I used to rely on black-and-white, and while I was working on

Hear and receive the words of Raina Telgemeier: “I used to rely on black-and-white, and while I was working on Smile, I learned to adapt to color on my end.” This saying, though drawn from the realm of art, is no mere reflection on the craft of illustration. It is a parable for the journey of the soul. For in black-and-white we see simplicity, clarity, and the comfort of what is known. But in color we find complexity, vibrancy, and the courage to embrace the unknown. To move from one to the other is to walk the path of growth, to leave behind the safety of the old and enter into the vivid fullness of life.

The ancients would understand this shift well. For is not every age marked by the movement from shadows to light, from ignorance to wisdom, from silence to song? The cave dwellers of old painted their lives in simple shapes and tones upon the stone walls. But as humankind advanced, they embraced greater hues, greater detail, and greater daring. So too does Telgemeier’s quote remind us that each of us begins with the black-and-white—the simpler ways of seeing and living—but to remain there forever would be to deny the richness of existence.

Consider the story of Helen Keller, who lived in the deepest shadows, without sight or sound. To her, the world was first as black-and-white as silence itself. Yet through the hand of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, she discovered meaning, and through meaning, she discovered color—the vividness of words, the beauty of ideas, the fragrance of learning. Though she never saw the hues of the physical world, her spirit overflowed with colors that she could not name. Like Raina, she adapted, and in adapting, she expanded her universe.

To adapt to color is not always easy. It is to admit that the old ways, though beloved, are not enough for the greater calling. It requires patience, humility, and courage. For in color there are shades that blur, contrasts that unsettle, and tones that demand discernment. Yet it is precisely in this complexity that life reveals its fullness. Just as the artist learns to blend and balance, so must the soul learn to hold joy and sorrow, triumph and failure, all within one tapestry.

The wisdom of this quote lies in its hidden heroism. To rely on black-and-white is to rely on certainty, on categories that comfort us. But life, like art, demands more. It demands we leave behind rigid boundaries and embrace the fluid spectrum of experience. To “adapt to color” is to grow into maturity, to accept the world as it is—bright, messy, unpredictable, and beautiful. This is not just the journey of the artist, but of every human being who dares to live fully.

The lesson, then, is clear: do not cling forever to the safety of what you know. Be willing to adapt. Step into the colors of new challenges, new perspectives, new experiences. Practice seeing the world not only in stark contrasts but in the subtle hues in between. When conflict arises, do not divide the world into friend and foe, but look for the shades of truth in every side. When life presents difficulty, do not call it only darkness, but seek the light that shines through its cracks.

And so, O children of tomorrow, let this teaching guide you: begin, if you must, in black-and-white, but do not remain there. Learn to see in color. Train your eyes to behold beauty where once you saw none. Train your heart to embrace contradictions without fear. Each day, add one shade more to your vision—gratitude, compassion, patience, resilience. In time, your life shall become not a sketch, but a masterpiece, painted in the brilliant colors of a soul that dared to grow.

For in the end, the teaching of Raina Telgemeier is the teaching of all who have walked the path of transformation: to adapt is to live, and to embrace color is to truly see.