We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Courtney Smith. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Courtney below.
Courtney, so good to have you with us today. We’ve got so much planned, so let’s jump right into it. We live in such a diverse world, and in many ways the world is getting better and more understanding but it’s far from perfect. There are so many times where folks find themselves in rooms or situations where they are the only ones that look like them – that might mean being the only woman of color in the room or the only person who grew up in a certain environment etc. Can you talk to us about how you’ve managed to thrive even in situations where you were the only one in the room?
Growing up I was painfully shy and had a hard time initiating friendships. All of my closest friends growing up were made because they spoke to me and found me intriguing enough to want to continue talking to me. I attribute these friendships being born because of my personal style and creativity. Over the years I learned that these were attributes about myself that made me stand out and show up differently than my peers. While I was shy, I was never afraid to try something new when it came to my clothing. I loved experimenting and standing out because I lacked the know how in the verbal sense.
It wasn’t until my adulthood when I started realizing that I could utilize these qualities about myself to drawl people in to engage with me. Specifically in the realm of networking. As much as people may think style doesn’t matter when it comes to showing up in the world, it really does. I truly believe that you can be successful without style, BUT you can climb and achieve a whole other untapped type of success and confidence when you’re showing up in an elevated outfit that embodies who you are. I take note of what people are saying and 9 times out of 10 people end up talking about someone’s style when it came to being in their presence, especially when it’s a positive reaction. People remember someone with great style and also those that have no style. Which one would you rather be?
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I’m a Certified Personal Stylist, Author of “Sur(real) Style: Your Personal Style Journey,” and the owner of Sur(real) Style with Courtney. I work primarily with creative business owners that don’t have the time to focus on their wardrobe updates. My job is to help these business owners best represent their brands through their style. Sometimes these creatives are new to running their own business and need assistance curating that perfect closet that will fit their special events, business, photo shoot, and lifestyle needs. They have enough to think about running a business and when they work with me their image is in great hands.
While I offer a few different services such as closet edits and event styling, my favorite is the Re(Invention) package because it’s an overhaul of building their confidence through their wardrobe. I’m equipping them with stand-out style with a side-effect of strangers stopping them on the street to compliment their style. I have the best job because I get to see people blossom right in front of me and unlock a whole new, updated version of themselves. How cool is that?
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Confidence, style, and a student mentality. These are the three qualities that continue to help me in my journey. People don’t talk enough about how confidence can come in strides. Are there naturally confident people? Yes, but I truly believe it’s next to impossible to be confident in every aspect of our lives. Especially when life throws us curve balls. Life is unpredictable and sometimes we have to pivot to help build our confidence back up and that’s okay! It’s normal and I feel people just don’t talk about it enough. Sometimes we adopt the mentality of “don’t let them see you sweat” especially when you’re a business owner or higher up in a company.
As I mentioned before, style is a HUGE catalyst for me and I know from experience that when people are rockin’ their style and owning their look people are drawn to it and want to be in their presence. It helps identify you as the expert in your field because you are demanding the attention through your attire.
The student mentality is something that is extremely important to embrace. We’re always going to be students in life. There are so many things we don’t know and that’s not just in the business realm, but life in general. The more we embrace the student mentality, the more confident we can be. When we take this approach it helps take the fear away when presented with a new challenge whether it be personally or professionally.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
My parents have always supported my dreams no matter how crazy they may have seemed. As a parent myself I know how important that is to bestow on children. Without my parents embracing my ideas I probably never would’ve achieved what I have so far in my life. Did they offer up precautions? You better believe it, but they NEVER stomped on my dreams or discouraged me from trying new things. They are always encouraging and there for me for the good and the bad when it comes to my journey and I am so thankful for that. I know not everyone has that in their parents, but I am blessed enough to and aim to carry on this type of support towards my own children.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://surrealstylewithcourtney.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/surrealstylewithcourtney/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/surrealstylewithcourtney
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-smith-586a3237/
Image Credits
Lorena Opris
