Five questions to ask yourself if you want to develop style.

Style is something you seek I think. There is some in all of us to be sure. We have a natural affinity towards that which makes us feel like ourselves. Developing style though takes some intention and some effort.

There are all kinds of style. It can be in your home, in the way you dress, the way you create. I think if you can develop style in any one of those areas you can develop it in another.

Style is at first about intentionality. It is only after you have developed your style that it becomes effortless. Effortless style is built on years of practice. It happens after everything is in place for you to choose the elements that work well together. 

For example in rug making that would mean you built your stash, you have made lots of rugs you like, you have asked yourself all the right questions. So what are the questions? Well there are many, but here are just a few questions that I think are important to ask yourself if you are interested in developing your own style:

What do I love?

What colours am I attracted to?

What about my story is unique?

What materials do I love to work with?

How is my work different from others?

Answering these questions won't give you your own style, but they are a beginning to the story of your style. And these are not the only questions. You have to know yourself, observe yourself and act upon it. This is the initial part of developing style. It is as much about self reflection as it is about making and creating. I asked myself these questions as I was making, but also as I was going about my daily life. When I walked into a room and it felt cold to me, I would ask myself why? When I walked into a place and it felt good to me, I would ask myself why? And in my head I would take note of it.

I began really thinking about what I loved and brought that to my work. Slowly bit by bit, my style developed and evolved. It is still evolving. Every time I hook a mat some little thing happens that is different than before. Style is ongoing. As long as I keep taking things, seeing the new in the world around me, it will keep growing. So I think of that as my job really, to take in new thoughts and ideas and slowly process them so that I will evolve and my style will too.

I think these questions are good for whatever area you want to develop style in. It is about knowing yourself and knowing what it is you like and pursuing that. I never think of style as shallow. It is something that when done right comes from deep with in us. It is us being and showing ourselves, and when style is done right, it is us showing our true selves.