Though a different art form, I like to use the jazz dance pioneer, Bob Fosse, as an analogy and inspiration when I think about art styles. Fosse used his so-called "shortcomings" to craft a brand new stye. Instead of the classically required turned-out feet, he had turned-in feet, so he exaggerated the pigeon-toed/knobby-kneed look. He had a bald head, so he made the black bowler hat an icon in his work. He had shoulders that rounded inward, so he purposely exaggerated this by hunching and rolling his shoulders. Instead of forcing himself into something he wasn't, he embraced his "flaws" and used them to his advantage, and now he is famous in the dance world for his style.

Now, even though that's dance and this is visual art, I still like to think about Fosse when thinking about my style development. There are a lot of things I can't do (QUITE a lot), and I'm still working on them, of course, but in the meantime I'm taking the things I CAN do and using them to my advantage. My limitations have forced me to be more creative.

So tell me, how did you develop YOUR style? Did you have to work within any shortcomings? What kinds of choices did you make about your style throughout its development? What things did you find you liked, and what things did you dislike? What were you good at, and not so good at? How did this all roll together into your own unique style?