doing one's own thing
Following individual path
Doing one's own thing means acting according to personal preference or pursuing individual interests without concern for what others think or expect.
The phrase emerged from 1960s counterculture, suggesting freedom from conformity: After years in corporate law, she quit to do her own thing as a potter.
It can imply admirable independence or self-absorbed obliviousness, depending on context.
- free spiritUninhibited, unconventional person
- creativityCapacity for original thought
- countercultureRejection of mainstream values
- freedomAbsence of constraint
- maverickIndependent-minded rule-breaker
iconoclasm · self-actualization · true to oneself · originality · self-reliance · agency · eccentricity · defiance · free will · unconventionality · off the beaten path · dissent · self-discovery · uniqueness · personal style · artistic freedom · integrity · innovation
doing one's own thingfollowing the crowd
Adopting popular behavior
conforming · keeping up with the Joneses · fitting in · toeing the line · falling in line
doing one's own thingobeying
Following directives given
submitting · compliance · taking orders · complying · deference
doing one's own thingteamwork
Joint effort toward shared aim
collaboration · cooperating · working together · pulling together · collective action