Rachael Zoe once said, "Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak". Styling isn't just a profession—it tells who you are. For budding fashion stylists, the journey can be smooth or one with many roadblocks. It's all about knowing the tricks to win the game. Here is not one but six secrets from Ami Patel, a renowned celebrity stylist, that can help you see success in your styling career.

#1 Style Yourself In Silence

"Err? Where did that come from?" is what you might be thinking. Perplexed? The good news is that something as ancient as meditation can give you a breakthrough in the modern world of styling.

What do you imagine when you think of styling? Maybe an assortment of garments, shoes, accessories, and add-ons arranged in a stylish manner?! Do you see in your mind's eye what your client or your model should look like, and with whatever resources you have, you go ahead and try to come up with something brilliant. This brilliance comes bubbling up when you are calm and at peace with yourself. Only then are you able to tap your deepest source of creativity. It is like you unblock a creative vein and fashion yourself in silence, in deep rest, and meditation can take you to that beautiful silent spot within yourself.

A stylist has to strike a balance between being sensitive to their client's taste while being sensible when replicating their taste into something tangible and cost effective, and meditation can nurture these qualities in you.

At times, work might become repetitive and that can prevent newer ideas from popping up. It is like you are stuck at the same place. However, if you meditate for 20 minutes every day, it is easier to deal with such road blocks as it unblocks your creative channels and fills you with zeal to style people differently every time. Styling then becomes an expression of your happiness.

#2 Keep Styling Updates At Your Finger Tips

Fashion styling is a recent phenomenon and it is constantly evolving, like any other growing industry. If you want to be fashionable, you have to be fresh in your thoughts and ideas, and that can happen when you keep yourself up-to-date with all the latest happenings in your arena. Technology has no doubt accelerated access to information, but remember that too much info will only bog you down; keep your browsing reasonable.

Taking 20 minutes out for meditation every day can give you the sensibility, maturity, and patience to filter important information from the not so important. Meditation cultivates a tree of ideas within you that bears fruit for you all the time—you are never going to run out of them. After all, keeping yourself updated and brimming with ideas is part of your job role, and if it is difficult for you, then you won't be able to give your best.

#3 Keep Your Eyes And Mind Open

"If you are a stylist, your eyes are everything", quotes Ami Patel, celebrity stylist. You have to look beyond what you see; you never know how one style can lead to another. There might be an article you would have read in one of the fashion journals or magazines that talks about blending western with ethnic wear, for instance. You can take cues from articles like these and find your own ways to get the best of both worlds, western and ethnic. Ideas can come to you from anywhere, and everything you see has the potential to change a constructive thought into something tangible. "You never know, your inspiration can come at any time—even at 10 in the night when you are reading a fashion blog or while watching something online", adds Ami Patel. Just with your eyes and your memory, you can create wonders that will leave people awestruck.

Meditating regularly can help enhance your awareness and make you more alert. It also helps you integrate your knowledge better to come out with something that can be a trendsetter

Read more in the sequel to this piece

Written by Ravisha Kathuria