In the midst of midterms, snowstorms and crunch-time chaos, I decided to escape and fly back to California for a few days. While running on the beach one morning, I started to think about how much I miss the constant sunshine and the feeling of the sand under my toes.

Growing up, it was that feeling, as well as the scenery and crashing waves, that inspired my personal style — a style that, despite my change in location and climate, will always be with me and influence how I dress.

It seems that sometimes we don't just choose what we wear because we like how it looks — it is our inspirations and influences that shape our choices.

Twice a year, designers come together to showcase their styles at Fashion Week — and we watch in awe as their incredible clothing glides down the runway in a flawless and effortless fashion. However, it is naive to assume their designs have not come a long way from where they began. Every sketch, every color palette, every fabric choice and every theme came from an exterior motive. Every day, designers and individuals alike are exposed to the workings of the world. And while surrounding ourselves with inspiration is easy, it is the ability to be inspired by aspects of our surroundings that is the hard part.

I have previously discussed how print, television and film media have influenced fashion. I touched upon how history has played its part in design. The inspiration I speak of now, however, is different — less obvious, more obscured in nature.

It isn't a photograph but a feeling, a snippet in time that hangs on, a smell or a taste that paints a memory in our minds. These inspirations are unique, untouched and unobtainable to the outside world. It's the T-shirt you saved from that concert two years ago — the one where you can still hear the bass pulsating every time you pull it over your ears.

These are the experiences and characteristics in life that shape who we become. It is always interesting to look back in time at old photos and see how much your personal style has changed. Day-to-day and trend-to-trend styles become almost indistinguishable; it is the small, particular instances in life that influence our personal style in the long run. The best part about growing up is feeling that universal comfort in our skin, as well as in our clothes. It's that desirable feeling of knowing exactly what you like and how to achieve it — and being able to look in the mirror and, for the first time, really see yourself for exactly who you are.

Style isn't about grabbing something off the rack and being happy that it fits. It isn't about throwing away hundreds of dollars for the name on a label, and it certainly isn't about looking at other people and wanting to wear everything they do. Like the music we listen to, the sports we play, the foods we eat and the qualities in people we fall in love with — fashion is personal.

Those who posses the best style in the world do so by dressing in clothing that reflects who they are and what they like.

Personally, my style will always be inspired by the way the sun hits a perfect wave just before it crashes, the smell of tuberoses, the taste of French lavender macaroons, the sound of Ben Harper on acoustic guitar and seeing the stars flicker on a pitch-black night. And while you may never be able to look at me and see those things, they make me who I am while simultaneously influencing and defining what I wear.

So the next time you think watching the top 100 "Dos and Don'ts of Celebrity Style" on E! will help you better understand what to wear, just remember: Your time is better spent doing exactly what you love most — the rest will simply fall into place.

Sydney Burdick is a freshman intending to major in fashion journalism. Having trouble bringing out your personal style? Direct your fashion questions or comments to [email protected].