cool

A friend of mine was expressing frustration over his personal style because he felt it didn't necessarily fit into what he would consider to be cool in today's design landscape. It made me think about the definition of cool and what would make something be considered hip or dull. I have my own opinion of things that I like or consider to be hot, this is shaped by those I have surrounded myself with, the web sites I visit, the music I listen to, experiences I have had. Should an artist change their style to conform what they consider to be hip/cool/good? Is that conforming or adapting based on experience? What is the importance of it anyway, in art has technique become more important than conception and idea generation?