Personalize Everything You Own or Die With Nothing to Your Name

Someone commented the title of this post on a Substack post I read recently that got me reflecting on how I authentically express myself in the age of micro-trends, new “___” cores coming out of the woodwork, and the desire to stand out being at the forefront of individual expression. The post made me smile when I looked at my surroundings. Everywhere I look—from my room, my clothing choices, or my phone case—I see parts of who I am scattered. I feel proud knowing that everywhere I go, I’m carrying something that reflects me or one of my interests.

I hadn’t realized how much of a gift it is to be able to love your interests loudly without downplaying them. It could be something that’s deemed as “basic”—but does that matter if you love it? Satiating an internal want to “stand out” or be viewed as “different” is the exact thing preventing people from expressing themselves authentically—or developing superiority complexes around the one thing that is unique to every individual: taste. One of the most fascinating things about taste is the way you can have a million of the same interests as someone, but you’ll both have your own methods of expressing your passion towards them—so long as it feels true to you.

If there’s one thing I don’t get tired of, it’s sharing the passion I have towards my interests with others in some capacity. Whether that’s through writing, a 10-minute tangent mid-conversation with someone, or through personal style. It’s what helps me stay me. I started to find a lot of comfort in freely expressing my interests throughout COVID lockdown—no matter what they were. I reignited a lot of my childhood interests that I realized I had felt shame for liking back then, and loving them freely as an adult felt like discovering them for the first time. Practically everyone knows how much I love Sonic and Pokemon now, from the way I express it in my clothing choices, home decoration, or stupid memes I put on my Instagram story. I’m even obsessed with my own name. I remembered a project I had in third grade a few weeks ago, I had to name and draw a map to an imaginary island. I called mine ‘Izzyland’. I think that was subtle foreshadowing to how I put my name on everything that I customize now—from my tote bag, t-shirts, or my bedroom wall decoration (I spelled IZZY out of Zoolander movie posters).

I had written about my habits as a consumer in the past, and I realize that the more in-tune I am with my passions or interests that feel true to me, the less desire I have to mindlessly consume. It goes to show how personalization can help push you past what’s fleeting. In a way, it’s rebelling against participating in trends that drive over-consumption and prevent discovering true expression.

The real underlying beauty of personal expression is that while sharing your interests, you are subtly sharing part of your emotional history. Even when you’re wearing something just because you like it as the only reason behind it is you being honest about what you love. Not to state the obvious, but personalization has never been about being different—it’s just about being your true self. The greatest sources of inspiration can come from what’s already in front of you, it could be people who pass you on the street, a pre-existing interest, or an interest you may have forgotten that you love. Music, movies, childhood memories, friends, family, or pop culture icons…the list goes on.

Personalizing everything, whether it’s what you wear or use, where you live, or how you speak about what you love—in a way that feels authentic to you—is exactly how you stand out in the generation that wants nothing more than to stand out. The feeling of joy that comes from personal expression is what keeps you grounded, reminding you of who you are when you are your most comfortable and passionate self.