Style and Reinvention

Having a bit of a break from things is always a good way to have a little mental tidy up and also to have a bit of a creative exploration without any pressure. Reading a magazine in the bath yesterday, I was struck by the fact that most successful designers/makers have a particular style that makes them instantly identifiable. In wondering which direction to go myself, it got me thinking, did I have a style?

In short the answer is no. I do exactly that. I sew stuff. I make stuff. My tastes and what I decide to make very much reflect my mood on the day or what has been sparking my imagination that week. Some days I can be steampunk, others, vintage, flowery, retro, girly, manga, Victorian, shabby chic, burlesque or modern. It varies as much as the play list on my ipod which ranges from Metallica to New Kids on the Block, Tchaikovsky to Swedish House Mafia and Professor Elemental. That's just me.

So is my lack of a signature style a problem? I know of people that are very much into their chosen genre, sometimes at the exclusion of anything else. And they can be possessive about it too. I suppose we've all been there though. I remember when I was in my teens and music was everything, that you couldn't listen to Indie and Metal, couldn't like Blur and Oasis. Yet its the merging of styles that often progresses things. Recently I saw someone one Facebook complaining that their retro event was being invaded by youth, jumping on the bandwagon. The suggestion was that they should go and find their own thing. Yet without the injection of newcomer, of new blood, it all becomes staid, it won't move on. Music wouldn't be the rich variety we are now blessed with if different genres hadn't meshed together over the years.

I tend to cherry pick. I take the bits I like from certain styles without getting to heavily into it. But that's just the way I am. I know a little about a lot, I'm a jack of all trades. Maybe one day, all of the different elements will mold together into a signature style for me. But that won't come if its forced, it needs to be organic. If I was looking to set up a global enterprise then I appreciate that a signature style would be useful, if not essential. But I'm not. I'm a backroom crafter, doing what I do and loving what I do. And that's more important than anything else.

Coming up..( if this isn't making a rod for my own back I don't know what is!)
Outfits for a Mad Hatters Tea Party
and
A Minnie Mouse themed Birthday party.