This month, I want to explore why embracing individuality is a lifelong journey.

I’ve been talking to quite a few followers on Instagram lately about the evolution of my design style. Our new house has come as quite a surprise to some readers. Last week, I spoke with a woman who told me she was “in horror” as I shared the new home, wondering how or why anyone would select a house like ours. And then to hear I wanted to EMBRACE the quirks our home presented? That made her uncomfortable too.

I’ve spoken with many readers who are confused to see me embracing color and texture in pattern, and moving away from the minimal style that was so prevalent in our last house. Yet as I look back at images I’ve saved, this evolution was coming all along. It wasn’t a sudden change—it was years in the making. In fact, I’ve found screenshots and saved pins of peach, yellow, green, blue, and tomato red decor, dating all the way back to before August was born four years ago.

So why now? Why, this year, do I suddenly feel as if I have permission to indulge the side of me that clearly wanted to embrace a new style? Why this year, of all years, do I feel so emboldened to try things that would have otherwise scared me? In a time when everything feels at stake, is embracing our individuality an act of self-preservation? 

Why this year, of all years, do I feel so emboldened to try things that would have otherwise scared me? In a time when everything feels at stake, is embracing our individuality an act of self-preservation? 

This month I’d love for you to ask yourself what it means to embrace your sense of individuality. What life events helped you shed beliefs about yourself that were not in line with who you are at your core? How has the year 2020 offered up a new opportunity for you to take up space and use your voice? What are some unexpected ways you found empowerment through being different, through going against the grain, through finding the confidence to simply be OK with who you are, without needing validation from others?

There’s no question that this theme is directly correlated to the October theme of self-confidence. Without self-confidence, we are merely playing versions of ourselves or trying on costumes that don’t quite fit as comfortably as they would on our authentic selves. And in the month ahead, I want to talk about how we reap the benefits when we know our value, and how we can make room for ourselves to be truly who we are, even in the face of people who don’t necessarily agree with us, our decisions, or our lifestyles.

In November, our contributors will be sharing tips for breaking out of your style rut, once and for all. They’ll be writing about how you can advocate for your needs in a relationship, how to learn to listen to your intuition, and the top mental survival tools they’re taking into this winter. I’ll be revealing the new paint color in our (formerly) yellow room and, as we move into the holiday season and begin to share our gift recommendations with you all, I’ll also be sharing how I’m approaching gifting even more mindfully this year. We can’t wait to share all of this and more with you in the weeks to come.

This month, and in all the months ahead, how can we embrace the truest versions of ourselves, more authentically than ever before?

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Kate Arends

Kate is the founder of Wit & Delight. She is currently learning how to play tennis and is forever testing the boundaries of her creative muscle. Follow her on Instagram at @witanddelight_.