How does the concept of individualism help explain the Renaissance?

'Individualism' was pretty well the central plank of the Renaissance.

The key philosophy of the Renaissance was Humanism, which emphasized that people should think for themselves, rather than just trust authority. This led to new developments in math, science, and art.

And, it's easy to see how similar this is to individualism. Individualism in the Renaissance allowed people more freedom to choose what they wanted in their life. It freed remarkable individuals such as, Leonardo da vinci.