Do you have a style? You say you don’t? Think again.

Your style is part of everything you make —it's you on paper. Your personality, your point of view, your taste, just like your handwriting or the way you dress. It’s in every line.

Your style is as innate as the quirks you're born with. But you've got to bring it out, sharpen it, and focus it by using it over and over. Each brushstroke and sketch brings it into clearer focus.

You don’t wait to "find" your style before you start creating; you develop it by diving in and expressing yourself.
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So many things can get in the way of our feeling free to be ourselves. Things that we can learn to recognize and get rid of.

Maybe you're avoiding creating because you don't feel skilled or talented enough. You judge what you can do now way too harshly. Alright, your high school art teacher gave you a negative crit—big deal. You can get over it. Don’t give away your omelet pan because you didn't win a James Beard award first day in the kitchen.

Or perhaps you're thinking, “I went to the Whitney Biennial, and everything interesting has already been done." Hogwash. I see you cultivate a style in your daily life—green hair, weird glasses, ankle tattoos —but you just clam up when it comes to your art, afraid of revealing yourself as not being original enough or cool enough or artistic enough. Enough.

Instead, you just end up stifling your creativity by trying too hard to fit in.

Here's the secret: your style emerges when you stop worrying about what others are doing and tune into your inner muse. It already knows where you want to go.

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Ironically, it's the quirky, unusual stuff that's most genuine. That's how we really are, what we truly care about. If you think about it, the weird part isn't our authentic selves—it's the mask we put on to fit in.

Everyone is wonderfully wacky in some way. Some people flaunt their weirdness; others bury them. The ones who embrace their uniqueness end up with the most distinct styles. When you decide to be more you and less like everyone else, you're doing it right.

What do other people comment on about your work? Those are the things that are uniquely you and make your style special. Lean into them.

And remember to keep flavoring your style with a rich soup of diverse experiences and influences. Cool books, fave movies, choice Instagram accounts (I share mine in my Studio Notebook). But don’t worry that you’re stealing. All those things you gravitate towards are just there to help clarify your personal style.

Most importantly, stop sabotaging yourself and create—a lot. You only uncover your style by using it.

Keep experimenting, keep creating, and above all, keep being you. Your style is there—now let it shine.

Your pal,

Danny