One of the most impressive hallmarks of an artist with no equal is a style they cultivate over time. For example, famous painters or singers whose work you can tell immediately without seeing the authorship note. Some of this style is pre-given, as a singer might be able to use their voice in a given way. Still, the vocal cords are tangible and physical, and will produce a particular kind of sound most naturally.

Yet it’s also true that various aspects of your style can be practiced and focused on if you give yourself the space to shape them. But again, if you want to be known, bringing in something new and identifiable isn’t something a guide can teach you. It’s a journey of self-discovery.

There are certainly principles that might help you on that path. In this post, I’ll discuss how to find your style within your chosen art form and how to avoid getting in your way as you do so:

Let Influences Soak In Without Copying Them Directly

When you’re just starting with writing, painting, making music, or whatever your thing is, it’s incredibly natural to lean on the stuff you love. You might write lyrics that sound like your favourite band or sketch something that’s a spin on someone else’s piece, but through your own hands. That’s not stealing, unless you try to pass something off as yours, but it’s part of how you absorb the craft. For instance, Oasis is well-known as a huge Beatles fan.

This usually happens when, over time, you start drifting away from the direct echoes of what you’ve taken in, and those influences settle in the background like seasoning onto your main course.

Let Your Limitations Work For You & Not Against You

There’s something quietly liberating about realising that the things you can’t do well can help you build a more original style. If you can’t sing like Beyoncé, draw hands convincingly, or write without breaking every grammar rule, that’s not a problem unless you make it one. 

Some of the most recognisable voices out there don’t have technical precision. Still, they have a sound that fans love, and they can continually refine their craft. Sometimes limitation is a good thing.

Don’t Edit The Weird Stuff Out

There’s a pretty big reason the lo-fi trend has been keeping on for years now. It’s because little elements in art, such as a piece of writing, a melody, or even a visual, that feel just a bit offbeat or fuzzy, can often feel like the best part. The parts where you didn’t quite smooth the edge, followed a tangent, or repeated a phrase more than what’s considered “good form” allow you to avoid the machine-tooled-like approach that some commercial art gets.

You can over-edit a thing into flatness if you’re not careful, especially with pop music or anything meant to be accessible; there’s a temptation to strip things down until they’re shiny and palatable but not all that personal anymore. Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” was well received not just because of the beat or the phrasing; personality was bleeding through it, and Miley’s voice conveys depth. There’s a good reason Ron Perry helped bring that vision into sharper focus, because knowing what to leave in is wisdom in an art form like that.

Stop Worrying If It’s “Original” And Make It Yours

Originality is overrated if you’re trying to chase it like a badge, as any artist out there will be more than happy to tell you what influences truly pushed them along the way. The weird truth is that most people can spot authenticity faster than originality.

If it sounds like you meant it, if it looks like it came from your actual perspective, that’s the art people come back to. You could use the most common chord progression in the world or a subject covered a thousand times, but still make it yours by how you frame it. I can promise that songs about heartbreak and love will continue to resonate years from now, so don’t be afraid to sing from the heart.

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