Creative At Heart: The Recap

"Do all things with heart."

- my seriously adorable new coffee mug from C@H!

Last week I had the honor of attending the Creative At Heart conference in Memphis, Tennessee!  This was my first year attending as an educator + panelist alongside some pretty incredible industry leaders.  If you aren't familiar with C@H, the purpose of this conference is to inspire the hearts of like-minded creatives and to promote the movement of community over competition.  Even though I was there to share my heart with the attendees, I was still able to connect and learn from a group of women who I felt understood the struggles as a business owner.  A group of creatives who understood my very own struggles and fears.

To my boss babe friends: 

If you are considering attending a business conference you should absolutely look into C@H! For those who are not quite convinced that making this type of investment is worth it, I was there too!  

True story: My first year of business I enrolled in FIVE different conferences/workshops in order to absorb as much information as possible and build relationships with other creatives. To be honest, I was VERY skeptical each and every time I made that investment. To take that truth even further, I was even skeptical when I would invest in ANYTHING that had to do with my creative business! I would say things to myself like, "Is this even a "real" business?" - - or things like, "Can I really do something that I love every day?"  

And then I decided this: I was not going to let my fear dictate my future anymore!

And that changed everything. I made the decision to treat POSH PR® like a real business. Failure was not an option for me. Going back to my medical sales job was not an option. 

The end of 2016 marks my third full year in business! (I can't even believe I just typed that!) And, friends - - I am still learning eery single day. Speaking of learning...

Here are a few things I learned at C@H:

People buy relations, stories and magic. - Jen Olmstead

This was so inspiring to hear Jen speak about this.  There are some aspects of my business in which I sell a lifestyle or an experience. For that reason, I loved this quote so much.

"Dark and hard can be beautiful too." Mary Marantz

When Mary so humbly spoke about the struggles she faced in business and in life, it finally made perfect sense to me. You see, there are so many times when we try to hide behind the "pretty things" in life. I do it, too. She is a walking testimony to the fact that hard times can be beautiful, too.

"Seek to be worth knowing and not well known." Hope Taylor

I loved hearing my sweet friend, Hope, speak about Instagram strategies and how important it is to know your worth. You worth is not in the number of social media followers you have. It is in being someone worth knowing.

"Not everyone can support you in your season of life." Monique Melton

Monique was spot on with this statement. Not everyone can support you in your season of life. Things will change as you change and grow. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that!

"The problem is not always as big as it seems." Katelyn James

THIS! One of my favorite takeaways from the conference was from Katelyn James. It spoke so true to my heart! Mainly because she is 100% right! I can sometimes feel anxious and overwhelmed with the tasks that needed to be complete or an overflowing inbox. Those are little picture things. Yes, these are tasks that need to be completed - - but by focusing on the BIG picture of growth and learning to outsource your to-do's... This makes the "problem" seem like a small growing pain.

Like most attendees that leave C@H, they leave with a sense of rejuvenation and excitement to get started making intentional changes to their business.  I, too, left with this excitement!

I also left with the confirmation of my love for eduction.  The feeling in your heart where you know you are in the right place at the right time.  The peacefulness that comes from doing what your heart loves most.  For me, this is empowering women and encouraging creative business owners to recognize their their full potential.  (Quick shout out to these two boss babes in my panel group that are doing AMAZING THINGS: @taranicoleweddings and @brittanyrcollier! Follow these ladies, they are totally worth knowing!)

And now for an exciting announcement: I am SO excited to launch a few new programs in 2017 (In addition to our current Doll Dates Series!) that are centered around education! Stay tuned for more updates on this! Eek!

Happy Monday, dolls! Cheers to a productive week!

xoxo

The Caroline Doll