I have a lot of horizontal-striped shirts. And I mean a lot.

It’s pretty much the only type of shirt I wear. It sounds boring, but I love it. And it’s not just stripes, it’s specifically horizontal stripes, not vertical ones. And yes, there is a big difference.

I do a lot of things most people would consider plain or unimaginative, like wear the same shoes every day or do my hair the same way every day. But it’s not that I’m unimaginative, at least I don’t think so, but rather that I am content with being a normal and predictable human being who expresses his creativity in other ways.

Unfortunately, society and pop culture seem to imply that being a normal and predictable human being entails being boring and dull. I don’t think I’m either of those, but I could be wrong. The point is, our culture has made conformity a thing to be fought against and repelled. But, is conformity really such a bad thing?

Let me be clear up front. I have no qualms with those individuals who choose to live outside the box. Dressing differently and acting differently are very viable facets of creativity. If you are a staunch believer in non-conformity, you have every right to practice what you preach and express yourself in everything you do.

But my point is that sometimes conformity can be a form of self-expression. What does conformity say about someone? It says that this person likes things to be in order, doesn’t want to shake things up and enjoys the simple pleasures in life. This might not be the typical image we conjure up when we think of an “individual,” but conformity and sticking to the usual is still a form of self-expression.

The term “self-expression” itself is very vague to begin with. If we take it literally, then everything we do from how we drink our soda to our career choice is a form of self-expression. Our culture, however, has instilled the belief that self-expression only can come from defying social norms (ironic since the definition of self-expression is socially dependent) and breaking “out of the box.”

I argue that true self-expression must lie on some middle ground. That statement right there is an expression of my characteristics: I am a firm believer in compromise and finding a solution that appeases all. You get a free glimpse into my personality and I didn’t have to defy any social norms or break any cultural shackles to do it.

Self-expression can come from means other than just lifestyle. Writers, composers, artists, actors and even journalists all find a method of self-expression that is independent of what they do when they leave the office: I have no idea what kind of person Maurice Ravel was, but I can experience his creativity every time I listen to his beautiful music.

Once again, that doesn’t mean that non-conformity is an ill means of self-expression — it’s just different. Some people feel that to truly let out their creative sides, they must stand out and be noticed. I don’t feel that way about my creativity, but I’m just one guy.

Really, what it boils down to is that conformity and creativity are not mutually exclusive. You can be a conformist and still be creative. You can be a non-conformist and still be creative. You can be somewhere in the middle and still be creative. It doesn’t matter.

What matters is that regardless of your social role, you are willing to express your individualism in its purest and rawest forms. I encourage all of you, be you conformists or not, to toss aside the illusion that creativity stems from your ability to be different and realize that creativity is about an unadulterated expression of mind and soul. If your facet of creativity happens to be similar to someone else’s, that’s OK as long as you are still being genuine.

I really do love horizontal stripes. As a matter of fact, I’m wearing a horizontal-striped shirt right now. If you don’t love horizontal stripes, that’s fine — don’t wear horizontal stripes. If you love vertical stripes (and I’ll admit that I’ve dabbled in those before — a rookie mistake), then go right ahead. But don’t fall into the trap of self-expression that entails denying who you really are and putting on a new mask for the world.

Instead, wear whichever stripes you want.

-Joshua Wesneski is a College of Education junior.