In the Company of Women

453 Pages·2016·21.84 MB·English

by  Grace Bonney

IN THE COMPANY OF WOMEN
Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers,
Artists, and Entrepreneurs
Grace Bonney
Principal Photography by Sasha Israel
For Julia,
whose company is the greatest gift I’ve ever
received
Contents
Introduction

Danielle Colding | Tanya Aguiñiga | Maya and Teta
Gorgoni | Tavi Gevinson | Michele Quan | Preeti
Mistry | Jodie Patterson | Linda Rodin | Thelma
Golden | Cy Lauz | Lisa Hunt | Amalia Mesa-Bains |
Malene Barnett | Cheryl Day | Janet Mock |
Genevieve Gorder | Carla Fernández and Cristina
Rangel | Samin Nosrat | Elise Kornack and Anna
Hieronimus | Kate Bornstein | Karen Young |
Christine Schmidt | Roxane Gay | Sarah Neuburger
| Gauri Nanda | Mary Going | Desiree Akhavan |
Jasmine Wright | Lisa Folawiyo | Christy Turlington
Burns | Shizu Saldamando | Thao Nguyen | Olimpia
Zagnoli | Hana Getachew | Cameron Esposito |
Shadi Petosky | Amina Mucciolo | Justina Blakeney |
Maya Lin | Issa Rae | Amada Cruz | Liz Lambert |
Martine Rose | Fay Andrada | Frances Palmer |
Carolina Ebeid | Nikki Giovanni | Lizzo | Shanan
Campanaro | Rebecca Wood | Carla Hall | Louise
Fili | Mariam Paré | Julia Turshen | Miko Branch |
Hopie and Lily Stockman | Neko Case | Sibella
Court | Maira Kalman | Wendy Maruyama | Lorna
Simpson | Klancy Miller | Dana Tanamachi | Debbie
Millman | Carrie Brownstein | Ping Zhu | Laura Jane
Grace | Veronica Corzo-Duchardt | Abbi Jacobson |
Julia Rothman | Danielle Henderson | Joana Avillez
| Alice Randall and Caroline Randall-Williams | Anna
Bond | Dominique Browning | Ana Serrano | Eileen
Fisher | Jasika Nicole | Mary Verdi-Fletcher | Randi
Brookman Harris | Llubav Choy Duerr | Mary
Lambert | Joy Cho | Bethany Yellowtail | Rinne Allen
| Sheila Bridges | Tina Roth Eisenberg | Ayumi Horie
| Melissa Harris-Perry | Kristina Gill | Diana Yen |
Jennie Jieun Lee | Carson Ellis | Jonna Twigg |
Ashley C. Ford | Jessica Marquez | Anishka Clarke |
Carmen Argote | Matika Wilbur | Natalie Chanin |
Aarti Sequeira | Claire Mazur and Erica Cerulo |
Kathleen Hanna | Sadie Barnette | Anita Lo | Ariele
Alasko

The Women at a Glance
Photography Credits
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Activist Marian Wright Edelman said, “You can’t be what you can’t see.”
Visibility is one of the most powerful tools we have in inspiring people to pursue
their dreams and educating them about all the amazing options that exist. My
goal with In the Company of Women is to provide motivating and relatable
examples of all kinds of women running their own businesses, so that any
woman, anywhere, can open to a page and see herself reflected.
I started my first business, Design*Sponge (a daily website dedicated to the
creative community), in 2004. Running my own business has been the most
rewarding—and challenging—part of my life so far. It’s taught me to take risks
and stand up for what I believe in, and has given me more self-confidence and
pride in myself than anything else.
Over the past twelve years of running Design*Sponge, my goals have shifted
dramatically, from wanting a place to talk about art and design, to creating a
platform for handmade work, to providing advice and resources for the people
behind that work. Just like people, businesses and their goals change, and now I
find myself making professional ideas and inspiration as big a part of what I do
as celebrating art and design.
Exactly a decade ago I held my first in-person meet-up for women running
their own creative businesses. Frustrated by the knowledge that less than 40
percent of all businesses in the United States are run by women, I wanted to
create an event that would work to change those numbers. That series, called Biz
Ladies, was an immediate success and has now grown into a regular column on
Design*Sponge, spawned countless local groups, and launched companies and
collaborations across the country. What I learned from organizing these groups
was profound and boils down to this: women want to run their own companies
and are much more likely to do so if they have the support of other women
around them.
I’m proud of what we’ve done as a community to support these business
owners, but in 2014 I had a realization: the majority of women-centered business
events, books, and platforms were promoting the same type of woman over and
over again. These success stories most often belonged to young, straight, white,
cisgender women. I am 100 percent in support of any business that’s bringing
good into the world, but I was acutely aware of how many women (women of
color, women from the LGBT community, and differently abled women) weren’t
being celebrated or included in these discussions.
In the Company of Women highlights over one hundred of the most talented
women I know. From young media titans and mother-daughter fashion houses to
inspiring painters and poets, the women in this book are shining examples of
what we can become if we work hard and support one another. These businesses
are diverse: fledgling start-ups to companies with decades of experience, one-
woman shows to larger corporations with hundreds of employees.
I traveled across America to interview the vast majority of these women face-
to-face. Those moments spent listening and learning have provided me with
enough inspiration for decades to come and have motivated me to change the
way I run my own business, with a renewed focus on inclusiveness and
providing a platform for people to tell their stories in their own voices. The
lessons reflected in this book come from lifetimes of experiences in places as far
away from my hometown as Nigeria, Australia, and Peru.
While each woman’s story is unique, their messages are universal. They’ve
overcome adversity, gone great distances on their own, and learned the power of
working together to achieve their goals. In many cases, they have inspired one
another, and they are role models for the generation to come. Any one of these
women would inspire someone to pursue their passion, but together, they are an
undeniable force.
—Grace Bonney

Danielle Colding