alt summit. worth noting.

now that i've pretty much settled back into regular life after alt summit, i wanted to share a few things worth noting from those few days in slc. people, things i've learned, and tips i brought home to apply to life in general.

let's start with what my brain was focusing on for the most part of january. our stay wild mini party we were able to host! it was a blast. to plan. to host. to decorate. not to tear down… but i'll leave that part out. we ended up working with so many creative and generous people. chris hernandez from stationery hq printed up a huge stack of these stay wild prints for us to give away to our guests. in the past few weeks i've seen so many people around instagram who received one and are keeping them up for inspiration. love that! have you guys ever checked out stationery hq? they have a huge selection of really fun paper products and gifts. email chris and he'll get an account all set up for you with a discount for designers: chernandez@printhq.com or just send him a friendly tweet @stationerychris

i'm sure you all saw the neon sign at one point either here, on fb or instagram. we were SO excited about it and had a serious talk about "accidentally" losing it after the party. but, we have morals… so we ended up picking a winner for that stunner and sent it on it's way. endeavour neon was a pleasure to work with. check out the amazing things they do over on instagram then send them an email when you realize you need your very own neon sign in your life: endeavourneonsigns@gmail.com

and as you made your way out of the partay, obviously we had to send all the gals off with a treat. lollipics created these fantastic custom lollipops for us with our party (and life) slogan. i'm pretty sure people were snagging these by the handful, they were just too dang cute.

we also had a ton of help from holly of paisley petal events. she's probably one of the sweetest people ever. i mean… she lugged a crate of cinder blocks to the hotel for us for crying out loud. so generous. not to mention the million other things she graciously coordinated for us since she lives near slc. plus, she has a gorgeous vday printable over on her blog right now that i would highly recommend checking out if my swooning and praising didn't convince you ;)

you guys. i went to one panel and one round table. party prep was intense! i also got to peruse the rooms that the brands put together with crafts, snacks, coffee (essential!) and the chance to chat with their team about their products. probably one of my favorite parts, so i wasn't sad a bit about what i missed (well, mostly i try not to think about it). the one panel i DID attend was with erica from ps. i made this. she knows her stuff you guys. she's built her brand from scratch and is smart enough to recognize patterns and what is working. luckily, i was able to listen to her story for an hour an soak it all in. two of the things that really stuck with me were this:

1. your goal in what you do (in my case, blog, instagram, Facebook, etc.) is to create something that gets people to have an emotional reaction. make them feel something right alway when they see your post or read your blog. of course, everyone isn't always going to feel what you feel. but if you put your true self into what you are putting out their on the internet, you will attract a true audience that will always be excited about what you are handing them next.

2. which brings me to point two. when you create an emotional reaction in people, what do they do next? SHARE. they share how much they love what you are doing. you want to create that emotional ALL of the time. your followers and fans sharing your work is far more organic and real than scheduling 15 tweets pushing something on people. do good work, people will share. 

[waiting in the hall for roommates that kind of turned into a photoshoot. room service reward after party set up. coffee. lots of coffee. new friends + photobooths]

this is the second time i've been to alt. and i feel like each time has given me something completely different. i guess i would categorize myself as an introvert. i like working on things by myself. i really do like being home, and working from home. it's easy for me to cancel plans with people because being on my own is just more comfortable… so forcing myself to talk to people, meet people and connect has been one of the greatest perks for me in attending alt. sure, i still love staying home with my husband and dogs, but now i'm calling people, making plans with people… i get it now that i can't do everything on my own and the only way to grow is going to be reaching out and working with people outside of my network (which currently consists of 2 furry dogs). it's hard to do that after years of keeping to yourself because it's easier. so 2 pieces of advice i gave to myself and actually used were:

1. when you meet someone, you know how you are freaking out about what you look like, what you sound like, is there food on my face, is what i'm saying right? well, the other person is probably thinking the exact same thing and not focusing on how nervous you might be. it's kind of like when you used to get told to imagine people in their underwear… except, not as awkward. just relax. people aren't judging every move you make.

2. say hi to people. you never know what kind of conversation and opportunity it might spur.

and a last piece of advice.

[garance dore speaking]

no. you're not ugly. but you might get a comment one day that says you are. unfortunately there are people out there that have nothing better to do than say mean things. and when you think about it, you have to feel bad for the person that feels good from making someone feel bad (hmmm. did you get that?). focus on all of those great comments and let the others roll off because there are far less of them. if they dislike what you are doing so much, they have fingers… they can click 'unfollow' or 'unsubscribe'. but they are still there for a reason ;)

wordy for a friday, huh? i hope you can gain a little insight if you weren't able to attend alt. reading all of the great recaps is pretty much like going right? just kidding:) have a great weekend!