A year ago, the thought of posting a “fit check” on Instagram terrified Selia Salzsieder [BFA ’17].

It’s hard to believe, since many of the outfits shown in the “Fits” highlight on her profile are bright and bold, with funky patterns and wild bursts of color. She strikes poses with a casual ease — tilting her head, kicking a foot out to the side, wiggling her fingers to show off a new nail polish color. Most remarkably, she never seems to repeat an outfit.

It’s all part of a challenge the art educator and artist has set for herself.

“I come from a thrifting family. A thrifting, estate-sale-going, flea market family. I’ve always had a deep appreciation and love for weird things,” Salzsieder says. She grew up in Chilton, Wisconsin — and still swears by the “mom-and-pop” thrift stores in less-populated parts of Wisconsin. Over the years, she has built up a vast wardrobe of unique vintage finds and secondhand statement pieces. But even with a wide range of options, she found herself defaulting to the same familiar pieces and favorite outfits.

“I started doing Instagram fit checks as a way to remind myself to utilize the things I already own in new ways,” Salzsieder says.

Sharing her outfits on social media has been both a step out of her sartorial comfort zone and a way to push herself to become more confident.

“Even something as simple as posting my outfits … there’s a fear of looking silly, and that’s prevented me from doing a lot in my life,” she says. “I’m pushing myself to be the person I want to be.”

Sharing her style might be new for Salzsieder, but a dynamic fashion sense that’s based in experimentation goes back to her elementary school days.

“In fourth grade, I got really into alternative bands, and I was, like, the small-town, fourth-grade version of ‘goth,’” she says. “I wore Victorian blouses and long black skirts and tights.”

Now, Salzsieder’s style is driven by creativity and reinvention, not a commitment to any particular style or aesthetic.

When asked to describe her style, she took the question to her Instagram followers. Many of the responses — “eclectic,” “playful,” “quirky,” “avant-basic,” “maximalist alternative” and more — captured the dynamic, colorful energy of her wardrobe. One took it a step further with a nod to her profession: “If Ms. Frizzle was alt and cool!”

“I get a lot of ‘Oh yeah, you’re obviously the art teacher,’” she says. “I actually kind of love that.”

A Q&A: More fashion talk with Selia Salzsieder