When I entered college in 2014 I was naïve. I was underdeveloped. I wasn't anywhere near the person I am today. But that is why young people are full of potential. The duty bestowed upon a young individual is to convert that potential into kinetic energy - to make something of themselves. I had interests back then, I've always been interested in cars and sports and politics. I had some knowledge and some experience. But I had little direction. I knew what I needed to do but I didn't know what I wanted to do. I knew what the world told me I needed to be, but I didn't know who I wanted to be.
When I met Zach I was a Sophomore in college, but when I really met him, I was a Junior. Coming off a devastating breakup, he was there as a true, genuine friend, no strings attached, no biases, no barriers. Zach is an introvert, like myself, and introverts channel their quiet focus into interests and introspection, sometimes singularly and even sometimes detrimentally. He'd spent years developing his interest in clothing and music - he had style and he knew what he liked. I listened. As the Desiderata says, "speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others." The truth was, I didn't know what kind of clothing I wanted to wear, what kind of style I wanted to embody, what kind of music I wanted to listen to, what kind of music spoke to me. He helped me with that. He told me I should pay attention to what people wore, what pieces of clothing I liked separately from the whole. Once I'd done this I could try to think about how things would go together and what sort of style I wanted to embody.
In 2017 I went to Seattle on business, and there I met up with my mentor and friend, Ken. He'd just gone through a devastating divorce so we mourned the loss of our relationships together, and spoke at length about what it meant to be a young man in this world. Ken is cool. He's strong and smart and handsome. He has a solid career and solid morals. He's kind and attentive. He's helpful and altruistic. He's a guy I want to be like, and luckily for me, he's a guy who I can model myself after. That week in Seattle, I took a close look at what kind of clothing he wore, what his style was. He wore dark blue jeans, fitted but not skinny. They were fitted cause he worked his legs in the gym. He wore plain colored T shirts - white, black, grey, sometimes with a small design. They weren't tight to his body except around his arms and his upper chest and back. This again, was a product of careful and disciplined work in the gym, as well as pickiness with fitment. He always had a fresh pair of shoes, Nike's and Adidas, and a fresh haircut, a fade, with the top a little longer. To this day I can remember that level of detail because I named the style Modern Athletic and modeled my style based on it ever since.
In 2016 I'd met Daniel at an internship. Among many other competencies, he was THE music guy. He had a serious passion for speakers and sound systems. He shared music constantly and relentlessly, proclaiming who his favorite artists were, but always with an open mind to new sounds. I didn't know what I liked. I listened to Drake's Pandora station at the gym or old Linkin Park songs that I grew up on. Music wasn't a part of my life - it was an accessory, not a staple. He and Zach bonded quickly over music and since I admired those guys so much I listened, once again. They opened my eyes to a world I had no idea about. They listened to albums straight through and talked about what the artist might have been trying to capture with the entire album, not just a song. I was struck by this analytical and exciting approach to music. They loved different genres. They loved odd sounds. They loved things that I had never heard of. And they listened to music in all settings, all the time. There was music for all occasions, and of course with Daniel, speakers for all rooms to make it possible.
In the almost 5 years since we've all been friends, Daniel and Zach have helped me develop an artistic repertoire. Those first two years with them it was all discovery. Discovery of new music, of brands, of artists, of styles. The next two years were all development. Expanding upon the baseline that they helped establish. Finding new artists on my own. Developing my vision for a certain "look". And now it is definition - defining what I like down to a tee, artistically in the wholistic sense. And enjoying the fruits of this labor as well as the progression of the passion.
Here are some of the most important things the guys taught me:
2. Find artists that sound similar to one you like but maybe with slight differences. Then with an open mind, repeat the same process of listening and saving.
3. If someone says you may like a song, trust them. Try it. Try new genres. And give things multiple attempts.
4. Think about music like literature or cinema. Everything is done intentionally with artistry. There's something to learn or be found.
5. Find items of clothing you like, objectively, like a hoodie or a pair of shoes. Match the rest of the outfit to those items.
6. Pay attention to how the combinations go together and then hone in on the base layers that you feel you look good in - a certain style or brand of jeans, shoes, or shirts.
7. Buy in bulk (Daniel specialty), if you like a brand or style, get 4 of the same jeans or shirt, like H&M or Uniqlo.
8. Develop your style, and ask yourself what that style is. Then continuously adapt, modify and improve it. Have an open mind.
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