1.1 Finding your personal style
It all starts with a spark of inspiration - a lightbulb goes off in your brain and it's like your mind is blooming and opening toward the sun. It's like everything you knew before this idea was child's play and only now can you finally see clearly - food tastes better and colors seem brighter. (Is that just how my brain feels when I have a new idea? It's ok, you can go ahead and tell me I'm crazy. Wouldn't be the first time.)
Once you start living a life built around creativity, sometimes those sparks go off about 12 times a day. I can't possibly take action on every single idea that comes my way - so how do I choose what is worthy of my time?
EASY. Develop your personal style - only do the things that fit that defined style.
Let's take a brief rewind to the beginnings of Sewrella. Ya homegirl didn't know SQUAT about style. (Dig back in the archives, you'll see what I'm talking about.) I made things that could only be loosely strung together under a "cutesy" category? If that even fits? I was a jack of all trades and a master of none - which is not what we're after here.
Obviously, I don't go into this with a great sense of pride - should I even be talking about such a big flop during my first year of blogging? Most of those photos (and heck, even some of the designs) are downright EMBARRASSING. I did what I knew how to do, and that wasn't much.
I kept on even though I felt like a lost, confused puppy in the world of stylistic voice. And that caused a lot of self doubt and circling thoughts - "how will people recognize my work without a logo stamped on it?" "should I just adapt the style of that other designer that has it all together?" "I don't like neutrals, but that's what's on Instagram. Should I just make everything in white???"
STOP.
Instead of focusing on what others have that you don't - ask yourself a few questions and get to know YOURSELF better. Getting to know that insta-famous blogger won't help you find you.
I finally found my personal style by asking myself these questions:
- If I had the capability to live any way I wanted, how would I live?
- Where is my dream place to travel?
- What colors bring me immense happiness? Be specific and write them down.
- What's a common thread among clothing brands I love to wear?
- Why do I love the movies I do?
- What is your clothing style? (I know it's hard, but leave yoga pants out of this equation. Think: date night style).
- Who is my style icon outside the yarn world? What makes that person so special to me?
| I went down a real style rabbit hole, but what these specific questions forced me to do was to assess my own personal likes and dislikes, while eliminating my yarn business from the equation. I just sort of sat with myself and asked - what makes me, me? |
Here's what I came up with:
- I'm a hopeless romanic.
- I love pink, peach, lavender, denim blue, and cream. I LOVE color but only when it's soft, pastel, or muted.
- I've never been to the French countryside but I already know I'd never want to leave.
- I am fascinated by the golden age of Hollywood, vintage cinema, and the intricacies of how movies were made back then. It's one of my lifelong passions and a big part of who I am. (My favorite classes in college were elective film classes but I didn't pursue a career in filmmaking because "it's hard to make a living as an artist" - hahaha!)
- My daily style is casual and classic, in the color palette I prefer. I'm drawn to color more than anything else when examining any item - beyond texture or shape. Color drives me.
- I love mixing a vintage or french inspired element with an otherwise "normal" modern outfit. Like a pink beret with my simple Madewell jeans and a grey sweater.
Nowwwwww it's time to bring it back to yarn.
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