Another year. Another round. Another life-changing experience.
Life-changing.
Gosh, that’s so cliché.
I sat in my hotel room at the end of the conference. For hours. Reflecting, writing, resting – all the while trying my hardest to come up with another word to use instead of life-changing. What was more powerful? What was more accurate? What was more all-encompassing of a 3.5 day conference experience like Creative @ Heart?
I had nothing.
I didn’t exactly know how this conference recap was going to play out. Last year, it took me three months to put one together. On one hand, I felt more prepared mentally for this round but on the other hand, I was repeatedly reminding myself that this was so much more than just a business conference filled with information. If I wanted to truly get the most out of my time in North Carolina – if I wanted every single penny to have worth during the week, I needed to accept the fact that Creative @ Heart pulls on every heart string, it pushes on every brain muscle and it pours into every ounce of faith you have. And if you don’t have enough faith…or any? Trust me, there’s plenty to go around!
I learned one thing in the seven months since Round 8 and that was the benefit of resting and recapping each evening instead of trying to pull together a week’s worth of thoughts in one night. So, I sat. And I reflected on these nightly recaps. And as I did, the words in between just seemed to come to me. The experience just seemed to flow from my brain, through my eyeballs (in the form of tears), down to my fingers and on to my screen.
Life-changing.
Life-changing perfectly described the emotions in that loft – the blend of depletion, exhaustion and stagnancy that walked in, transforming into the new hope, imagination, and purpose that walked out.
Life-changing accurately encompassed the sense of community – for some, a homecoming and for others, an answer to prayer.
And life-changing summed up the feeling on everyone’s heart as they arrived in North Carolina to attend a conference for business takeaways and ideas but discovered a conference experience designed to take self away from business in order to more effectively lead.
I think many on the outside see Creative @ Heart as just another conference. Some may falsely categorize it as something else. Others may dream of one day attending.
But those that have been? Those that have sat in the room? Experienced a panel group session, a late-night treat, or a Katelyn James keynote?
THOSE people have, without a doubt, had that kinda life-changing experience I’m talking about.
For me, though, this year’s conference was more on a life-giving platform. Round 8 wrecked me, in the best of ways (to read more, click here!) so again, I felt mentally more prepared for Round 9. I had made some moves with LoveMo and was prepared to actually engage in conversation this year instead of sitting quietly on the outside simply observing. But the Lord had other plans for me, as He always does. For the second time this year, I found myself sitting in a conference environment appropriately themed around self-care. Yay LoveMo!
There was a God moment on the lead-up to Round 9 that gently whispered that this conference would be different than the last. Not that I expected things to be cookie-cutter in any way – have you met Kat? This whisper just led me to be a bit more expectant to hear from the Lord than I would have otherwise.
The moment happened when an attendee posted on our group’s Facebook page that she was in search of a room and/or roommate. The introvert in me wanted to scroll past the post like I’d never seen it. A two-bedded room all to myself? Heck yes! But the Round 8 attendee in me knew how special a roommate could be and c’mon, this conference is built on its community and the connection within. So, I offered up my room. And then I Facebook stalked the girl. Let’s just be real. Whoooo – California! Bonus points for sure! And then that whisper happened.
Meet Makenzie, my roomie! Makenzie is a photographer from Bakersfield, California who implemented a program through her photography that ultimately led to the start of a conference devoted to educating teenage girls on their value, their worth and their identity.
I’ll give you a moment.
C’MON! Could this be any more LoveMo-esque? The passion she has for her work, for her girls, for her message was so inspiring and I found myself extremely fortunate, in many of our conversations, that the Lord would place us in the same room. That He would allow us to experience Round 9 together. And that He would be the core that we were both firmly anchored to in life and in business. Plus, she helped me discover my Enneagram. So, we’re basically family now.
Awesome roomie: CHECK!
Bring on the powerhouse keynotes and influential breakout sessions!
The ability for these big names in the creative world to step from behind their massive platforms of success and sit in their humanity for 45 minutes. To share their stories. To shed some tears. To find a way to connect their heart to ours. Ugh, it was powerful. Sniffles heard around the room served as confirmation that hearts were open, our spirits were ready to receive whatever mental, emotional, spiritual or relational word that was written for us.
There is something so raw and honest, and deeply magnetic about people in positions of success, influence and almost power in a sense, who can fall to their knees like the rest of us and have an intimate Jesus moment. There’s something even greater when those people surrender their positions in obedience knowing that God’s drawing them closer and taking them into a new season.
Nancy Ray kicked off the conference with an inside look at her seasons of loss, redemption, growth, success and transition. Really tough, but necessary transition. She taught us all about shifting our mindsets from abundance to gratitude. Both a humbling start to the conference, but also such a foundation for where we were headed.
From Terri Baskin’s amazing frosting talk to Laura Foote’s talk on finding your magic (Girlfriend has SERIOUS communication skills. I want to be like her when I grow up!). And then Megan Martin closed out the keynotes for the day.
When I gave my speech at my church commissioning, I was terrified. For days, I battled with the enemy’s lie that my speech wouldn’t resonate with anyone, that I couldn’t do it, that I was bound in the stronghold of fear. But I overcame and in the months since that time, I’ve had numerous people come to me and express how deeply my talk resonated with them. To me, there is no greater feeling. So, to Mrs. Megan Martin, I say the same to you. Your speech resonated on a level I never expected to reach at Round 9. A level that, in my eyes, was truly bound to the confines of my home in San Diego. To hear you talk about embracing your story and being courageous enough to share your own truth with us all left me speechless and tearful. I, too, battle with family and struggle to pursue my own dreams when their wellbeing weighs so heavy on my mind and heart (I’m a type 2). I was encouraged, uplifted and hopeful for my future because of your words. Thank you for making an impact and for inspiring my road ahead.
We experienced our Oprah moment on Day 2 with the amazing Lara Casey! Not only did she gift the entire room with her famous #Powersheets, but her spin on a new year and a fresh start on goals inspired us all to grab July 1st by the horns and run! Lara spent the entire lunch hour meeting and greeting, and I was so captivated by her intimate attention to each and every person that stood in line to greet her. Nothing distracted her. Her time with each person was intentional and she made direct eye contact and listened as girls poured their hearts out to her in admiration. I saw her praying for people and taking selfies with people. Just such sweet moments.
Shanna Skidmore rounded out the keynote talks on day 2 with a topic people usually shy away from: MONEY. But again, mind completely blown. She guided us through core motivators with some exercises to help discover our own. Which are you? Are you impacted by 1) Creative Expression 2) Time 3) Challenge or 4) Impact. Can you guess which one I am?
The third and final day came with two relevant sessions on self-care and prioritizing yourself first. Geomyra Pollard and my personal inspiration, Rachel Allene. Which leads well for a momentary segue to panel groups:
So, panel groups are groups of about 8-10 (maybe more in some cases) attendees within the same creative market or category. Example: one panel group may have WEDDING photographers, and another may have SENIOR PORTRAIT photographers, one may have calligraphers and another may have wedding and event planners, etc.) My group was composed of shop owners. And I’m always just inspired by our panel group – the shop owners are few and far between at Creative @ Heart but the ones I find myself surrounded with ask all the best questions and share all the details when it comes to being more efficient in creating and shipping products. I totally fangirl over Rachel Allene and yep, I chickened out on speaking to her – she had to come up to me and say hello! I’m not quite sure she understands the admiration we all have for her, but her willingness to be transparent in a way that both encompasses her branding yet still allows her the ability to guard some of her personal life is such an example to how we can blend entrepreneurship and magnetic brands but still feel like we’re not exactly throwing our whole life on social media. She has a reserved confidence and has a gentle way of delivering truth in love and this respect for what others do as business owners. She was #goals before but after meeting her in person? I’m just so in awe of this human being. I’m hopeful that as LoveMo grows, our partnership opportunity increases and we become real life besties, like we already are in my head.
Anyway, we ended the day with Abby Grace’s session on the Gentle No and Katelyn James’ talk on protecting your passion and purpose. I’m starting to get the feeling that Kat & her team purposely end with the Abby Grace / Katelyn duo, two of the most effective communicators I’ve ever heard. For the second year, Abby Grace has taken such a simple and universal topic and just completely blown my mind with it. And with Katelyn, there are simply not enough words. Again, there’s something so magnetic about someone so successful and so influential sharing their difficult seasons, their struggles. In a beautiful full-circle bookend to Nancy Ray’s intro, Katelyn’s journey from valley to mountaintop to valley again connected our hearts. I heard a similar talk last year, but it still impacted me in a new way this year. I still found myself flooded with tears. And I was still unable to approach this woman and speak to her.
In fact, I told like 10 people that I really have to stop attending Creative @ Heart because by the time I muster up enough courage to speak to those educators who inspired me during the week, I’m usually a bucket of tears who can’t seem to push the lump in my throat down far enough to utter a word.
So, for the second year in a row, I left Winmock with puffy eyes and a such a full, full heart.
Another year. Another round. Another life-changing experience.
Sending BIG hugs to these women – whose friendship made all the difference during my conference week. I’m so thankful for our connection and for the conversation and encouragements shared over those few days. Looking forward to staying connected in the weeks and months to come. Love you so!
Heather | www.heatherdodgephotography.com
Makenzie | www.makenziephoto.com
Emily | www.cocoandjune.com
Carolina | Wedding & Event Planner, DC Area
Manali | www.manaliphotography.com
Kelsea | www.kindlybykelsea.com
A special shout-out to Lauren Carnes (www.laurencarnes.com) for just being one of the sweetest and most engaging people at the conference. From leading breakout sessions to quick chats about dinner at the hotel elevator, your presence was so warm and inviting. You totally embody the spirit of Creative @ Heart. #BeLikeLauren – is this a thing yet?
To my sweet, sweet Allyson (www.farmervisuals.com), thank you for making the hours-long drive to come visit us at Winmock while we were in town! You are the true definition of a C@H biz bestie!
To my long lost twin, Heather (www.heatherdodgephotography.com), THANK YOU for making the vision for my sponsor gifts this year come to life! I’m so thankful for your courage to message me when I was on the hunt for a designer and CAN. NOT. WAIT to work with you some more!
And finally, to anyone interested in attending Creative @ Heart, I have two words for you.
DO IT.
It is worth every single penny. Yes, it’s a lot of pennies, but there is truly no other conference like it. If you are a creative business owner – whatever stage it may be – and you are looking for community, a restart, collaboration over competition, or just a fun week surrounded by people that think and dream like you, make the investment. It is totally worth it. And so are you!
C@H Dream Team:
Kat Schmoyer | @katschmoyer
Matt Schmoyer | @matt.schmoyer
Emily Yost | @emilyinlove
Mama Kat | @sharonhoustonphotography
Ruth Pitt | @raisetheruthevents
Sterling Dawn | @sterlingdawn
The Herrintons | @tylerherrinton & @ashleyherrinton
Rebecca Vann | @rebeccavann_
Bethanne Arthur | @bethannearthur –> The woman behind the amazing photos!!!
