Influential Woman · Author, Creative Professional, Design & Architecture Executive Recruitment, Fashion & Beauty
Barbara Camp
Author, Barbara Camp — Author
New York, NY 10033
Her Story
About Barbara
Reinvention: noun - To completely change or remake yourself, your business, or your style to become a very different person—so it looks and acts brand new.
As longtime resident of New York City and after multiple reinventions, Renaissance woman Barbara Camp’s present focus, in all humility, is to be “part of the solution and not the problem”. She is a distinguished spiritual author: Your Soul: Fixer-Upper or Tear-Down? The Bible Blueprint for Renovation and Rebuild! and On the Seventh Day God Rested – 33 New Lessons from the Old Testament.
Baby Boomer, Catholic schoolgirl (can readily identify any plaid ever used in a parochial uniform), and ’70s Playboy Bunny (another uniform—not plaid—blue satin), Camp's books feature short stories that translate bulletproof, Biblical wisdom into everyman, everyday, modern metaphors.
As an ongoing tear-down, Camp’s big picture themes include: cell phones (Tower of Babel); designer food (The Last Supper); feminism (Samson & Delilah); the Hudson River air strip (Jesus Walks on Water); DNA (The Creation of Adam); Christ’s promise of provision (The Fish & Loaves of Bread), and many more. Creative storytelling, witty cultural observations and ultimately faith shape her unique literary voice.
Barbara earned a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design, with a minor in Architecture, from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Her “Birth to Present: Artist” resume includes set designer & stylist; fashion & beauty makeup artist for Vogue, Bazaar, Vanity Fair... (in Milan, London, Paris & New York); graphic designer; and artist & illustrator (The New York Times, Coca-Cola). All ultimately rendered her seamless segue into curating and recruiting top talent for global A-list design, architecture, and luxury lifestyle clients as Senior Vice President at the premier global search firm, Billy Clark Creative Management. As both right-brain and left-brain, she has managed both the inventive visual and analytical business aspects of each career endeavor.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Ms. Camp has served on benefit committees for many NYC institutions such as The Guggenheim Museum; was honored as a 1992 New York Singular Sensation; has been an active member of several design industry-related organizations and Delta Gamma Sorority. She is a charter member of New York’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church, a contributor to various charities including the Bowery Mission, The St Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Rikers Island Prison.
Barbara first enjoys thinking; as well as reading from her varied 1,000+ book library; listening to her equally varied collection of music; visiting museums; thrift stores & yard sales; photography; classic movies; designing collage scrapbooks and world travel.
Heeding her inner calling, Barbara Camp’s primary hope is to inspire, averting a cancel-happy culture from hitting “delete” on the most important gift of all: the love of God.
Please visit www.barbaracamp.com - social media connections are available on the home page.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Barbara
01What do you attribute your success to?
First and foremost: the grace of God! That and my personally coined compass: "Hard work is the best therapy." I've worked hard to perfect and polish my gifts: communicator, wordsmith, artist, creative thinker, writer and author.
As a right-brain and left-brain thinker, one simultaneously navigates both the inventive visual and analytical business aspects of each career endeavor.
I've reinvented myself in New York--in as many decades--from the Fashion/Photography/Magazine Editorial/Advertising sector, to Art Illustration/Advertising, to stratospheric Executive Search, to the Literary sector as writer and author.
Pivoting when necessary, I have learned to synthesize the rough diamonds of opportunity into polished, multifaceted jewels.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
With regards to one's life story, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once shared, "If you produce one book, you will have done something wonderful in your life." My advice to young women entering publishing: believe that you have a story worth telling-everyone has at least one book in them.
Don’t wait for the perfect moment or doubt your ability—just start writing. I encourage aspiring writers to seek inspiration from voices like Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way. It is a valuable resource for "Discovering and Recovering Your Creative Self".
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Born into a mid 20th century modern culture--where weekly worship at whatever venue was still a central part of American, our segue to a secular humanist culture can make spirituality an uphill climb. Writing about God can seem like the river salmon--leaping midair upstream--about to be chomped by the hungry bear...
Statistically, selling books is challenging. Bottom line: when your literary subject is the Good Lord, you’re darn tootin’ it’s stirring up the wrath of hell. The gospel is the all-time, original “gospel truth.” Precisely why I’ve persevered.
There are influencers, and then there’s the ultimate influencer. Throughout history, billions of folks have followed God long before social media—or any media—reared its potentially all-consuming, powerfully addictive, cacophonous head.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Truth, compassion, humor, promises kept, punctuality, humor, generosity, humor, humor, humor...
Join Influential Women and start making an impact. Register now.