What do 17 Harry Styles concerts, five countries, and a post-divorce sabbatical have in common? The answer is: Author SC Perot’s new book, Styles of Joy. This whip-smart, big-hearted collection of stories is part fangirl manifesto, part grief recovery, and all about rediscovering delight. With humor and insight, SC invites us to rethink what joy looks like — and how to make it our own.
Oh, and did we mention she’s a Stanford Law School graduate and a current Professor in Human and Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University? Get to know our newest (busy!) FACE of Nashville!
What was your childhood like, and what has your career trajectory been?
It was a childhood characterized by lots of family time. I was so lucky to grow up with my three siblings and in the same city as nearly all of my twenty-one first cousins. Many of us went to Vanderbilt together, which is what kicked off my love for Nashville.
I lived away for a decade — Los Angeles to law school in Palo Alto to practicing law in Austin before returning to Nashville about eighteen months ago. This city has such a fun, creative pulse, which I appreciated while undertaking my first creative venture: writing Styles of Joy.
What inspired you to write Styles of Joy?
The last several years have been marked by several transitions: leaving “big law,” the pandemic, and a heart-wrenching divorce. I was left hunting for joy and turned to happy music — specifically, Harry Styles’s music — as a way to cope. After having an Eat, Pray, Love adventure, seeing his concerts seventeen times in five countries, I had a lot to say about the rediscovery of joy. The book’s four-part framework for maximizing joy in our lives resulted.
Did writing this book change your own relationship with joy or how you express yourself through style?
As you might imagine, writing a book about joy was a very joy-giving process. I was constantly on the lookout for source material — always keeping my eyes peeled for what I like to call “joy in the wild.” That experience made me internalize the truth of C.S. Lewis’s famous quote, “No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it. Those who seek find. To those who knock, it is opened.”
If readers walk away with just one message from Styles of Joy, what do you hope it is?
This question is easy: joy is serious business! That sentence has become the tagline of the book, and I hope it sticks with readers because it is fundamentally true. While joy can come in light, seemingly trivial packages and forms, it is deeply tied to our well-being. Your joy matters. And deserves to be prioritized.
What is something most people would be surprised to learn about you?
I am an introvert. Truly, nobody believes me when I say this. I am outgoing and very social, but I am happiest by myself. That’s why writing Styles of Joy made for some of the loveliest days of my life, and I can’t wait to get back to that quiet, creative process. Torturous at times? Sure. But also pretty magical.
What was your first memorable fashion “moment?”
I write in the book about one of my only attempts to be fashionable; I bought a pair of electric blue, wide-leg silk pants while living in Manhattan for a college summer. I wound up tripping in the Meatpacking District and having quite the spill — the pants were torn and ruined, and I happily returned to the comfort of blue jeans. That’s been my lane ever since.
What do you wear when no one is watching — and does it bring you joy?
I get made fun of for my extensive robe collection. I wear them every day and night. And while I understand not everyone is a “robe person,” I swear by them. For lightweight cotton robes, I’d point you towards Simrane, a Paris brand with beautiful block-printed clothes and home goods. For a more traditional terrycloth, it doesn’t get better than Heidi Carey. Thank me later.
If you could borrow the wardrobe of any historical or fictional character for a day, who would it be and why?
Any character Diane Keaton has ever played. Give me all the button-downs and bandanas and stripes and loafers.
What is the best advice you’ve ever given or received?
“One vote for your head, one vote for your heart, and three votes for your gut.” This piece of advice came from my dear friend Luke and has served me very well over the years.
Faith, family, and friends notwithstanding, what three things can’t you live without?
My dog Ranger, Harry Styles’s music, and my Jura coffee maker. I make the same iced Americano with cinnamon powder and oat milk every single morning, served in a mason jar with a glass straw. And that brings me maximum joy.
LIGHTNING ROUND
Most cherished wardrobe item? A hand-painted bell-sleeved dress of my grandmother’s from the 1960s. It’s tangerine in color and has beautiful orchids and birds painted on the bottom half. Does it fit me? No. Do I cherish it? Absolutely.
What’s on your nightstand? I recently bought lamps from Paul Schneider that have a glossy white ceramic base covered with cappuccino-colored dots and brass accents. I am simply in love with them, and seeing something so beautiful as soon as I wake up brings me joy.
Favorite recently discovered podcast or book? It’s not a new book, but I think everyone should read Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. It’s an impossibly beautiful and moving book about friendship in the deepest form.
If you could get rid of ONE item in everyone’s closet, what would it be? Flip flops belong at the beach, by the pool, and at the nail salon. And nowhere else. If I were granted three wishes, I’d take care of global hunger, world peace, etc., and then ban flip flops from airports and airplanes. Effective immediately.
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There are SO many phenomenal women in the South. For more inspiring stories, visit our FACES archives!
