Why I Want Tim Gunn to Be My Uncle

My life is hectic and jam-packed. I work full-time and have two kids, not to mention extended family, friends, a blog, and a Candy Crush addiction.

I don’t have time to pause and look for inspiration. But sometimes inspiration finds me. And that’s why I love Tim Gunn.

Why Tim Inspires Me

Like most people, I first saw Tim on Project Runway, where he serves as the charming, avuncular mentor and advisor to the designers who compete on the show.

I liked him immediately. Despite his quirky bow ties and overly elegant manners, there seemed something so relatable and human about the guy. Like he was somebody with a deep capacity for understanding other people, because he’d known pain and hardship himself.

And he has known pain. He grew up in a household so homophobic that he didn’t come out to anyone in his family until he was 29. As a child, he felt isolated and unhappy—teased because of his stutter, lacking close friends. Yet he put all that behind him and made an incredible life for himself.

He’s my idol. He achieved international fame, yet he remains both humble and accessible. He works in an industry that’s hyper-focused on the superficial, yet he cares deeply about being fair, kind, and encouraging to other people, and being the best possible version of himself.

Seriously, Can I Adopt Him? Or Have Him Adopt Me?

How can I not love the man who said:

• “You can be too rich and too thin, but you can never be too well read or too curious about the world.”
• “I believe that treating other people well is a lost art.”
• “I will always be there in the wings saying, 'You need to be good to people. You need to take your work seriously. You need to have integrity. You need to work with what you've got.”
• “Few activities are as delightful as learning new vocabulary.” 

― Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work
― Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style

An Angel on My Shoulder

Every so often, I’ll be having a blue moment. My kids will be driving me insane and shaking my faith in my parenting abilities. Or I’ll be heading in to work on 3 hours of sleep because the baby was up half the night.

And then, in my head, Tim Gunn is there. He gives me that look that only he can give: sympathetic and sweet, but businesslike and down-to-earth. And then he says to me, as if I were a Project Runway competitor:

“Jennifer, you have a lot of work to do. But I like what you’ve done so far. Make it work.”

And then I smile. And I make it work. Because if Tim Gunn says so, then it’s going to be OK.