What Is Style?

To me, style is everywhere. It's in literature. It's in music. It's found in magazines, newspapers, and even in fashion. I think style is a personal choice--to create your own or follow a pre-existing example. The quote "often imitated, never duplicated" came to mind when I thought about style, because I think everyone has their own effects on what they do. I don't think this is a bad thing, I feel that there are many generic guidelines and "rules" that are generally followed or adhered to, and then there's just that little bit of self-expression.

Of course, I guess depending on what you're going to do, you can play up or take out the self-expression, and it can be different in various aspects. That becomes the beauty in style--my style of fashion may not correlate to my style of writing...or it could. I think the fact that style is ever-changing and evolving makes it important for everyone to understand the basics, but also understand the vast territory that can be explored.