When I received a Facebook message that there was a fashion event going on at my Alma Mater SCAD (Savannah College of Art & Design) I couldn’t resist the chance to go! I have to admit that the entire time I was working on my degree I pretty much kept my nose in some form of an Art History book and didn’t venture out much.  I had no idea until I left what I was missing out on! SCAD is known for having some pretty amazing events and guest lecturers. While I was excited about the event, I had no idea what I was in store for.  I also had no clue who the person was that I was going to hear speak.  I know I should hide in shame for my lack of current cultural references, but I couldn’t have told you who on Earth Kelly Cutrone was! Little did I know I was in for what would become one of 2010’s AHA moments!  I freely admit (with a mild embarrassment) to “Googling” Ms. Cutrone before leaving for the event.  I had no idea I had been missing out on so much!

Kelly Cutrone is a renowned fashion publicist and recently published author with a book on the New York Times Bestseller’s List.  If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You After hearing her speak to an above capacity, standing room only crowd at SCAD’s Student Center I can understand why.  I was lucky enough to snag a front row, floor seat…literally on the floor.  I didn’t mind however, it allowed me to fully feel as though this lecture had been brought to SCAD for me specifically.  It was after all, the exact message I had been needing to hear for some time.  I had been hearing it from several people for quite a while, but for some reason or another I obviously had not been ready for it until now!

Ms. Cutrone is one of those women that the rest of us wish we could be like, or at least I wish I could be like.  She is strong, driven, no-nonsense and says what she means!  Despite the chaos going on in the rest of the world, she has found her purpose in life and lives it. Her life is her own, not a preconceived notion of what someone else thinks it should be.  It isn’t what the media thinks a woman at that particular time and age should be doing.  It isn’t her mother’s life, nor her father’s.  It is HERS!  She made it perfectly clear (to me at least) that we (I) need to find our authentic self, our true self and be it.  We need to “own it!” We are our own brand and we need to sell that brand!  Every other successful company out there markets and sells their brand and the items associated with it.  Why shouldn’t we do the same thing?  If we are an aspiring singer, actress or sales person (or whatever our current life ambition is) we should be marketing ourselves as such and “branding” ourselves to make sure we are seen and heard!  She made it perfectly clear that we should strive to be authentic.  “Whatever named celebrity” has already been done.  Demi Moore?  Done! Brooke Shields?  Done!  Don’t strive to be like “so and so.”  They have already done it and it would be boring to see a copy of something!  Be authentic, be original, but most of all…be yourself!  Know what you want to accomplish and set out to do exactly that.  If you fall down or stumble…get back up! Even if it takes just ONE MORE TIME!  Ms. Cutrone related success to physics.  It really is a very simple idea.  She said to show up every day and do your very best!  If you slack off and miss a step though, you run the serious risk of getting lost in the pack or worse…left behind!

I am about to set out on a move (that was supposed to happen last summer) that will take me back home to somewhat familiar territory with family and friends.  The uncertainty comes from my “fly by the seat of my pants” nature and going back to Texas with no job and no real concrete plans.  For most people this would be terrifying (it is a little scary), but for me I see it as my opportunity to take that ultimate leap of faith and “find myself.” For too long I felt like I have stumbled through this life doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but never really finding my niche.  I have no regrets of what I have done, but I do feel like I have not quite found my “place” yet.  I know I need to find my true passion and just do it!  Another point to Ms. Cutrone’s message that day was to surround ourselves with like people.  If you want to be in a specific industry…surround yourself with people in that industry.  Humans really are pack animals.  We like being around others that are like us.  The big point that I took away from this was to figure out someone who was where or what I wanted to be and go work with this person!  Put yourself in that environment and learn it!  It really is like learning a foreign language.  Emersion in a new language or endeavor is the best way to learn it!

This was exactly the message that Ms. Cutrone delivered to her audience.  She certainly didn’t look at me personally and tell me to quit my teaching career, move back to Texas and lay out by the lake until I “find myself.” Though I do plan to do a quite a bit of soul searching on the water! Her message was such a heartfelt and personal one that I felt as though I needed to be in that audience that day.  Funny how life works out like that.

Written by Theresa Jones for Chic Galleria magazine.

Photo of Kelly Cutrone courtesy of Amazon.com.