DAKOTA RICHTER
Special to The Leader
With art being such a wide form of creativity, there are many ways someone can express themselves.
Fredonia freshman Rowan Brown, an art history major, has expressed her creativity in many different ways, but it took her a while to find out what her preferred form of expression was.
“I’m not sure what I want to do,” Brown said. “… I’m just starting off and learning from other people. In the future, I want to start my own business or gallery.”
Brown originally wanted to be an art teacher, as art has always been a part of her life. Her father, who is also artistic, would draw for her when she was younger.
“I was [originally] in early childhood education,” Brown said. “But I didn’t like how conforming the program was and how I couldn’t express myself.”
For Brown, the normal classroom setting wasn’t what she needed to express her creativity. The idea of following set curriculums and following standardized testing did not excite her. This led Brown to lose interest in teaching for the time being, but she expressed that maybe down the road she could be an art teacher.
After coming to the realization that this major was no longer for her, she had a mental breakdown. Brown was scared to make a switch to a new major. It wasn’t until a close friend of hers gave her the courage to do so.
After switching to art history, she realized that it was a better fit. Besides being able to express her creativity through her major, Brown also expresses it through clothing.
“When I was younger it was ‘Fashions by Rowans’ my parents called it,” Brown said.
The environment her parents created allowed her to freely express herself. She would play dress up in her mom’s clothes and fancy heels. She recalled how her mother when she was her age had a punk look. Brown is helping her mom get back into fashion. Brown’s mother has told her she is happy that she doesn’t conform to society’s standards.
“During quarantine, I realized I needed to stop caring about social norms and insecurities,” Brown said. “… I bought my first pair of baggy pants.”
Brown has always enjoyed fashion. She can be seen around campus wearing long jean shorts cut from pants and shirts that have the neckline cut off. Most of her clothes are inexpensive, secondhand finds.
“I live at the thrift store,” Brown said. “I personally can’t spend money at the mall.”
Being a college student, clothes are the last thing on our budgeting sheet. In today’s social media driven economy, any clothes that are trending can become expensive, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
Brown gets most of her clothes from the thrift store, as it’s a sustainable and inexpensive option. Even if it’s not something wearable off the rack, Brown has often upcycled clothes and altered them into new garments.
Fredonia students can thrift at the Salvation Army in Dunkirk, or some other locations in the village. If you feel like traveling, Brown recommends visiting AMVETS thrift store in Buffalo.
“[I define my style as] thrifted hobo chic and a little bit of fairy — don’t even know what to call it,” Brown said. “One day, I will be an all black vampire, and the next day I want to be a fairy.”
When talking about what her style is, Brown says it can be polar opposites of each other. One day, she’ll feel like wearing something more baggy, free-flowing and the next she will wear something that has more of a color pop to it.
Brown has expressed how she has seen some good fashion around campus. Fashion for her is a fun and creative outlet.
If you don’t see Brown looking at Renaissance/medieval art or wearing hobo chic clothing with a mix of fairy, you can definitely see her expressing her creativity elsewhere.
“Recently, I have been into painting,” Brown said. “I like mixing media and magazines.”
Being an art history major has helped Brown express and push her creativity further. Brown has found herself with some new hobbies that include painting surrealistic and unrealistic portraits. In her recent work, she’s been experimenting with shading and blending techniques.
Brown said if she could go back and tell her younger self one thing, it would be:
“Thank you for being you and being crazy. Thank you for not being anyone else and genuine and stepping out of the box and not caring what people say.”
If you are interested in receiving fashion advice from Brown, you can direct message her on Instagram at @rowoowwan, or by emailing us with any inquiries at leader@fredonia.edu.
Fash Forward Tip:
“Think outside the box. You [will be] a lot more creative about an outcome. … A dress can be turned into a two-piece or into a shirt. Do what makes you feel good and disregard all the trends.”