A Tale of Two (or More) Styles
When wading into the world of art, design, and illustration, you hear a lot (A LOT) about finding your style. It’s not something you really think about when you like to casually doodle here and there. I think that most often - to the layman, at least - realism is the standard by which all drawing styles should be measured. How many times have you been with someone when they boldly state they could do “that” when looking at a piece of art or a drawing? And maybe you’ve thought it yourself - I know I have.
But once you decide to get down in the trenches and try to suss out your style…it’s daunting. I liken the feeling to the terror and exhilaration one experiences as a kid when you decide to go down a hill on your Big Wheel. It didn’t seem so steep at first, but when you’re barreling down a slope and the pedals are moving faster than your feet are able to control and you know that this is either going to end with a lesson learned or stitched earned? Yeah, that’s kinda what I’m feeling now. Except there’s less of a chance of a concussion with my situation.
But style is something I’ve always struggled to define for myself, and that’s because I love a lot of different things. My house is a rather blah collection of bland things because the idea of selecting one style of couch or one asthetic for my kitchen is overwhelming. Plus, I have other’s to factor in here and so far no one but myself is on board with blush colored cabinets. Go figure.
There was once this article in Southern Living, like, 12 years ago. The article featured a designer and her house, and her whole approach to style was that she could not choose just one either and so she had worked hard to mash it all together into a beautiful and cohesive space. I LOVED her house. I tried so hard to keep up that particular issue of the magazine, but it has long been gone. But I always remembered that and hoped that one day that could be me.
And I’ve tried to figure it out. It is one of my goals this year to define my wardrobe style, which I like to call mommy chic. I have a Pinterest board about it and everything. So far it’s been hard to purge down to what will fit into this style. I can’t seem to part with my collection of everyday sequins tops that no longer fit but that I hold a hope of fitting into again one day (nevermind the thought of wearing sequins with toddlers sounds like an awful idea).
But even my coffee mugs. I have so many mugs and I love them all. Some, like the ones on the left, all match and have a subtle but classic pattern printed on them and came from Macy’s. And others, like the picture on the right, are a hodgepodge collection of mugs that I’ve picked up along the way here and there just because I like them and came from places like drug stores or discount stores.
Sorry for the terrible pictures - technical difficulties and all that.
The truth is that I enjoy drinking out of the fun cups more because, well, they’re fun. I like seeing glitter float around while sipping my hot beverage and rainbows always make me happy. But I like the idea of the other mugs - the sense of order and stability they convey. The cups on the right feel like someone responsible drinks their coffee out of them. And I might be giving a little too much clout to my coffee mugs here, but this is the epitome of my problem. Am I a glittery, rainbow mug, or a subtle, classic mug? I JUST DON’T KNOW!!
But I think I have begun to narrow down my personal asthetic at least and it’s leaning in a, well, weird direction (which I’m totally OK with). At this moment, if I had to label it, I would say that it’s something like Lisa Frank meets Joanna Gaines (of Magnolia/Fixer Upper fame). Colorful, spunky novelty illustrations meets clean, modern, and comfortable design. Or something along those lines. You know, I’m not exactly sure how those two really go together, but just like the exhilarating part of hurdling down that hill - I’m excited to find out where this will end.