If You Have To Cry Go Outside

I finished reading Kelly Cutrone's book; If You Have To Cry Go Outside and I was really impressed. Not only did the book give insight about working in fashion PR, but it gave sound spiritual advice as well. Seeing that I bought the book I was able to go through and make notes and highlights of things that I wanted to come back and remember. Here are a few of my points that I found to be important for a person who want to work in Fashion PR:

• Find your tribe. In a sense this means surround yourself with people you admire and who can serve as teachers and mentore. kelly says, "Start by identifying people in your community you look up to and then, graciously and with their blessing, use their hard work and experience to your advantage. Pick their brains. I can't imagine anyone refusing to be a mentor if they're asked in a spirit of sincerity and humility." page 24.
• Fake it to make it. What you believe about yourself is what you will become. Kelly says, "Self-assurance was 90 percent of the game, it turned out; if you act as if you know what you're ding, and as if you're in charge, you'll be surprised how many people will let you be in charge." page 29. 
• "If you don't let what you don't know stop you from doing your best in every situation, you will surprise yourself over and over in life." page 40
• The truth hurts. Kelly is known for her blunt honesty and I like to think that I'm a very blunt and honest person as well. To succeed in PR you have to be honest, so the public will continue to trust you. Kelly says, "sometimes the truth just hurts. You can either let someone be protected from reality or let them be sculpted and birthed by it. I firmly believe the latter option is best." page 64.
• Worrier to warrior. I believe that it is pointless worrying about things, instead Kelly advices be a warrior. "As you move through your career and your life, you will have to learn that if you're not what you do, then what you do has no business keeping you entertained at night." page 84.
• You are the brand. It is important that we all be in charge in our personal brands and that wjat we are selling to the world is the message that we want delivered. Kelly discusses how normal gets you no where and even has an entire book dedicated to the topic.  She wants us all to be the manager of our own personal brands. "Eventually you need to get strategic about refining and communication to others who you are and what you believe if you want to succeed." & "Personal branding is about figuring out who you are and what turns you on and then monetizing it." page 128-129.
• We all know that being your self is the best choice. Figue out what you are selling and how you are going to make people buy it. "If you don't have a clear point of differentiation-something that makes you special, unique, effective-you won't get far in fashion or in any other competitive industry, and you certainly succeed as an entrepreneur." page 130.
• If you want to leave work at 6 p.m. every day fashion is not for you nor is being an entrepreneur. 
• "Don't be afraid to tell your boss what you need to meet a deadline." page 174. 

Also, check out 10 Fashion Career Don'ts

10 Fashion Career Don'ts

Below are 10 ways of NOT to get get a career in fashion according to Kelly Cutrone:

1. Don't send a resume May hoping to get hired in the fashion business, as it's the slowest time of year. Instead, try January or August.
2. Do not Facebook the owner of a company or any prospective boss. If you do, make sure you have something interesting to say that warrants their two minutes.
3. Don't roll your eyes. If you do, roll with them toward the exit sign and then head out the door.
4. Don't expect equal rights in the workplace without being willing to do equal work, which includes transporting heavy garment bags, loading and unloading FedEx and UPS shipments, and rolling racks of clothing down New York City's uneven sidewalks.
5. Don't call in sick when you're not. 
6. If you're going to be a helper around the office and do things you know your boss wants done, don't jump up and down and give them a play-by-play each time you finish a task.
7. Do not try to re-create your family at work.
8. Do not overemphasize your nationality or gender as a way of making a point.
9. Do not think your boss owes you anything other than your paycheck.
10. And finally, don't cry in the office. Ever. If you have to cry, go outside.

This was taken from pages 168-169 in If You Have To Cry Go Outside.