If you have to cry, go outside: Kelly Cutrone

In March’s issue of Company I read an interview with Kelly Cutrone. For the last few days I have been lacking inspiration, but this article seemed to motivate me.

Kelly Cutrone is a fashion publicist and star of The Hills. The article basically offers straight to the point, no messing around career advice for the readers of Company. The article offers this advice through comical stories of ‘drinking on the job’ and other mistakes that Kelly herself has made throughout her career.

I like the way that she heavily implies you have to make mistakes to get anywhere in life. It’s true though isn't it? No one does things perfectly right the first time. The best way to learn, is to do it wrong the first time, learn from it and get it right the second time…or at least closer?

Through the feature, I get the impression that Kelly is a no-nonsense kind of woman. The kind of person that would probably scare most young woman to death, but someone you would learn hell of a lot from.

Clearly as now an employer she knows the qualities employees should have, she mentioned in particular a simple quality of being able to take a telephone message, in which the article quoted: “So many new employees arrive in my office with a degree in Communications, but without the skills to take a phone message. I tell them to go back to university and ask for a refund.” Something that initially made me laugh, but don’t you think that when you are young and fresh-faced employers almost expect you to be enthusiastic but useless? This left me thinking about what I will be like when I actually venture out in to the world and it isn’t just sales assistant jobs I am applying for.

Something that Kelly also mentions in the article is travel. She says how she has learnt more from traveling, in particular to, India, Bali and Korea than anything else. Most people I know that have been traveling, to various different places in the world tell me time and time again: “It’s the best experience you will ever have.” Kelly says in the article: “If your scared about it ask yourself “What is it I’m really nervous about?” To see if it’s a reasonable fear.”

Travelling is something that for the past few years has been on my mind, but I have never done anything about it. So I have asked myself what it is that I am scared of? I don’t think it’s necessarily a case of being scared. I’m not scared of leaving home – I came to University and knew no one. I’m not scared of flying, being alone, being so far from home, the unknown. I think it’s more a case of money. So maybe that is a fear? I’m scared of not having enough? Or at least having enough to get there, but not to live, enjoy and get back again. It always comes back to money.

As well as that, I don’t feel the time has been right yet. Yes, I took a gap year but I spent that time working and saving for the next phase of my life: University. I feel the time will come, I will go travelling and I will see all the amazing things I have yet to only hear about.

The world is full of opportunities, Kelly Cutrone should know. Opportunities, I am yet to discover. For now I will await the arrival of Kelly's book: "If you have to cry go outside: And other things your mother never told you."