Book Review - In The Company of Women
Women Supporting Women
In The Company of Women is a book of inspiration an advice from women in a variety of fields within the arts.
Libraries are incredible. I’ve been utilizing my local library for reading books and listening to audiobooks. One of the books I have been reading (and continuing to renew) is the book, In The Company of Women by Grace Bonney. This book has a ton of amazing advice from entrepreneurs, artists and makers. I started reading it to gain more strength within myself as a business owner. As well as to be inspired! When we can be inspired by one another, that is when we create another form of change.
When we can support one another, that is when we strengthen our souls. We all deserve the ability to succeed and be successful. We all deserve to have support and help. To be seen, to be heard… this book showcases the variety of humans. How we are all unique and individual yet we can succeed and make a difference in this world.
A few quotes that spoke to me from the book are:
Genevive Gorder, Interior Designer, TV Host, NY,NY:
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
There were so many. In design school a professor told me to always “show them your fifth idea. The first few concepts were all shared by every designer… get your weird place, your special place, the fifth, sixth, seventh concept. That’s when gold appears”. I liked that advice a lot. In television, a producer once told me. “Don’t talk over the silent moments. Let them hang like fruit, even when it gets uncomfortable. The person you’re asking questions of will inevitably fill the void with a more honest self.”
What resources would you recommend to someone starting a creative business?
Embrace social media completely. It is the most incredible tool to feed your audience, to engage, and to advertise (skilfully). You should give a portion of every day to do this as a creative business owner. Follow people in the field; follow people who are really, really good at it to learn your craft.
Create a “no assholes” policy. Nobody you work with or hire can have this quality. Life is too short and we are too sensitive to suffer unkind people. Live kind; your work will show it.
Travel to fill your tanks. We need to see harder than everyone else. If we’re not seeing new life, we repeat ourselves. It is not a luxury—it is a necessity.
Elise Kornack and Anna Hieronimus, Chef, Restaurateurs, Brooklyn, NY;
Name the biggest overall lesson you’ve learned in running a business.
E: Most of the time things won’t turn out the way you expect, and that’s usually not a bad thing. Don’t let go of your goals, but let go of your expectations.
A: Be patient, in all ways,
Karen Young, Product Designer, Entrepreneur, Brooklyn, NY;
What was the best piece of business advice you were given when you were starting out?
The best piece of advice I was given came well before I knew what an entrepreneur was. When I was seven, my grandmother looked at me very seriously and said in her calm kind way, “You must learn perseverance.” She made me repeat it, spell it, and memorize the definition. She gently explained that sometimes in life you have to carry on in the face of great challenges and adversity. I can’t remember exactly what motivated her to say this, but I never forgot it. It was my single greatest preparation for entrepreneurship; everything else I was able to acquire as a skill, but I had been working on perseverance before I even knew what it was.
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As a business owner reading these quotes helped remind me of the importance of patience, perseverance, letting go of expectations, leading with kindness, and knowing who you are so you can hire and work with similar souls. Life is short, what we do, where we go, and how we live is up to us. We hold the power.
Now it doesn’t matter your gender role. Pick up the book at your local library, or however, you like to read. May it bring you as much inspiration and support as it has for me.
Let your love grow!
