Frequently Asked Questions
Oh, you & your inquisitive minds! Aren’t you lovely?!
Q: Is your name really Gala Darling?
A: Yes! But it wasn’t always. It came to me in a dream in 2006, & I had it legally changed shortly thereafter.
Q: What kind of camera do you use?
A: I use a Nikon D80 for 90% of the photos you’ll see here. I use a Nikon Coolpix 5100 when I don’t feel like lugging the D80 around (it’s big & unwieldy!). I make my videos on a Mino Flip HD.
Q: How tall are you?
A: 5’7” barefoot; 5’11” in my favourite boots!
Q: Where do you live?
A: I live & work from International Playgirl HQ in New York City, though I grew up in New Zealand & have previously lived in Wellington, Auckland & Melbourne, Australia.
Q: It seems like you are always travelling. What’s the deal with that?
A: I do travel a lot, especially in the last couple of years — I designed my life like this on purpose, so that I could come & go at will. I have kind of hit my limit with jetsetting all over the place, though — right now all I want to do is stay in one place for a really long time!
Q: Where are your favourite places to visit?
A: Las Vegas. Amen!
Q: Where have you not been that you would like to go?
A: Tokyo, Japan. Portland, OR. Vancouver, Canada. Stockholm, Sweden. The Bahamas.
Q: How do you get your hair pink?
A: My hair is naturally quite dark (the colour of my eyebrows), so it has to be pre-lightened. I always have a hairdresser do that, because I like to pay professionals to do good work & my hair is important to me! Then getting it pink or purple or whatever is quite simple. I apply Special Effects hair-dye (usually an ultraviolet combination of Virgin Rose + Atomic Pink) to my noggin, trying not to smear it all over my face, & leave it for 45 minutes to an hour. I touch up the colour about once a month & leave pink stains everywhere I go — I am a total hazard to white towels, light pillowcases, easily-marked bathtubs & even the occasional wall.
Q: What’s it like having pink hair?
A: Fabulous. It makes me very popular with people on the street & I like that.
Q: Who does your hair?
A: Bee Jellyfish does my extensions, when I have them.
Q: How many tattoos do you have, what are they of & who did them?
A: I have two half-sleeves. The one on my right arm is of siamese twins surrounded by candy, cake & teacups, & the one on my left is a pink swanboat with a hot air balloon floating above it. My siamese twins were done when I was 21 in New Zealand. Tim Kern at Tribulation Tattoo in New York City did the swanboat & has been working on improving the siamese twins! I can’t really imagine getting my work done by anyone else.
Q: Do you have any words that you live by?
A: More magic all the time; live the fairytale; think big!
Q: What are your favourite books?
A: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov; Dangerous Angels by Francesca Lia Block; Fear of Flying by Erica Jong; The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami; American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis; House Of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski; The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things by J.T. Leroy; Do You! by Russell Simmons; The Red Book by Sera Beak; Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson; Women by Charles Bukowski; Grapefruit by Yoko Ono, & all kinds of business, style, interior design & sociology books. When I was younger, I was mad keen on Roald Dahl, Poppy Z. Brite, Spike Milligan & Sweet Valley High. Oh my. Bookshops & libraries are some of my favourite places.
Q: I have something for you, where can I send it?
A: Thank you, how awesome! My address is Gala Darling, Box 122, 444 East 10th Street, New York, NY 10009, U.S.A.
Q: If you weren’t a writer, what would you want to be or do?
A: I would be pretty happy working as a photographer, publisher, hotelier, music producer, actor, stylist, radio DJ or interior decorator, I think.
Q: What don’t you like?
A: Bananas. People with no table manners. Cats. Visibly filthy living spaces. & people who walk slowly & 3-abreast along narrow sidewalks.
Q: I don’t get it, what labels can I put on you?
A: Astrologically, my Sun & Mercury are Virgo, I have my Moon in Sagittarius & Venus & Mars in Leo. I am also a Water Pig & an ENFP. All of those things combined give a pretty clear picture of who I am!
Q: Are you an only child?
A: Of course I am…
Q: How long has this website been around for? Is this the only thing you do?
A: I launched galadarling.com on December 16th 2006. It is totally self-sustaining, though this has to be at least partially attributed to the fact that a) I enjoy making money, & b) I am a complete workaholic! I do a lot of things other than writing here — I’m working on a book, I do a monthly podcast called Love & Sequins, I’m the Fashion Curator for ChinaShop magazine, I freelance for a number of publications, I do the odd spot of copy-writing & I speak at events on a range of topics. I also always have new projects in the works. It is endless but it keeps life interesting!
Q: Who designed your site?
A: The inimitable Nubby Twiglet. It was coded up by girl genius Star St Germain. I love them both dearly & if you ever need a graphic designer or website magician, you should get in touch with them!
Q: What are the “nonpareils”?
A: Officially, a nonpareil is a metallic-coloured ball of crunchy sugar which goes on the top of a cake. Unofficially, it is my secret & loving nickname for my readers — since you are all a fabulous & essential part of what makes this site so wonderful. (All together now: “Awwww!”)
Q: What’s the coolest thing that’s happened to you as a result of having this website?
A: It’s almost impossible to say. I’ve been featured in magazines all over the world, spoken at incredible events & been offered rad writing gigs. But really the most fantastic thing is that I feel like I have friends all over the world. Most of my closest friends are people I met through this website, & that’s so amazing to me!
Q: How can I make a living from my blog?
A: People ask me this all the time & ultimately there is no real answer. I am just one of a bunch of people doing this, & the way I do things isn’t necessarily right, or even something that will work for you. My website is my baby, I am obsessed with it, & I have been putting in over 60 hours a week, every week, since 2006. I think to be good at anything you have to have passion. I would also say: have something to communicate, be bold & fearless & original — don’t just imitate what you’ve seen, take risks, read Problogger & hustle!
Q: Where else can I find you on the internet?
A: All over the damn place! I have a personal blog at Love Letter To The Universe, & you can also stalk me on Facebook, Flickr & Twitter.