy that you enjoyed this hub. Thank you very much!
God bless!
Blue is my favorite color but I do own a couple purple work shirts, actually lavender but you get what I mean. Very informative hub. I learned something new today! Thanks for posting this.
Hello dysmythe,
Blue and purple are the favorite of many people. My favorite is really yellow (another hub), but I made this especially for my purple-loving friends/visitors.
Thanks very much! I'm happy that you learned something here.
Thanks for the visit!
God bless!
I loved this hub. I am the ultimate purple lover, even painting my living room bright purple! Visitors always got a shock at first but after a while, quite liked it.
Very informative hub, thankyou.
Awesome and up
Cheers skellie
Hi Skellie,
Thanks very much! That's great to know that you join my friends who are also purple lovers. Oh, your living room must be something to behold!
Thanks for the visit and wonderful comment!
God bless!
I love purple anyway. The color of mystery.
Your hubs always inspire me to write something new. I can remember you advised me once about mobile camera photography. I have done some simple experiments with my mobile cam nokia 6300 and some simple clicks. I wish if you could view them and give your comments where I can improve my skills.
Thanks.
Hi Vishaaa,
That's great! I am touched that my hubs can inspire you to write. I'll go check your hub after I post this.
Thanks for the visit and wonderful comment.
God bless!
Thanx for visiting my hubs.. I have posted the photos in my blog http://www.vivitheamethyst.blogspot.com
Please if those looks like child play. I'm just a beginner. Never handled any cam before. Those were taken by my mobile cam.....
Thanks in advance
Hope to see a hub for green color also....
GREAT HUB!...I realy enjoyed reading this, the color lavender is my family color,since Lavender is my hubby's last name we have adopted that color to the point that almost everything he buys for me is purple or lavender...lol sometimes I have to remind him that there are other colors that exist..lol
Hi Vishaaa,
It's nice to see you again!
I actually visited your blog and found that your photos are good even if they are just coming from your mobile camera. You have the eye of an artist. Keep it up!
Hi Fundu,
Thanks for dropping by. I actually already have a hub on green. Check this out http://hubpages.com/hub/I-Recommend-Going-Green-Wi
In fact I have a hub on all colors of the rainbow too. Just check the links.
Thanks for your interest in my hubs.
God bless!
Hi Knowledgeseeker,
That's great. So this hub might have been written for you!
If you are interested in other colors, I have several color hubs actually. As a start, you can check out this http://hubpages.com/hub/First-Anniversary-in-Hubpa Then you can check the other links from there.
Thanks again! I'm happy that you are enjoying my hubs.
God bless!
Thank you Jill for visiting my blog. GBY. :)
Hi Vishaaa,
You are most welcome!
See you around!
Beautifully done!You have a very nice writing style. Happy to find you!
Hi Kim,
Thank you very much for your heartwarming comment!
Happy to find you too!
God bless!
Hello Jill. This is such an interesting hub. Thanks for sharing. You did a great job. Such beautiful pictures you have here. I hear your one of the best when it comes to photos! I look forward to meeting you. Best wishes.
Hello thelyricwriter,
Wow! Your comment is so beautiful, I feel so honored. Thank you so much!
I am happy that you found this interesting. I am also looking forward to more interactions with you!
God bless!
Great post!
purple fashion accessories is always available at purpleogist store
Hello purplefashion,
Thanks very much! It looks like this hub is perfect for you!
God bless!
purple's awesome!
Purple lovers will surely agree! Thanks very much Joekreydt!
God bless!
Like Aria, I too enjoy Blue and Purple. Something about that Purple though that is extra special. Maybe I just watched too many PRINCE videos growing up.
Great Hub! I enjoyed it very much. Purple is definitely my favourite colour! And gorgeous photos. They must be yours! Thanks
Hello Trusouldj,
That's great! I thought at first that blue, green and red are the favorite of many people. Now I know that purple is also on top of the list. I discovered though that some people either love or hate purple, there is no middle ground for them.
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a wonderful comment. Sorry for the late reply. I have not visited as often as I used to.
God bless!
Hi Maralexa,
I'm happy that you enjoyed this hub. Thank you very much! Well, your love for people puts you together with most people.
Yes, with the exception of two, all the photos are mine.
Thanks again for your visit and lovely comment!
God bless!
Great hub... there is also something I heard about the wavelength of colors and how that coresponds to the period table. I believe it was suggesting that we can be deficient in nutrients and thus drawn to colors on that level... don't quote me.
Hi Robin,
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a wonderful comment.
Hmmm, that's something I may have to explore. I don't really know anything about that aspect. Do you remember where you heard that? If you can, please tell me so it will make it easier for me to research on it.
Thanks again!
God bless!
Very interesting. My 12 year old does wear a lighter range of purple...never new why. Up and beautiful.
Well, it really looks like so many have purple as a favorite color.
Thank you so much for your visit and wonderful comment natures47friend!
God bless!
Purple is one of my favorite colors not only because of it's beautiful color but because it's the color of my birthstone amethyst. The photographs of the flower illustrate beautifully the different shades of purple.
Hello crookedcreekphoto,
That's great! This hub is for you then!
Thanks very much for dropping by and leaving a wonderful comment!
i like the colour purple and blue also haha
Hello Duan,
That's great! This hub is for you then!
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!
God bless!
THATS A NICE HUB JILL. PURPLE COLOR IS MY MOST FAVOURIT COLOR AS IT HAS A DEEP GRAVITY.
Hello Samiya,
Thank you so much! I'm happy that you like this.
Oh, that's great, I have several friends who love purple. Yellow is my favorite color though. I have a hub about it in case you are interested.
God bless!
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Ann Nonymous 2 years ago
I know some people who are FANATICS about purple and then of course there is the Red Hat Society (whatever happened to them...they used to be everywhere?) and their second membership color is purple!
Nice hub Jill and I guess purple is the new pink!!!