A Method to Madness. Defining the ‘How’s & Why’s’ of Personal Style

Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.

-Pablo Picasso

We hear this phrase over and over, “don’t follow fashion; just follow your own personal style”. For some people this works out great. For others… not so much. But why? What is that secret ingredient some people have that seems to be beyond the grasp of others. What exactly is the mystical ‘it’? A more refined taste? A better sense of fashion? A sense of humor? What is it that creates the difference between a trendsetter and an accidental fool at a Clown College audition? (Note: No offense is intended here to the Honorable Tradition that is the ‘Fool’.)

Continue to read this article on MNSWR.com

We can actually see this same situation happening with almost anything in life were someone refuses to follow the Norm’. Some just make it work, and some fail miserably. But why? What is that intangible aspect that makes a great designer, a great artist, or a great rebel? The answer is actually simpler than what you might think, yet one that so many people refuse to acknowledge.

You have to Learn and Understand the very rules you refuse to follow.

Let’s start by understanding the concept of ‘rules’. All rules follow two components, the How (the actual rule) and the Why (what caused the rule). Look at some simple examples of everyday life. The reticular layouts of most European cities are the result of establishing cannon fire lanes while the maze like layout of most Asian cities was to delay assaults to the heart of the central castles. A simple act like pulling a chair out or opening a door for a lady were the results of helping out a woman wearing an overly elaborate dress, so elaborate that these tasks were difficult without assistance. Even Manners and Etiquette are the result of Military Codes of Conduct applied to social life in attempts to establish some order to a chaotic world. Yes, the original Mr. Manners were the Gentleman who carried swords and killed people for a living.

Even Manners and Etiquette are the result of Military Codes of Conduct applied to social life in attempts to establish some order to a chaotic world.

The danger of challenging the rules comes when we lose focus of the ‘Why’. We tend to keep conventionalism simply because ‘that’s how it has always been done.’ We repeat the same thing every day, or take up the same stance on a subject, or behave in a specific manner just because we train ourselves to follow those actions, without really thinking why we do them. Some find comfort on that predictability, using it as a shield against the randomness of life. And again, there’s nothing inherently bad about it, just as long as you understand why you are doing it. It’s when you are doing it out of the ignorance of not knowing better, where you run a true danger to your soul.

Others simply refuse to follow the ‘norm’, and challenge that what has been laid before them. Although challenging preconceived idealisms is an honorable endeavor, doing so out of ignorance will achieve very little. Only by understanding the ‘Why’, challenging the rules becomes validated.

You want to follow or create your own rules? Make sure to deal with the ‘Why’ of the rule.

So what does that have to do with personal design and style? EVERYTHING. You want to follow or create your own rules? Make sure to deal with the ‘Why’ of the rule. Picasso didn’t wake up one day and head off to the closest Junkyard to make art. Salvador Dali didn’t just decide to start painting melting watches. If you see the early works of both, they actually started with rather traditional styles. It was their understanding of the rules, and how to properly challenge them, that made them great.

Learn and understand the ‘Why’s. Question the ‘How’s. See what works for you, what you need, and what you’re interested in. Apply this mentality to everything you do and everything you touch. As a result you will inevitably develop your own rules and your own style. As a result there will be a Method to your own Madness, and better yet, it will work.

This article was written for MNSWR.com

Written by Mr. Eduardo Garcia
Illustration by Mr. Hilbrand Bos