I'm in a post-Blissdom haze and my head and heart are moving like tiny rockets at the end of a long weekend sparkler. My thoughts throw themselves in every direction and my heart is bright.
I've tried to summarize my take-away thoughts here:
- The more often I say the words, the easier it is to own them. Being in a room full of people, who want to hear about my work, forces me to speak the words, "I AM A WRITER." And even though I felt my face flush each time, I was received gently.
- The 500 other writers and bloggers, whom I admire and read and compare myself to (far too often), are not my competition. They are my mentors and teachers and inspiration. They are my community. And I have a place within it.
{@dana_reinke and @naychi}
- I have a lot to learn. And rather than being intimidated by the process, I am motivated by the possibilities: new photo apps, new SEO techniques (see experimental title of this post), creativity, credibility, engagement. I will read and write and dedicate time to this space every day.
- I know my blog is saturated with words like "joy" and "grateful" and though I could make an effort to balance it with the less-than-shiny stuff (and it is there, if you look), my writing captures the life I want my kids to know in the present and remember in the future. During @bonstewart's keynote address: "Who Are We When We're Online?" she said "Be the self you want to encounter online" and I felt so validated. Telling my stories and sharing my perspective in its truest form, brings me closer to the person I want to write about.
- Once an introvert, always an introvert. I may never work up the courage to approach the bloggers and writers I admire. I prefer interactions in small, structured settings (more microsessions please, Blissdom) and find random hallway meet-ups and bathroom encounters incredibly frightening. But, with a feather-in-my-cap, I saw firsthand the value of networking and will challenge myself to say hello at future conferences (though I do think a zeitgeisty costume with face mask would help immensley - pick me, pick me).
{thanks for a great weekend roomies: @morganizedmom and @thepartymama}
Thank you, Blissdom Canada, for lighting my spark.
See you next year!
