The Sweet Escape Creative Studio

{INSPIRATION: ALT DESIGN SUMMIT SAN FRANCISCO RECAP}


A week ago today I took off to San Francisco to attend my first Alt Design summit. It’s the first time that Alt has come to the city. The main conference takes place in January in Salt Lake City over three days. I had heard about Alt and knew that some day I would make it there and make this blogging thing a reality. I was super excited to surround myself by like-minded people and get inspired and educated on what I need to know to make my blog everything I want it to be. And it didn’t disappoint. 



This is going to be a long post but hopefully you find it interesting. Or maybe you just want to fast forward to the photos…that’s ok too. 


From Mariam Naficy of Minted:
– remember the C’s; conviction, consumers, courage, cash, creative management, collaboration
– an idea rarely works on a first try, don’t give up 
– an entrepreneur doesn’t care what other people think


From Rena Tom of Makeshift Society:
– nothing is original, accept it, get over it and learn to make things your own. 
– spend time offline and don’t compare yourself to others
– get out of your comfort zone often
– be present in the world
– don’t be afraid to change your mind

From Alix Tyler of Modern Kiddo & Meg Keene of A Practical Wedding:
– think like a big blogger
– spend money to make money
– learn to fail forward
– uncomfortable feelings are necessary and important






From Mike McCue of Flipboard:
– The main thing…see below. The point is, stay focused!
– learn to negotiate fairly & don’t be greedy
– the journey is the reward
– leadership  is about giving your team a sense of purpose
– hire people who know what you don’t & have a mentor

It was great to be inspired but I found all the business advice the most useful. I think everyone in the room was a creative person or we wouldn’t be there but we could use a little help figuring out how to make a living from our creativity. I especially enjoyed the round table discussion on selling your own ads by Liz Stanley of Say Yes to Hoboken.
(above 2 photos: credit Brooke Dennis for Atly)

Now the fun stuff…. A beautiful intimate dinner at the Creative Bug Studio. The decor was handmade and perfect. 

 

To see even more pics of this evening, check out the site of my new photographer friend, Megan Tsang. 

Crafting station, sponsored by Creative Bug.

AltSF mug shot photo booth sponsored by Michael Miller Fabrics.
Amazing swag from all the wonderful sponsors. Oh and my shoes will hopefully make it into a video by Creative Bug. 

I could probably do a whole entire post on the amazing food we were served. Seriously – it was incredible, gourmet, delicious and all complementary. Oh and there usually was a cocktail bar around too which never hurts. 

We had lunch at the Tonga Room in the Fairmont Hotel which was quite the space. We were all transported to a tropical destination in the middle of the conference. How fun does this look? 

(all food & Tonga Room photos credit Brooke Dennis for Atly)
Super excited to check out the Pinterest head office for our closing cocktail party. The theme was Alice in Pinterland. More swag and more fun. A great way to end the event. 
Just a handful of the wonderful bloggers I met. We are slowly falling down the rabbit hole. 

And that’s it! Well to be honest it’s not it but it’s the best editing job I could do with so much packed into 24 hours. After this great experience I’m hoping to get a ticket for the big AltSLC (fingers crossed). Time to make things happen!


* please note, all photos, with the exception of the two noted by Brooke Dennis for Atly are original. Please link with love. 

TheSweetEscape

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4 responses to “{INSPIRATION: ALT DESIGN SUMMIT SAN FRANCISCO RECAP}”

  1. This is so inspiring. And I didn’t just fast forward to the photos – I read it all!

    Sounds like a wonderful trip. Love that mug shot of you. ;)