Updated on June 12, 2024
There is something special and magical that happens when you are surrounded by people who “get you”. Being a creative blogger is a unique profession. You are often at home or in a studio working on projects. And much of your time is spent behind a computer screen – editing photos, writing posts and promoting your work on social media. I have to admit, it can be a lonely profession. There is not a lot of face time with other people. That is why it is a beautiful thing when you can go to a blog conference and connect with “your people”.
Source: Alex Adams Photography
I have been so busy trying to put into practice all that I learned. Last year I came back so energized, but also so completely overwhelmed. So overwhelmed, in fact, that I didn’t follow through with much of what I learned. There were so many things to add to my to-do list that I became paralyzed with what to do next.
I think I am finally figuring things out for myself. Not only with my blogging business, but in life in general. There will always be a million items pulling at my time. However, each of us is only given a finite number of minutes to work with each day. 24 little hours, 1440 tiny minutes. If I get my recommended 8 hours of sleep like I am supposed to (and that I truly do need) that only leaves 16 hours. Those hours are a precious gift. So, it is important to prioritize my time. My family is my first and foremost priority. I don’t ever want my work or my blog to come before my kids.
Last year, I wrote about what I learned at Snap. For me, this year, there were several key take-aways again. These same themes resonated over and over again with me at each class I took and each speaker that was there to inspire us with their wise words.
We were lucky enough to hear both David Tutera and Heidi Swapp speak. Both offered up their unique wisdoms. I didn’t make it through Heidi’s talk without shedding some major tears. She was amazing to listen to. And David Tutera – he is a funny guy and so motivating.
David Tutera | Source: Alex Adams Photography
Heidi Swapp | Source: Alex Adams Photography
One major message that resonated with me over and over again was to be sure to make my loved ones a priority. This may be a strange take-away from a business conference, but it was there over and over again. Be sure to live my life. Be sure to spend time with my loved ones. Work efficiently and effectively to have more time to spend with those I love. Many creative bloggers are stay-at-home moms, or they have families and also work outside the home. To add another part or full time job on top of our other priorities can make it easy to pull our time away from what is most important.
The other message that rang loud and true to me was that I need to be authentic. There are a million creative and lifestyle blogs out there. The one truly unique thing I have to offer my readers is – me! By sharing my voice and my passion with you, it will hopefully keep you coming back. I want all of you to feel like one of my friends. Like this is the place you to go to chat with your friend and become inspired. It is such a great joy to hear from friends and readers when they reach out to me to tell me they were inspired by what I wrote. Even on the hard days, knowing that I may be helping someone else find a little joy in her day makes it all worthwhile.
Takeaways from Snap (that can also apply to everything in life):
- Decide if what you are doing is going to be a business or a hobby and then treat it accordingly.
- If you decide you want your passion to become your business: show up, create deadlines and be consistent.
- Be authentic.
- Be fearless. Don’t be afraid to be yourself and dare to dream.
- Dream big, but create measurable goals to make them come true. #goalboss
- Be generous with the good and you will receive good back.
In addition to learning so much, we got to have a lot of fun, too! My sweet roommates and I all exchanged gifts. My friend, Amy from The Happy Scraps, made all of us the coolest blogger shirts. They were a huge hit with everyone!
We had a garden party with Jo Anns. The decorations were so beautiful!
Jo Ann Garden Party | Source: Alex Adams Photography
We also had a beach party with Sizzix. We had a fun photo booth to take pictures.
Source: Alex Adams Photography
Every little detail about Snap is amazing. Each meal we had, the tables were decorated beautifully. Here is the main ballroom with the main stage decorated.
Main Ballroom | Source: Alex Adams Photography
One of my favorite parts of going to this blog conference is meeting online friends in real life, connecting with friends I don’t get to see often and meeting new people. I got to see one of my favorite people, Laura Kelly. She was kind enough to draw me my peep at the conference. It is hanging on my bulletin board right now!
I was lucky enough to win a tool kit from Kreg jig.
We had the opportunity to meet up with and connect with so many cool brands – Jo Anns, Kreg Jig, Ryobi, American Crafts, DohVinci, DecoArt, Modern Masters, Laura Kelly, i Love to Create, Blitsy, Darice, HomeRight and so many more! I already have some projects in the works after meeting with these great brands, so be on the lookout for those in the coming months.
Jo Ann | Source: Alex Adams Photography
Ryobi | Source: Alex Adams Photography
DohVinci | Source: Alex Adams Photography
Blitsy | Source: Alex Adams Photography
This year I took Tauni’s advice and made sure to take at least one class that was not all about the business side of blogging. I tried out the amazing Melody Babylock sewing machine to create a fun fat quarter apron. Let me tell you, I LOVE that machine! It is totally on my dream crafting room list.
Melody BabyLock Machine | Source: Alex Adams Photography
Finished aprons (I am peeking out in the back) | Source: Alex Adams Photography
We had a door decorating contest. We created a door using paper flowers to cover the entire door. It turned out pretty magical!
Basically, if you are a blogger, and in particular a creative blogger, I highly recommend Snap Conference. It is a great chance to connect, learn new things and help your brand grow!
Reader Survey
And now, I need a little help from you. I want Laura’s Crafty Life to not only be a place where I share what inspires me, but also a place where you can ask questions, get help and be inspired yourself! But, in order to do that, I need a little help from you. I created a reader survey that will help me to decide what to focus on in the future. And for helping me out, you will be entered to win a $15 gift card from one of my favorite stores – Target, Jo Ann OR Hobby Lobby. I appreciate you being a reader and taking the time to fill out my survey! Click the link below to be taken to the survey.
Laura’s Crafty Life reader survey
Gift card entries: One (1) survey respondent will win a $15 gift card to Target, Jo Ann OR World Market. Must add email address to survey to be eligible to win. Open to residents of the United States, 18 years and older. All rules and entry guidelines must be followed to be eligible to win. Winner will be chosen at random (via Random.org) and notified via email. Winning entry will be verified. No purchase is necessary. Odds of winning are based on number of entries. If winner chosen does not respond to email notification after 48 hours a new winner will be chosen. Ends Friday, August 14, 2015 at 8:00 PM MST.
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