Velveteen Tears explores the blue-green spectrum of color. The name is inspired by the song “Blue Velvet” by Bobby Vinton and “Crying” by Roy Orbison. When creating this mix, I gravitated towards a selection of songs with slower tempos and found that a ballad heavy mix complimented this spectrum well. I chose songs with water-inspired qualities, songs about sadness, songs with literal linguistic correlations to blue and songs with less obvious correlations.

This pattern of undulating lines mimics various imagery including a stream of tears, membrane, seaweed, or oceanic waves. When choosing this pattern, I was drawn to how well the wiggly worm-like cutouts translated to closed-eye visualizations, creating a rhythmic trance of curves and fluid motion. The dominant color experienced with closed eyes was frequently described as blue, and it was observed that the black parts of the pattern created a break of red. Some people said they felt sadness and overwhelming emotion while others felt soothed and relaxed.

One person described their experience while listening to Moby’s Natural Blues as the following:
“I felt a distraught composure; an uneasy urgency. There was a melancholy energy. After entering a seaweed cave, I remembered some banjo players playing at the waterfront.”

A response to a song by Rootvilla was:
“Extremely nostalgic vibes with this one. I saw a pale blue smoke-like effect and felt like I was in a giant cement pipe. There was a strong sense of self-awareness, and I thought about my family.”

With my personal experience, I was able to see my favorite color, Seafoam, and remembered its consistent presence from my childhood in the form of a Glo-Worm toy and mint-colored quilts. From water-based memories to familial nostalgia, Velveteen Tears provides people with a blue-dominant experience of emotional fluidity and relaxation.