Fashion as a Medium of Self Expression

“Seek the fashion which truly fits and befits you. You will always be in fashion if you are true to yourself, and only if you are true to yourself. You might, of course, rightly wear that style which is emblazoned on the fashion magazines of the day, or you might not.” -Maya Angelou
Other than fashion, what medium(s) do you choose for self-expression and why?
Coco Chanel stated, “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” In a time when self-expression through dress is stifled through dress codes, dressing to impress, and uniforms, a need to stay true to oneself and express moods and emotions in other forms becomes even stronger. Music is multi-faceted and diverse. It allows me with a way to express myself when words fail or when no one is listening. Tolstoy said that, “music is the shorthand of emotion.” Whether I chose to listen to hardcore metal to keep me motivated, hip-hop when I am feeling happy, Jack Johnson when I am mellow, or classical to complete long car drives with, music is always there for me. It also allows me to connect with others. In an era of technology, music is readily accessible and I am always able to find something to suit me. As a musician, who has learned to play a variety of instruments, I have the freedom to also create music to express myself. If we listen closely, music is always around us. It is in the car next to us at a stop light with the window down, it’s in the note written between two people newly in love, and if we listen closely enough it’s in the wind, trees, traffic and silence. The only difference with unwritten music is it is up to us to write the words to fit. If we chose to listen to what’s there we can create a song, a masterpiece that is an original piece that is our heart written on our sleeve willing the universe to listen and look deeper to find out the real definition of me.