What I Learned From Sophia Amoruso’s Nasty Galaxy Book

 

In the wake of all the Nasty Gal news, it almost felt like fate, I bought the Nasty Galaxy book and then the company filed for bankruptcy. But, like we said in our initial covering of the news, sometimes this kind of restructuring and reshuffling of finances is necessary to make a company survive and thrive. Sophia might have tumbled off Forbes’s list but she still has a lot to give. In the book, there’s talk of failure, fear and what it means to succeed.

Unfortunately, in business, you have to take the good with the shit sometimes. In any case, I still love Nasty Galaxy and think it’s worth every cent, it’s packed with advice and it’s really beautiful, too.

 

Star signs are real

In this visual mood board of a book, you can also find your star sign. Mine is Capricorn.

“You’re a compulsive, cheap-ass bastard, and maybe a little depressing too. You also happen to be hilarious.” So true.

One of the great things about this book is that some really interesting personal essays and interviews with amazing women are mixed in with stories about the time she had an accident in her pants on the way to a date and hilariously witty advice. These parts made me smile, and definitely bring the overall brand image to life. A girl who can be serious when she needs to be but prefers to laugh loudly and often.

The more you have, the more you have to lose

The book is very visual, creative and artsy. There are beautiful portraits, words, and quotes blown up into huge font on glossy pages, music, movies, inspiration, but there are also some very raw moments. Sophia is open about how she feels. This kind of depth mixed with beautiful color and portraits is truly refreshing.

“As I was writing this book, I realized that I have been living in a state of fear. My own private hallway, with doors opening to fear and paranoia on either side and two nice big French doors at the end swinging open to the ultimate nightmare for any entrepreneur: paralysis. That shit is so not me. But the more you have, the more you have to lose.”

 

 

The importance of a thank you note

I never write thank you notes. I don’t thank people for presents (besides a text or a Facebook message), I don’t thank people for their time (only with an email), and now I’m thinking that to be an adult, I need a stationery set. I need one with my own name on, and I need a fancy pen. And I need to make a note of who to thank this year.

“1. First, be prompt. Thanking someone too late is something I do far too often, and it really takes the window out of your efforts.
2. Get some stationery with your name on it.
3. Draw a line through your last name – that means it’s a casual note, not that you’re putting a hit out on yourself.
4. Use a fancy pen. I prefer the Sakura Pigma Micron variety.
5. Congratulations, you’re an adult.”

Self-confidence is hard to master

We are always asked for tips on how to be confident, but there isn’t really any simple hack. I still feel nervous doing a speech in front of people or interviewing someone, mainly because I can foresee myself being an idiot and doing something embarrassing and/or awkward. But the trick is to keep trying, eventually, it all becomes second nature.

“I haven’t always been confident. There was definitely a time in my life where I couldn’t focus beyond the thoughts ricocheting around in my head: Are my hands in the right place? Am I weird? Are they onto me? In the world that I travel in often these days, I will never quite feel like I belong – like I’m as smart as the company I keep. Listen: I feel like a loser a lot of the time.”

Nastygal Galaxy is available here

 

 

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