Style Blocks: How to Access Your Personal Style

Hello friends!

Today’s blog is an expansion of this previous post, yet it is also a secret portal to explore your personal style in just a few easy steps.  This exercise takes only a couple of hours, yet it can help clarify how you see yourself, how you make purchasing decisions, and perhaps even what the future holds.  I asked our team to create their own boards, delving into their aspirations for their personal wardrobes and home furnishings.  Since many of them do this every day for our clients’ homes, I wanted to access a more personal side of the team, to glean insight.   As their boards hit my inbox, I was amazed by how distinctive their personal style was and how I could tell who it was just by looking at the board’s contents—it was pretty remarkable!

After they finished the exercise, I asked for their thoughts.  The responses varied, however, one person compared it to creating a vision board, another found it incredibly creative and satisfying, even somewhat spiritual, and another loved accessing this creative self, even doing it during non-working hours!  Pretty high praise for something that seems so simple.

1. Select 2-3 words to describe your style.  These words set a framework for your board.  They also help you determine what you are searching for in your pictures.  Consider your aspirational wardrobe, as well as the home or apartment that you want to come home to.  You can also expand this search beyond these 2 departments, if you desire.

2. Start collecting images.  You can do this digitally (easiest) through Pinterest, favorite websites, print magazines, or catalogues.  Give yourself some time for your search, be leisurely, perhaps with a cup of tea or a glass of wine.  You are in no rush.  I collected my images digitally and then texted them to myself.  It took me about 1.5 hours, and I did not edit yet; I just collected.  I wanted to find items that felt just right, comfortable, and made me smile.  I wanted these items to support my words and also be the best version of myself.  I did not care about the cost of the items; I also did not consider the practicality of the item (like, would my next dog tear it apart). This exercise is beyond the practical; it is aspirational and authentic.

3. Begin placing your images.  You can do this digitally with Canva or PowerPoint, or create a physical collage on a piece of poster board.  Don’t glue anything until the layout feels just right.  Take a look, are you missing anything, like a colorful accessory or your words? A side note about your words: play with the sizing and the font to have the words reflect their own meaning. If you are creating a paper poster, you may need to type your words on the computer, then print and cut them to attach to your board.

4. Decide how you will display.  You can print it and place it near your desk or closet, so that you see it regularly.  You can share on social media if you are feeling brave.  Just remember that this is for you, so that you can recall the real style that you possess. After all, you created this board, which means that you have it in you, even if it starts in your mind.

I believe that activities like this contain magic.  I have seen that magic for myself through visualization, and whether that sounds too woo-woo is completely up to you.  If you decide to do this exercise and would like to share it with me, please email me at stephanie@balancedesignatlanta.com.  I also understand that it may be more personal than sharing.  Nonetheless, I encourage you to have fun with it and see what happens.

Until next week,

Stephanie