Create and Cultivate

The Create and Cultivate conference in Chicago was absolutely amazing! I was not sure what to expect going into the weekend, but I just knew I needed to take lots of notes. This was my first time attending a Create and Cultivate conference and it wont be my last.

This conference was designed to bring creative women together to discuss key topics about digital space, entrepreneurship and life as a modern working woman. This conference was filled with panels, mentor power hours, break out sessions, cocktails, great businesses, and fun food!

I thought this conference would mainly focus on growing a blog, but I was pleasantly surprised the topics were based on so much more. We were able to network with like minded creative women, develop business strategies, and hear advice from ladies that are the best in the industry. What I loved the most about this opportunity is that I learned a lot of information I can use in my corporate job as a recruiter. It got me fired up to always put my best self forward and always help others do the same.

In this post I am going to share some of my favorite key takeaways from the conference. Whether you are thinking about starting a business, blog, or are trying to be more creative in your current role, this blog post is for you. I hope you enjoy these topics as much as I did. It was a very uplifting experience and I hope you can benefit from the information below :) Also, how cool was the location of the conference. Chicago was a blast!

Be a person people can relate to.

Be authentic and genuine (people know when you aren't being you)
Be transparent (being open and honest will help people connect with you)
Know what stories to tell and what stories not to
People like to follow REAL people
Only do what you are passionate about

Visual appealing content matters

Keep feed consistent
Do not post just to post
Stay true to your brand

Make sure you're helping others succeed

Women should help women succeed
If you have a brand a friend wants to work with share the contact information
Share tips with fellow coworkers
Be compassionate versus competitive
Collab versus competing
You can help people succeed around you and they can do the same for you
Come together and grow together
You get places faster in life by working with others
Help people be blessed by the blessings you receive in your life

Obsess over your followers/customers/employees/ brandsI

Invest in the people that invest in your success and engage with your followers

Invest time and love into yourself

Do not go stretch yourself to thin
Make sure you are devoting the appropriate amount of time for self care
Take breaks to gain creative insight
Have fun during these fun moments of life
Be realistic with the time your time and know when to say no

Remember you are where you need to be

Try not to get caught up with feeling like you aren't doing good enough
Success comes with time and effort
Small steps take you big places
Do not try to seek validation of success from others it will only disappoint you

Own who you are and don't let people bring you down

Cheer yourself on
Be your biggest fan
Remember no one knows your worth and value better than yourself so SELL YOURSELF
Do not change who you are to make others happy
You are your own worst critic
Some of your best friends will not support you and it's okay SMILE AND BE YOU
Don't let peoples thoughts effect the perception of yourself

What to do when working with brands

Story telling is key
Make people proud that give you the chance to work for them
Pitch yourself (pitch perfect is a great course to take)
Come up with a great ideas to sell to brands if you are pitching yourself
When brands reach out, don't sell yourself short. Ask for an amount that you are worth (media kits help sell yourself)
Show brands your analytics so they can see your value
Don't partner with brands just for the money (your followers can see if it does not match your brand)
If you really want to work with a brand and they aren't responding.. don't stop it can take up to 5 emails
Use filters when working with brand (don't say yes to everyone)
You should think about passion for the brand, prestige of the brand, and profitability of the campaign before saying yest (favorite quote from the conference)

Social Media tips

Newsletters are being used more and more and emailing is IN!
Maximize usage of all social platforms
Make each platforms content have variety
Keep track of the stats on your post so you know what your followers are interested in seeing more of

Tips for Instagram marketing

It's okay not to post everyday
Make post fun and interactive
Engage with followers
Post in the moment content
Content should be goal driven (shoppable or helpful content)
People don't want to see everything you do

Failing is okay

You are going to fail at some point in your life and make mistakes
Be present in those moments of failure so you know how to avoid the same mistakes in the future
Hard times make you stronger
Be able to bounce back when things go wrong
Allow yourself to know you are going to make mistakes

Tips for success

Keep your eye on the prize
Always have fresh ideas
Keep your blinders on and do not let negative comments block you from success
Don't be afraid to reach out to people for help
Let the love of what you do drive you to succeed
You determine how successful you want to be in life

As you can see this conference was filled with good information and lots of fun! Below are are few of my favorite moments from the conference! Thank you for reading <3