Who am I? and to which icon is this a little homage to?

Bet you didn't think my Dundee Cake would end up looking like this!

One of the tricks to finding your style is apparently to define who you  are - what your personality is - and allow that to come out in your work.

This is something of a challenge for me! I once did a full Myers-Briggs type indicator test as part of a high level training course for work. Before you receive the computer analysis of your response you have to do a quick verbal Q&A version with the assessor. Of the four indicators, my verbal version came out opposite to my computer version on three and the fourth indicator (where I matched) was the indicator on which I was, according to the computer, the least firmly placed. The assessor said that either I really was a very flexible person or I didn't know myself very well!

I think it's a little bit of both (unhelpfully). I certainly know myself better now, but I think years of working to other people's expectations and putting other people first (parents, customers, line managers, spouse, children..... one is brought up not to put oneself first), means I cannot always say what I would do or how I would react in situations if it was entirely my choice. As soon as someone else is in the equation, perhaps it changes.

So when working on my own personal style, trend research is actually quite distracting, as can looking at other people's work sometimes be. And when you add in all the various possibilities in terms of medium (pen, pencil, watercolour, oil pastels - my current voyage of exploration - photography, pencil crayon, stitch), then add in all the wonderful possibilities for developing those in Photoshop and Illustrator, it is perhaps no wonder that I am taking so long over this.

Have you got the answer to the question in the title of today's post yet?

Damien Hirst. Icon because (although I don't like or indeed sometimes see the point of some of his work - 'Three ball 50.50 tank' for example, and I query whether his 'spot' paintings can in fact, really be called his since they mostly weren't done by him anyway)

• I think he knows who he is! Yet he doesn't restrict himself to one genre or style - pickled animals, bronze sculptures and spot paintings - some contrasting elements there, for sure!
• His work is thoughtful & explores ideas whether I appreciate those thoughts & ideas or not
• For this quote: "Art goes on in your head. If you said something interesting, that might be a title for a work of art and I'd write it down. Art comes from everywhere. It's your response to your surroundings. There are on-going ideas I've been working out for years, like how to make a rainbow in a gallery. I've always got a massive list of titles, of ideas for shows, and of works without titles."
• and this one, when he wrote to other artists asking for contributions of art for a charity auction: “I remember when I couldn’t give my art away, it wasn’t long ago either. What is there left to say? Money is a key and what we raise from this auction will make a huge difference for a lot of people. It’s great to be able to give something back and make a difference.” 

What do you think?

Catherine