3/29/13

Blissdom 2013 Recap

BlissDom or Bust
Leaving the family for a few days to head to a blogging conference was a new experience. I wasn't sure what to expect.


The BlissDom conference ran Thursday thru Saturday night and was held at the Gaylord Texan, right here in Grapevine. Each day started with a keynote speaker and ended with fun entertainment. The session schedule was organized around four tracks: Writing, Business, Photography, and Life Development. You could pick and choose which topics were the most appealing to you.

The People
I am not sure what pops into your mind when you hear 'blog conference'. For me, I pictured a bunch of women sitting around on their computers and iphones-- blogging. While there was a lot of social media going on (tweeting, posting pics to IG, and status updating on facebook) at BlissDom there was a lot more actual talking going on.
"Sew Caroline"- "Selby Lane"- "Printed Palette"- "Rags to Stitches"- "Lisa Leonard Designs"- "Pleated Poppy"- "Me
In between the sessions were meals, time to meet with sponsors, and lots of chances to just talk. Not everyone was a 'craft blogger'- but that was what made it interesting. I loved hearing everyone's story.

8. Edie from "Life in Grace"9. Sam from "Bobaloo" 10. Small Business Friends 
11. Jessica from "Be Present" 12. Omega! from Selby Lane

13. Amy from "Living Locurto"14. Bobaloo Kids  15. Connecting with Business Cards
16: Crafty Texas Girls Bag- for all those conference goodies
The Speakers
One of the key note speakers, Scott Stratten, pointed out that before 'social media' became a label, it was just called 'networking' and that is really what this conference was all about.  I went to network- face to face- with women who had similar interests. Bloggers, small business owners, entrepreneurs, passionate, enthusiastic women.


My favorite speaker was Jon Acuff, I even woke up early morning to attend his "5Club". (He says if you are serious about your dream, you should be willing to wake up at 5AM to work on it. Nobody wakes up at 5AM just to hang out! You wake up at 5AM to hustle!) His words coupled with the book I am now reading really breathed new life into me. I came home feeling uplifted and excited about what is to come.
This is the book I am reading now. 
The speakers, shared messages that could apply to anyone. They were really inspiration for living a life without fear, a life where dreams are pursued, a life where you know that you are 'enough'.



The Take-Away
It definitely required me to push myself. Most people came with a best friend or a group of friends. Since I was alone, I met new friends. I talked to everyone who looked interesting. I approached 'big bloggers' who I have been following for years. I asked questions, smiled, and socialized.


I exchanged business cards with women who I felt I would sincerely contact after the conference.
Tonya from "Love of Family & Home" -- such a sweet, creative girl! 
BlissDom for me was not about sitting in front of a screen and picking up some new email addresses. For me it was about meeting people who 'get it'-- they understand my passion for writing and creating. And they are excited to share their dream too.

I was so nervous when these business cards arrived. I had never introduced myself before as
"Blogger or Clothing Designer". I still have friends that don't even know I blog!
Seeing it printed on 500 business cards made it real.
And sometimes real is really scary! What if I failed? What would I do with all those cards??
If you ever have a chance to attend a conference, whether it be for a hobby, church, or even work-- I encourage you to go with an open mind and big smile. The opportunity to meet others and exchange ideas is one not to be missed.

 Like this post?
-Subscribe to crafty texas girls
-Visit my shop, Samantha Conner Designs- fabulous clothing and accessories for the girl who has everything!

Sharing at "The Scoop" Tuesday Link Party

All photos and text on craftytexasgirls.com are copyright protected. You may not copy entire articles or posts (even with a link) without my express written permission. Email any requests or links used to craftytexasgirls@gmail.com.

14 comments:

  1. Girl I was SO blessed to have met you this year! I feel like we totally connected and thanks for all the shout outs! xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  2. Girl I was SO blessed to have met you this year! I feel like we totally connected and thanks for all the shout outs! xoxox

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a pleasure it was to meet you and all of your cuteness! Scott Stratten and Jon Acuff were two of my faves as well. I left feeling encouraged. Wishing you all the success in the world -- being that YOU ARE NOT going to fail. xo, Kelly

    ReplyDelete
  4. I had so much fun hanging out with you and talking shop! I feel like I made a few great new friends last weekend, and you are definitely one of them! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Looks like so much fun! I am happy that you made new friends and connections! I want to see your new head shots! Beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  6. YAY for being brave and coming alone--I did that my first BlissDom (3 years ago) and have been coming 'alone' for the rest of them too. I meet friends each year but I do it all by walking into sessions alone. :) Some of your fav. new people are either my fav. new people too or were already favs. :) Can't wait for next year!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great recap! I was also at BlissDom this year (my first time). I'm sorry we didn't get to meet at the conference, but I'm glad to have found your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I really think I should be a speaker. I mean really, they named it after me.

    Bliss

    ReplyDelete
  9. I LOVED meeting you in person! you have such a friendly and sweet disposition - it really put me at ease whenever I saw you! Truly. Thats a gift! I hope I will run into you again soon - until then I'm a fan of the blog:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Samantha,

    I agree- what a great re-cap of your extraordinary adventure! I feel your passion and enthusiasm!!
    -Jemma

    ReplyDelete
  11. Great post Samantha! It was awesome meeting you and hanging out with you! :) Can't wait to contact with you again!
    Mackenzie :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. It was a great conference & I am so glad I got to meet you in person!! You were seriously one of my favorites!! Looking forward to following your blog & connecting with you via social media until we meet again!! Hoping that will be sooner than later!

    Hope you have a wonderful Easter weekend with your family!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Love this recap!! You are amazing. Your personality and passion for what you do is contagious. I just love it. Loved meeting you and can't wait to see all of the wonderful things you will do. :) XOXO, Jess

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great recap! I'm still so bummed that I couldn't attend the conference (and our slumber party), but there's always next year! Glad it was such a great experience and looks like you learned a lot and made some great new friends and connections. I'll stay far away from germs for at least a month before next year's event. And I'll make sure my babysitter does, too ;)

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I love to hear from you and will do my best to answer questions and comments by 'replying via email'.
:) Samantha

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
Site Design By Designer Blogs