I Since then, the former Honey and Teen People editor-in-chief, and most recently deputy editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, has been spreading her positive message to black women everywhere, giving them the encouragement to (what else?) get yours! Here she talks with GlossMagazineOnline about moving on from every journalist’s dream job to living her own dream and inspiring others to catch theirs.
GMO: About two years have passed since your book was released. What has been the response you’ve received during that time?
Amy Dubois Barnett: The most gratifying part of the whole experience is the number of women—black women—who have come up to me and said that my book changed their lives. That’s kind of a big deal. I feel like I have real purpose and meaning now because I feel like I’ve touched a lot of women in a lot of different ways. And it’s just really cool because you never know what piece of your story is going to resonate with somebody else. It’s just been really gratifying and fulfilling for me to hear how I have been able to positively affect the folks I care most about—black women.
How was the transition from the magazine industry to writing a book?
Well, writing a book is hard! It is so hard! (laughs) At the time, I was pregnant and I was writing a book, and I was just having a completely different life experience. It was just a completely different world to me because I’ve been going into an office job and working around the clock every day for 15 years, and then it was all of a sudden being home, writing, pregnant; it was just a totally different universe. It was a crazy transition, totally crazy. But I really loved it. I put my heart and soul into that book, and I loved every minute of it.
Are you planning on writing another book?
I’m working on a novel right now actually. That’s going to be the next one that comes out.
You’ve held some pretty impressive positions in media and have paved the way for young black women in journalism. What advice do you give to aspiring journalists?
I think it’s a really great time to have a voice. I would tell people to start blogging and putting their opinion pieces out there. Start developing that particular voice and perspective that people recognize so that when editors are looking for a particular perspective, they know who to call. Journalism right now is more of a dialogue than anything else, so in that kind of dialogue environment, it really helps to have your signature tone and know the kind of things that you write about and that you have something to say about.
How do you get the courage to leave a position like yours at Harper’s Bazaar and go off to write a book? Was this a hard thing to do?
Every time I have felt really strongly compelled to do something, it’s always turned out to be the right decision for whatever reason. I feel that if there’s something in your life that’s really strongly compelling you in a direction, and you can envision some sort of future in, it often ends up being the right direction because that’s where your passion lies. But you all have to keep in mind that we’re in a slightly different time. I just want to be real and honest about that because right now we’re in a different time than we were in when I left my last job and wrote the book.
So I think right now, I would be advising people a little differently. I think that right now, this is more of a time to take what you’re doing and make it work towards the next thing you want to do. There are different strategies for different moments in history. That’s just being real. I spent a lot of years telling people, ‘Yeah, quit your job!’ I don’t want someone to take what I’m saying as something you can do at every moment in your life. Follow your passion because that’s the area that you’re going to be able to really work hard and succeed at; at the same time, I would express a little more caution than I would a couple years ago.
Do you see yourself ever going back into magazines?
You never know. I mean, honestly, I really did achieve what I said I was going to do in that industry, which for me is a big deal. I set out with a goal, I achieved my goal, and so the question would be what publication gets me so excited that I have to put my voice on it, or what’s the opportunity that’s so great that I really feel I can’t pass it up? That’s really the question now. It’s more about what I’m interested in and less about, ‘Oh I have a goal.’ So you never know.
How do you feel about the state of magazines now, with so many of them closing their doors or going strictly online?
I love magazines and I don’t think they’re going away. I just think that people have a different surge for information now and that people want that instantly. I think that the strongest magazine brands will be able to take their perspective and tone and translate them very well online. I think that’s a good thing. I definitely don’t like to see the magazines that I love in trouble or fold, but I think the strongest ones will prevail in the end.
Do you ever fear getting pigeonholed from Get Yours! Like your audience will expect everything you write to be inspirational like that?
I’m okay with that because I think that’s part of the reason I’m here on this planet. I feel that there’s a reason why I’ve lived the life I’ve lived. I certainly don’t have all the answers but the lessons that I’ve learned are ones that I think a lot of people can relate to and I think that I’m more than happy to share. I don’t mind being honest.
What are you working on now?
There’s so many things percolating right now! There’s any number of things that could occur in the next period of time.
What last words of wisdom would you like to leave our readers?
I think in rough times like these there is tremendous opportunity for people who have a career, vision or know what it is that they want to do, who they are and how they want to walk through the world. This is a really great time to set yourself up and to figure out what your unique perspective is and what it is that you can uniquely contribute to this world. This is one of those clarifying moments, and it’s scary, but it also gives you a unique opportunity to really think hard and be strategic about what it is that you want to do and where you want to go. I’m looking around at all the people of color who are doing it right now and it’s very exciting to me. I feel like this is a life changing moment, and I want everybody out there to really take advantage of all the opportunities and to really understand that this is a moment to get yours. Of all times, this is it right now.
Learn more about Amy Dubois Barnett http://www.amyduboisbarnett.com.
