I consider myself a creative
Credit
By Taylor Grant
I don’t have a music talent, nor can I draw or paint, but I consider myself a creative because fashion is my art form.
Art is consistently used as an outlet for emotions, as a way to cope, people strongly identify themselves through their art. “I wouldn’t be who I am without my music”; “Music is who I am”. I think the most beautiful aspect of art is that it’s a means of self-expression.
My life consists of me waking up every morning and asking myself who I feel like being today. I ask myself how I’m feeling.
“Do I feel edgy today?”, “Do you I feel sexual?”, “Do I feel masculine?”, “Do I feel dainty?”, “Am I an old soul?”, “Do I feel like a bad bitch?”, “Do I need to be athlete today?”.
When I wake up in the morning, there are just parts that are more emphasized. It changes every day.
I don’t think of myself as only being able to express one part of myself on a given day, that’s not it. Being fluid in self-expression is recognizing that you are whole; a sum of all your different parts. You are not ever just one part and you aren’t limited to only expressing that one part of yourself.
There are so many intricate pieces that contribute to me as a whole, I want to express every part.
I carry around my past selves around with me every day. I wear them proudly. There are days I wake up and I feel like being that insecure tenth grader I used to be. The girl who rocked her American Apparel tennis skirts and was obsessed with Doc Martens. She had a view on fashion that no one else had.
I’m not that girl anymore. I’ve evolved, but that younger version of myself is a big part of my look today. It’s the basis and inspiration for my looks now and moving forward. That’s how to keep parts of yourself alive in your work. It’s how I keep 10th grade Taylor alive in this 22 year old Taylor.
I’ve left that insecure girl behind, but I’ve taken her style with me to this moment. I have found a way to marry these parts of my identity with my clothing. And that’s why I consider fashion to be an art form.
Fashion is a story. For me, I like to tell the story of how I came to be the person I am now and who I’m gonna be later.
It’s how you tell people who you are without speaking. Naturally, people will use their eyes to judge those around them. You can convey a lot of energy to people by the way you carry yourself. Your energy will introduce you before you do. There’s a level of energy that’s based on solely on feelings and vibes, but fashion is part of the visual energy you give off. You can communicate so much of your natural energy and identity by how you choose to dress yourself.
Unlike your music, dance, your writing, or your paintings, you don’t get to walk around with your work. But everyday, you have to dress yourself. You have to leave the house; venture out into the world.
That’s an opportunity to express yourself.
Of course there will be outfits you’ll put together that people won’t fuck with, that’s life. You can’t please everyone. I like to think of it this way:
People will always have something to say about what you’re doing, whether you think you’re doing the right work or not. You could be your highest self and there will still be someone who won’t ride with it. Everything is so subjective; people only understand things from their level of perception. There’s no use devoting time and energy towards changing how people view you. That’s time and energy you can be using to develop your self-concept.
There’s a sort of relief and liberation when you come to this realization. “People will always be talking, I might as well do what I want”. That switch is powerful. There’s no going back when you tap into this mindset, no one can take anything from you.
The feeling of being able to actually express myself freely without fear of judgment or rejection is euphoric. I know a lot of people who never get to this stage in their life. Some of these people might be close to you, they may be people you once knew. They’re the type of people who hate on others with a sense of who they are. In most instances, people like that are projecting. They’ll judge others for doing what they can’t: being brave. I feel for these people.
I won’t sugar coat this, it takes a lot of courage and resilience to be who you are. You have to have a strong sense of self and tough skin. But over the past year, I’ve come to the conclusion that one of my passions is to guide people into this stage. This feeling is so beautiful; it’s the purest form of happiness and I want everyone to experience it. If you get this stage, you’ve made it. I’m really not in competition with anyone. I hope we all make it.
When it comes to inspiration, Teyana Taylor is my girl.
I am in awe of her, mainly because she embodies everything I hope to be. She’s perceived as fluid in terms of her self-expression; she has that masculine swag, but no one can deny that she balances that well with her natural femininity.
You’ll catch her rocking “boyish” outfits; baggy, maybe masculine looks. But her femininity is never questioned because everyone knows she has one of the most banging bodies in the game.
In her every day outfits, she rocks that masculine swag, but for formal events, she adapts into a completely different part of herself. The feminine part. It catches people off guard, they do a double take like, “Is that the same girl?”
This is where I’m inspired by her. I think we have a lot of similarities as people and in terms of fashion. Accurate representation of individuals that I can relate myself to is important.
If you follow my Instagram outfit stories, you’ll notice that during the week, I’m chilling in my baggy, masculine, and tougher looks. I’m all about expressing that fluidity; getting in touch with that masculine part of my identity. But when the weekend rolls around, or if I wake up one morning during the week feeling sensual, I’ll showcase that in my clothing. I’ll switch up on people and remind them that I’m more than just that girl with the swag, I’m also a woman with a body I’ve worked hard for. I have no problem showing it off.
There was a time when I posted a picture where I was wearing a body contouring dress, posing in a more conventional feminine way. Someone told me they saw the picture and didn’t even know it was me. They were taken back because people don’t usually see me like that; for them, it’s out of character. I’m not known or perceived as your traditional girl. I like to keep people guessing.
I think people confuse wearing baggy clothing with insecurity. There’s this idea that if you wear baggy clothing, it must be because you’re not comfortable displaying your assets. You’re not comfortable in your body; you’re trying to hide it. That’s not it. For me, I am very confident in my body. I work hard for it, I’m proud of it. The reality of it is, form fitting clothing isn’t always the most comfortable. I like to be comfortable. But don’t get me wrong, sometimes I’ll sacrifice comfort to look on point. Sometimes beauty is pain, though for the most part, I like to be physically comfortable. Since fashion is a big part of my self expression, I don’t like letting myself go like that. It is very possible to still serve looks in comfier clothing, or even in your chill athletic clothes.
It’s a challenge, but it’s situations like that that will help build your creativity.
My advice to anyone trying to expand their creativity when it comes to fashion is simple. Your style is linked to your identity so figure out who you are as a person right now. Who are you now compared to who you want to be? Write it down. If there’s a significant difference between the person you are now and the person you want to be, don’t be discouraged. That distance should inspire you. “Okay, I have some work to do”. There is nothing wrong with that.
Naturally as you come into yourself as a person, yourself expression should follow. As you become more secure in who you are, you’ll want to express that person.
If you’re looking to up your outfit game, but maybe don’t have the money to buy new clothes, go through your wardrobe. What pieces do you wear the most frequently? What pieces are in your closet just to hoard, but you haven’t worn in years? Take the clothes you don’t wear and find a way to give them a new life. A great way to develop your creativity is finding a way to style items you don’t wear often. If that means you have to distress it or make it a completely different piece, then do that. Don’t stick to what you know, experiment with different pieces; different aesthetics.
That’s how to develop your platform, you make it bigger.
And most importantly: Don’t forget to stand tall. Your confidence is what will sell your look, not the other way around.
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