Aria is astutely observes the colors all around her; this characteristic emphasizes the connection between her scientific self and artistic self. The vivid colors she notices mark the difference between her past and future.

The LGBTQ+ Pride flag is a rainbow flag, and Aria experiences a vibrant summer in California as she discovers her queerness. Her experience at the Dyke March in San Francisco is “a riot of color” (74) compared to the muted tones she associates with summers on Martha’s Vineyard. These colorful few weeks are a time when Aria is learning what it means to be more authentic rather than trying to fit in with everyone else.

Part of Aria’s summer journey is leaning into her artistic inclinations, and she experiments with processing her thoughts through paint. Joan notices that her first painting incorporates “high-contrast colors […] which suggests something dramatic” (146); Aria’s intense emotions and life-changing revelations come through in her artwork, even if she isn’t confident in what she’s doing.

Photography is a recurring motif not just because it’s a critical part of Joan’s identity as an artist but because Aria learns to see certain truths about people in her life through photographs. The photos that Jacob takes and posts reveal his duplicitous character as well as the double standard of shame versus pride that exists for women and men.