Hey guys, you get a two for one deal today with this post! Im going to be showing you my “OOTD” and talking about the importance of being “unconventionally you”.

One of my very favorite words, is unconventional. This is a word that can be applied to fashion, art in all aspects, and yourself. If we do a quick google search of the word we find in fact it is an adjective meaning: “not based on or conforming to what is generally done or believed”.

This is an extremely important concept in the art world, it is always important to reach for beyond what has already been done. Of course everyone pulls inspiration from everyone else, that’s just the way life works, but it’s what you do with that inspiration that can make an extraordinary difference.

At the age of 16 I haven’t really changed anything, so I’m definitely not the most valid source in terms of knowing what I’m talking about, but in my short time on Earth I have picked up some knowledge on “not conforming”.

For some reason there’s such an ugly stigma associated with that saying. I can just see the conservative, country loving teen insulting such a thought, but here’s one thing for you to chew on:

WHO THE HELL CARES

Which brings me to the very first motto of this lesson WHO THE HELL CARES. Wear a frying pan on your head if it makes you happy, dye your teeth blue just cause. When I was in elementary school I would wear striped tights under my capris and tie a bandanna around my leg because I thought I was the 1980s kid star “Punky Brewster”. I’m sure my classmates thought I was crazy, and maybe I was, but if I had never dressed like that I wouldn’t be the me I am today. THAT is what you must always remember, make every decision in your life based on what you want and what you think, never what anyone else thinks. People will begin to catch on to the fact that you don’t give a single shit what they think of you, plus I guarantee the people who appreciate you will outweigh the ones who question you.

Here I will take a brief intermission in this life lesson to talk about my outfit. I would like to point out this outfit is staying very true to my blog name. The statement piece of this outfit is, in my opinion, this colorful tweed jacket, which I purchased from a consignment store, but it is originally from Express. The top and necklace are both from Zara, and the black pencil skirt with over-exaggerated pockets is from H&M (it’s very comfy may I add). Lastly, I purchased the shoes at Savers a couple years ago. I originally wore this for a “Heathers” costume, but I felt the yellow pulled out the bright colors in the jacket/ blazer. 

Now for the final motto of what I have coined the unconventional challenge, as of 5 seconds ago, is: FUCK IT.

Now is the time to start doing everything that you want to do, without hesitation, without a fear of what people think. Push yourself to try new things, to dress differently than your friends, to sit down and write those poems you were too afraid people would say are “weird”.

I can say without a doubt, the best thing you can ever do for yourself is to stop caring what people think, and to start understanding how uniquely you can think. I challenge you to one unconventional project a month. One month of wearing ONLY thrift store clothes, one month of sewing your own clothes, one month of writing the weirdest short stories you can possibly think of, one month of just painting with the color blue. Those are only suggestions, but really, dig into the deepest corners of your mind and unconventionally find yourself.

Great things, extraordinary things, and never-before-seen things will only ever come out if you are unconventionally you.

Images via Riley Halliday