Quirky Cool

BE UNIQUE

Image is something we portray to the rest of the world. It's gets us attention - good or bad - and it's important to have one if we want to be remembered.

Dennis Rodman is an example of someone being very out-there with his look. Madonna obviously had a massive influence on him back in his rookie days when he took her advice 'image is everything' to new levels by stepping up on his wardrobe and body art transformations. 

So many of us are just trying to fit in. Many tend to go for very plain and uninteresting/non-fashion clothing/hair styles - that signals to others that they have little to offer with their creativity and maybe their personalities too. Others will follow a trend that appears to be adorned by the fashionably cool trendsetters of which they want to be associated with - to better help bolster their own unimaginative image presence and cover up for any insecurities they may have.

One such trend at the moment is to wear new jeans with a purpose made rip in the knees. I've seen it everywhere over the last year and it's now become so prevalent that I find it really hard to believe so many would want to be seen to be like sheep following a trend that has really become so untrendy. 

It's odd that just having a couple of rips in jeans, no matter what the variation is, can be all that's needed to make someone feel like they are making a statement or adversely, easily fitting in to an established trend. It was Malcolm Gladwell in his book 'The Tipping Point', that highlighted the phenomena of having the masses who pick up on trends after the Maverns and early adopters have taken something unique and quirky which then becomes mainstream. This rip trend, which re-surfaces from time to time - has surely long surpassed the stages of the early adopters and yet shows no signs of waning...

We can't all be be trend-setters but we can still be different in our own unique way to avoid being lost as the herd. This is why having a constant assessment on ones image is essential if we wish to remain out-there as one of the truly inspirational and quirky-cool mavericks. 

A Bit of Mad Is Good

BONKERS

As mad as a Hatter. Mental. Loopy. These are terms usually given to people who are unsound of mind. These words can also be used to describe those who are obviously - through their physical appearance, differences in character, attitudes or through the herd mentality generally considered to be not 'normal'. Normal to me means being a conformist. ie. doing things that the majority of others do. Great achievers do not conform.

We are all unique in our own special way and beneath the veneer of our outward facing appearance - all potentially stark raving mad. But we're concerned about appearances and how we're perceived by others. We want to fit in. It takes the likes of artist, Grayson Perry to give us a slap around the face and wake us up to the fact that we've become so over-conscious about what others think that a lot of us live uncomfortable conformist lives away from our true selves. This great Channel 4 documentary looking at 21st century tribes talks about identity based on isolation and fear.

Genius And Madness
It's been said before that genius and madness are closely connected and if we look back through history, we can see clear connections of genius relating to the (ASD) autism spectrum disorder. Great minds that have devoted their lives to bringing a wealth to the human race include Albert Einstein, Leonardo Da Vinci, Alan Turing, Steve Jobs, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, likely Bill Gates and there's many others that could be considered this way too.

One thing that stands out with these famous people is that they stayed true to what they believed in, despite being ridiculed, fought against and laughed at for their outlandish beliefs. We should embrace our eccentricities, our quirks, our colourful, interesting, creative character traits. They make us who we are and form our true identity.

In our struggle for acceptance, we compromise our true selves to fit in with what we're led to belief is the normal way to live. But if we want to live a life true to our desires and beliefs, we should consider following our paths towards happiness and fulfilment through expression. I like these two quotes:

'The most beautiful and complex artwork we can make is our identity' Grayson Perry
'First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win' - Mahatma Gandhi