I finally have had some time to process my ALT experience. I know a lot of people have been waiting and wanting to hear everything about it, but i’m just going to stick to a few things I think are some of the most important things I have learned from attending. Things I think will be relevant for you as well.
You are a content creator: As a blogger our first and formost responsibility it to create content.
Numbers aren’t everything: This goes hand in hand with being a content creator. It’s more important to focus on producing great content. If all you are worried about are numbers your content is probably suffering.
Work/Life Balance: A quote from Patti Smith sums this one up.
“In art and dream may you proceed with abandon. In life may you proceed with balance and stealth.”
Practice Seeing: Karen Walrond spoke on finding your voice. One of the ways she mentioned doing this is by practicing seeing. She said, “Nothing makes you stop and see like a camera in your hand.”
Set Golden Hours: Golden hours are a time of day when you are at your best. Save those golden hours for work that makes you feel productive.
Learn to Say “no”: I’ve heard this before. It’s something I struggle with so I have to constantly keep reminding myself that saying “no” is even an option.
Here are some good questions to ask yourself before you say yes or no.
Do you want to do the project?
Do you have time?
Can this project afford to hire you at a rate you can afford to work at?
I love watercolor: On the last day at the conference there were workshops for you to attend. I chose the watercolor class taught by the amazing and tallented Lana. It was the very last thing I did before heading back home. This might sound silly, but the watercolor class was my favorite thing I did. Yes, I loved it more than the classes, more than the yummy food, and even more than the parties. These things were all spectacular. You know how Disney parks have everything so well put together down to the very last detail? Well Alt was pretty much the same way. There were letterpressed menus, tons of decorations and the clue party was the most elaborate thing I have ever seen. It was Disney perfect. Something about the watercolor class though really resonated with me. Maybe because it was the first time all weekend where there was peace and quite. Or the the fact that I didn’t have to introduce myself to anyone new for a whole 2 hours. Or maybe it was simply because I was full to the brim with knowledge and my brain was ready to take a break and create something. There were only about fifteen of us in the class so it felt like we were just a bunch of girlfriends hanging out and having fun. It was exactly what I needed and the perfect way to end the weekend. This class also made me realize I need to take time for more moments like this.
I hate the cold: I knew I wasn’t the biggest fan of cold weather, but Salt Lake City was just brutal. I think I’ll stick to Southern California.
