A Holiday Reflection on Peace, Possibility, and Pantone's Color of The Year
My sister called from Massachusetts recently after their first snowfall. "Anne, it's snowing! The whole world looks like it's been painted white!" And then she laughed. "Have you seen Pantone's color announcement? They basically picked snow!"
That conversation didn’t actually happen because my sister doesn’t follow Pantone’s annual color announcements. But it could have because Pantone just announced their 2026 Color of the Year: Cloud Dancer. It's white. Or more precisely, it's the softest, most comforting shade of white you can imagine. Like fresh snow before anyone's walked through it, like morning fog over the ocean here in California, like the quiet moment before dawn breaks.
As I sit here with my morning coffee, Christmas lights twinkling on the tree and the California sunshine streaming through my windows, I can't help but reflect on what this choice means – not just for designers like us, but for everyone navigating these complex times.
Understanding the Power of Pantone
For those of you new to the design world, let me set the stage. Every December since 2000, Pantone – the company that literally created the universal color matching system used by designers worldwide – announces their Color of the Year. It's become one of the most anticipated announcements in the creative industry.
This isn't just about picking a pretty color. Pantone's choice influences everything from fashion runways to product packaging, from interior design to branding strategies. When Pantone speaks, industries listen. Their color experts analyze global trends in art, fashion, technology, travel, and socio-economic conditions to select a color that captures the zeitgeist – the spirit of our times.
Think about it: the colors surrounding us shape our moods, our decisions, even our memories. Pantone's Color of the Year becomes a kind of cultural touchstone, a visual symbol of where we are as a society and where we're headed.
The Soft Revolution
What's fascinating is that Cloud Dancer continues a trend Pantone has been nurturing for the past few years. They haven't chosen a bold, vibrant color in quite some time. Last year's Mocha Mousse was essentially a warm, comforting brown – like wrapping yourself in a cashmere blanket. The year before, Peach Fuzz offered the gentlest whisper of peach, soft as a baby's cheek.
These aren't colors that shout. They're colors that soothe.
And now, with Cloud Dancer, Pantone has taken this soft revolution to its logical conclusion: white. The ultimate neutral. The color that contains all colors and yet presents as none. The visual equivalent of taking a deep breath.
In their announcement, Pantone talked about our collective desire for tranquility in an increasingly chaotic world. They described Cloud Dancer as a color that "inspires us to create spaces, both physical and mental, where we can find solace and restoration."
The Holiday Connection We Didn't Plan
Here's what strikes me as almost magical: Pantone couldn't have known their announcement would land just as millions of us are decorating our homes with white lights, dreaming of white Christmases (even here in sunny California), wrapping presents in crisp white paper, and seeking exactly the kind of cozy, interior sanctuary they're describing.
But maybe that's not a coincidence. Maybe that's wisdom.
The holidays have always been about creating Cloud Dancer moments, haven't they? Those pockets of peace amid the hustle. The quiet morning before the family wakes up. The soft glow of candlelight during dinner. The way white lights transform even the simplest space into something magical.
White has always been the color of the holidays – not the commercial red and green we see in stores, but the actual feeling of the season. The sugar cookies are cooling on the counter. The blank pages of the new journal waiting for January's fresh start. The way morning fog here along the California coast makes everything feel hushed and holy.
What Cloud Dancer Means for Creatives
As a pattern designer, I've always known that white space isn't empty space – it's possibility space. It's the pause that makes the pattern sing. It's the breath between notes that turns sound into music.
In my designs, white is never just the background. It's an active participant, creating rhythm, providing rest for the eye, making room for the important elements to truly shine. And isn't that exactly what we need in our lives right now?
We've been so focused on filling every space – every moment of our calendars, every inch of our homes, every second of silence with podcasts and audiobooks and content. But Cloud Dancer reminds us that space itself has value. Emptiness isn't absence; it's presence of a different kind.
This morning, I pulled out some of my designs from this year, and I noticed something I hadn't seen before: my most successful patterns, the ones that resonated most with my community, all had more white space than usual. More breathing room. More gentle pause.
Without consciously planning it, I'd been designing Cloud Dancer moments all year long.
Creating Your Own Cloud Dancer Sanctuary
As we move through these final days of 2025, I want to invite you to consciously create some Cloud Dancer moments of your own. This isn't about repainting your walls white or buying new decor. It's about claiming space – physical, mental, emotional – for peace.
Here are some ways to invite Cloud Dancer into your holidays:
Clear one surface completely. Your desk, your kitchen counter, your nightstand. Let it be empty. Notice how the space itself becomes a gift.
Create a white night. One evening, turn off all screens, light white candles, wrap yourself in a soft white blanket, and just be. Read a book, sketch, journal, or simply sit with someone you love.
Design your own cloud dancing. Take a walk when it's foggy or snowy. Stand outside and watch clouds move. Let your mind wander like those clouds – no destination, no agenda, just gentle movement.
Gift yourself space. Instead of filling every moment of the holiday with activities, deliberately schedule empty time. Call it your Cloud Dancer time. Protect it like you would any important appointment.
A Pattern Designer's Gift to You
In honor of Cloud Dancer and this season of peace, I've created something special for you: a downloadable wallpaper for your phone. It's my interpretation of Cloud Dancer – not just white, but white with the subtlest hints of warmth, like winter light through curtains, like cream stirred into coffee, like the softest cashmere against your skin.
The design features a gentle, abstract pattern that seems to float and drift like clouds, with plenty of that precious white space we've been talking about. At the bottom, in the quietest grey, you'll find this quote by musician Andre Heuvelman: "In the space between, magic happens."
Download your Cloud Dancer wallpaper here.
Use it as a reminder that empty space isn't empty at all. It's full of possibilities.
My Holiday Wishes for You
As I finish writing this, the California sun is painting everything golden, but my heart is full of Cloud Dancer moments. My coffee's gone cold, but I don't mind. There's something about sitting in this peaceful space – twinkling lights inside, birds singing outside, blank pages waiting to be filled with next year's stories – that makes me want to linger.
This holiday season, as the world spins faster and louder around us, I wish you Cloud Dancer moments:
I wish you mornings so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat.
I wish you spaces so clear they feel like deep breaths.
I wish you moments so present that time seems to pause.
I wish you the courage to choose simplicity when the world demands complexity.
I wish you the wisdom to see that white space isn't nothing – it's everything waiting to become.
And I wish you a 2026 filled with the perfect balance of vibrant creation and Cloud Dancer restoration.
Because here's what I know for sure: our creativity doesn't come from constant doing. It comes from the space between the doing. It comes from the Cloud Dancer moments when we stop trying so hard and simply let ourselves be.
So this holiday, give yourself the gift of white space. Give yourself permission to pause. Give yourself Cloud Dancer moments.
Trust me, it's the best gift you'll receive all year.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and here's to finding your cloud dancing rhythm in 2026.
With love and light (white light, naturally),
xo,
Anne
P.S. Don't forget to download your Cloud Dancer wallpaper – my holiday gift to you. And when you're ready to fill some of that beautiful white space with creative pursuits in 2026, you know where to find me.
Three Ways to Work with Me
If you're ready to take your creative confidence to the next level, there are three ways I can support your journey:
To get started in surface pattern design: Grab a copy of my From Doodles to Dollars® workbook. This is a downloadable PDF with the step by step instructions for how to turn a doodle or sketch into a repeating pattern. You’ll create your very first repeating pattern and gain the foundation skills to begin expressing your artistic voice in a new, exciting way.
If you've already made repeating patterns in Adobe Illustrator and you want to up-level your skills: Join the self-study version of my Pattern Design Academy® program. You get the complete program, with lifetime access and $500 off the regular price of $1,997. Click HERE for details.
If you're already running a successful creative business and you want guidance on how to expand online: Apply for my Creative Business Mastermind. This program is limited to 20 students and is designed to help you scale and achieve greater profitability using my proven 6-part framework.
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MEET ANNE
Hi…I’m Anne!
My creative inspiration comes from a lifetime of observation. I grew up in Paris on the Place St. Sulpice and walked to school through the Luxembourg gardens. And that was only the beginning… Learn more by watching the video on my About page.
