by Rosemary Redfern

Created on: July 05, 2010   Last Updated: July 06, 2010

Before we can decide whether to conform or not we need to do some work. 

When someone becomes an artist they have to learn to master their materials and learn how to look at the world and see what is there.  When they can reproduce what they see accurately, it shows they have developed an understanding of the process of translating the visual, physical, three dimensional world into a two dimensional image which most people can recognize. The ability to present a picture like this has taken time, trial and error, redoing and  reprocessing in the mind, until the knowledge of the subject is established.  From here the learning goes on, based on a sound understanding of the subject. In this way Picasso, who was an excellent draughtsman, could start to work on his modern work, which was a compete break from tradition. 

Up to this stage, the artist has stayed within the traditional confines of learning.  When someone has reached the stage of knowing, they have skills which they can reproduce with confidence. Then they have the skills which allow them to break the rules, because they know what the rules are. 

Until anyone knows the rules, it is impossible to break them. An individual can be disruptive, awkward, disagreeable, and down right unpleasant, like a toddler having a tantrum. But to be a non conformist, it is necessary to know what you are not conforming to. There has to be reason, logic, passion, deliberation, and decision in the actions.

Knowing what you are not conforming to is far more powerful and can be more disruptive than merely rebelling without thought. If the aim of not conforming is to change an unjust system, such as the treatment of women around the world, a complete in-depth knowledge of the lives of women around the world is necessary.  That's a tall order.  Perhaps starting with equal pay rights and equality of advancement in your area would be a more manageable start. When you understand what you want to not conform to, it is possible to pick the details. Knowledge and information are essential.

As our societies are organized fairly tightly, it is sometimes easy to appear to be outside the normal behavior of the community.  From wearing clothes that society does not agree with, to choosing a lifestyle which is unlike other people's, it can be a challenge to those who have not considered that there are alternative ways of living and behaving.

If you have thought deeply about what you believe in, and if what you feel, in your own conscience, is right for you, there is little that can be done. You may be forced to appear to conform, but in your mind no one can make you hold a different view. Many martyrs can confirm that. 

To choose whether to conform or not, it is important to have knowledge of the subject, to understand the rules, and what needs to be changed by your actions. To conform or not should be a private and personal choice for all of us, whatever the area under consideration.

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