Those Girls: What I Learned at Alt // Part 2 by Emily

(Read Andie's post in Part 1 here)

In some ways, my experience at Alt Summit in San Francisco was very much what I expected: lots of inspiration, lots of business cards/usernames, and lots of goodies! You could tell that everyone was enthusiastic, and I appreciated the community-focused energy that everyone brought to the table.

Like Andie, I found that I was just as worried about representing our business, felt the need to reach further than I could, and was a little drained by the end. A week later I still feel like I'm absorbing the experience! But there are a few stand-out moments that convinced me, yet again, that Andie and I have something very, very special in running Assemble.

Photo courtesy of Alt Summit and atly
Lessons in Running a Creative Business
Conviction
Mariam Naficy said that in order to sustain creative energy, we must rely on our conviction and courage. These are things no one else can give us--they come from within. I can be a better business owner/mother/friend if I stick to what I believe is true.

Focus
Wendy McNaughton reminded me to "Focus on the work, not the showcase." Social media is a large part of what we do as bloggers and artists sharing our views, but at the core of our business is what we create, not who we show it to. This helps me see that the process of making things and evolving is more important than constantly asking for outside validation.

Photo of an overhead drawing by Wendy
Passion
Mike McCue insisted that "Passion and drive aren't coachable. The rest is." He was referring to hiring your team. In Assemble's case, the team consists of only Andie and myself. But how lucky are we to have coordinating drive and passion?? If it were a matter of shaking a few more hands or going over the day with Andie, I'd pick my partner every time. And that should never be undervalued.

I went to San Francisco with the inkling that Assemble, as well as my personal life, could benefit from a deeper sense of self-worth. I am amazed that this "inkling" is actually a loud and clear voice saying:

• Andie and I ARE the authorities on our own creative paths.
• Assemble represents an avenue for success.
• The journey IS the reward.

A Trip to Heath Ceramics and Blue Bottle Coffee

I had never been to San Francisco, but Emily had, so she led me to a veritable heaven of sorts: Heath Ceramics with Blue Bottle Coffee. We had a very small amount of time to explore the city, so we chose Heath, the views from Ghirardelli Square and In 'N' Out Burger (a favorite from my LA days).

Of course I've known (and loved!) Heath Ceramics for ages, but being in the space was something quite different. So many modern, clean lines. It makes me want to have five kitchens. I walked away with a lovely, large Sand mug and a Terra Cotta Succulents Cushion cover. Enjoy the photos--and see many more from our trip on our Instagram!


Heath Mascot, Carlo the Newf

Images taken on a teeny, tiny iPhone 4S.

Those Girls: What I Learned at Alt // Part 1 by Andie

Altitude Summit in San Francisco was a whirlwind for lack of a better word. Being thrown headfirst into a pile of extremely creative, smart and driven women (and a few men) can be daunting to anyone, but as a wholehearted introvert, I have to say that it was a tough one, until I had a bit of an epiphany.


We heard from some amazing speakers, including Mariam Naficy, the founder and CEO of Minted, who delivered the Opening Keynote on sustaining yourself while managing a creative business. Above everything else that she shared with us, I held to one specific quote. On conviction, for better or worse: "An entrepreneur does not care what other people think." This was the first seed that was planted in my mind during our San Francisco stay. Here was this brilliant woman, explaining to a room full of "networkers" about how to not care about networking. Seed successfully planted.

My next experience with the same thoughts were in the Closing Keynote. Mike McCue, founder of Flipboard (and an amazing speaker, by the way) spoke to the group in a variety of startup stories and lessons that he learned in the past. They were all brilliant, and rather than relay them badly to you, I will give you the final point that I took away from his hour-long speech: "Lead with your first principles." When it comes to the principles that Emily and I share, we put a number of things first, before business success and money:
• Our families
• Our business relationships
• Our friendship
Although we could probably have made more money, more connections and gotten more press by being hard and fast with our business rules and focusing more on product and consumption, I think that in the long run--we would lose so much. We are a very small company, and the more we work with larger companies, the more I value other small companies and sole proprietors. I do wonder what is lost in the shift toward bigger and better.

Finally, we ended up at the Pinterest afterparty: Alice in Pinterland. To be quite honest, this could not have been a better analogy for how I felt at the party. It was delightfully decorated, creative and savvy, with unexpected details like tiny tea cookies and inspirational neon signage. I have trouble chatting with people about myself when I first meet them, so I did a lot of listening at this party.


Emily & I with Ben Silbermann
We were able to meet Ben Silbermann, the founder of Pinterest who is notoriously shy. We were both standing in the corner, nursing our liquid courage and I managed to ask him if he had ever taken the Myers Briggs test (if you haven't taken this, you need to get on it). I am an INFJ (Introverted, iNtuitive, Feeling, Judging) while he is an INTP (Introverted, iNtuitive, Thinking, Perceiver). Here was this guy--a painfully shy introvert--who created one of the most brilliant and successful social media and design sites in the world.

And then, it hit me. All seeds at once:
• Entrepreneurs do not care what other people think.
• Lead with your first principles.
• Being who you are leads to greatness.


This party was fabulous, but I have to admit that I absolutely felt like Alice. I was in a flashy, dream-like world where everyone seemed to know what was going on except for me. I am an introvert, and although it is important to leave that comfort zone at times to further experiences and learning, molding myself into a sociable networker is just not my bag. Abandoning how you work the best kills inspiration.

Don't get me wrong, it was a fabulous learning experience--but what I learned most is what we've been talking about this entire time in the Those Girls posts. I guess I just wasn't listening hard enough to myself! You follow your own creative path by following your own creative path. I am most creative in my little condo, overlooking Queen Anne with Bach on the record player. I write, create and work the best when I focus less on the fantastic things that others are doing around me. So thank you, Alt Summit. You were absolutely grand, but I might not be back for a while.

Bing Day!

Yesterday, we survived the heat quite splendidly in Molly of Vivi Dot's adorable little house, working on our goodies for Alt Summit by Bing. It was such a fun collaboration! Assemble with Vividot for Bing for Alt Summit--certainly a run-on sentence, but will be delightful nonetheless.

All of you who are going to Alt Summit San Francisco--look forward to these goodies! Trade them like you traded Pogs in the third grade. #thanksBing Thanks, Vivi Dot! And special thanks to sweet Christian Powers for helping us out. See below for some quick snaps of our day:

Special Guest Post: What I Learned at Alt Summit by Brianne of The Ravenna Girls

We are very excited to have Brianne of the Ravenna Girls here to do a special guest blog post about Alt Summit. We were so sad that we couldn't make it this year, but definitely next, and Brianne's wrap-up is as good as a seat in the front row. Enjoy, and thanks Brianne!

[photo via Alt Summit Flickr. Text added by the ravenna girls]

Hey Assemble blog readers! My name is Brianne, one of the co-editors of a local Seattle design blog The Ravenna Girls. Andie and Emily invited me over today to share my experience attending Altitude Design Summit (Alt for short) in Salt Lake City last week.

This was my second year at Alt and the experience felt totally different from the first. You can read my 2012 recaps here to get an idea of what the true newbie experience was like. This year was less about learning blogging knowledge and much more about making real connections and doing some deep thinking about creativity and our brand. So without further ado, here were my most important takeaways from the conference:

[Photo by the ravenna girls. amazing gold fascinator on Kelly of Studio DIY]

At Alt summit, everything is over the top. Fashion (polka dots everywhere!), makeup (Rockin the red lips), and business cards are all bright bold and beautiful. But the thing is, you don't have to look bold to be bold. This year I actually spent very little time planning outfits and accessories, and chose to be bold in the confidence of knowing that in this big sea of talent, each fish has their own important niche. As long as you find the confidence that you belong and that you do fit in, your own individual boldness will shine through in all that you do.

[Photo by the ravenna girls]

One of the most inspirational and helpful sessions I attended during the week was called "Finding your Voice" by Karen Walrond of Chookooloonks. She spoke fiercely about fine tuning what your "brand" represents by finding your true personality and point of view. I feel like the word BRAND gets thrown around with reckless abandon lately but as bloggers we need to remember that even if you don't feel like you have a brand in the traditional marketing sense, you do have a unique voice that is responsible for creating your community. For Danielle and I at the Ravenna Girls, establishing a community is the most important part of blogging for us, so I loved hearing Karen talk about turning occasional readers into FIERCE SUPPORTERS by creating a unique and safe environment for people to open a dialogue about life and design.

[photo via Alt Summit Flickr. Text added by the ravenna girls]

On Friday morning of the conference, you have the choice to attend small round tables instead of large learning sessions. This year there were several amazing roundtables, including those led by friends of Assemble, Melanie and Sandra. Going into Alt, I had been having a couple month struggle with motiviation and the end result of blogging, so once I spotted that Tiffany's roundtable was called "Growing and Maintaining a Small Blog with Pride", I knew that conversation was timed perfectly for me. There were about 12 women at the table, and we had a really lovely conversation about taking a long hard look at the realities of each individual blog, establishing what would make you happy, and working toward that place in a really authentic fashion. The realities of blogging these days are that not everyone is going to have an uber-blog. And actually, thats great. For Danielle and I, we have passion in our careers (that are not blogging), and we don't have the desire to give those up. The goal is not to grow to a place where our blog is going to be full time. This roundtable gave me the opportunity to talk through some of my ideas of where we actually feel comfortable being, and then finding pride in the creative project we're a part of, no matter how big or small. This year, this round table on the pride of your own creation was really the transformational moment for me. Gave me a chance to look beyond traditional blog growth strategies and focus more on creating an authentic solid content.

[Photo by the ravenna girls]

Last fall our etsy shop was connected with the lovely folks at Bing for a small blogger partnership at an event here in Seattle. A couple weeks before the conference, they contacted us again about providing a large batch of our colorful woven bracelets to be a part of gifts that were given out at one of the keynotes during Alt. This was by far the largest order ever for our humble little shop, and it was so moving to see people appreciate our products on such a large scale. This opened my eyes to the importance of nurturing successful connections. I think it is in all our natures to always look for the new and exciting connections, but for me Alt this year was about seeking out a lot of friends I made in 2012 and really spending quality time with those people. Strengthening those existing connections into truly meaningful relationships was really the keystone of Alt 2013, and I think this is a reflection of where the larger blog community is heading.

[Photo by the ravenna girls]

Authenticity was a theme that kept coming up over and over through the conference. Establishing trust with your blog readers, and being true to your own design were hit home by almost every speaker. Stefan Sagmeister talked about going with your gut, Karen talked about what you like and WHY you do it, and Katie showed us all how her brand of happy has helped her be successful. Not everyone is going to love what makes you real, but you'll find true creative power in staying true to what makes you YOU.

[Photo by the ravenna girls. Styling by Nicole Gerulat]

This year, I didn't attend every single informational session. I sat out of several because I was in the midst of a deeper conversation or I had just made a new friend. The one thing I did make sure to get to , though, were the Saturday Design Camps. These are smaller group sessions focused on a new creative skill, and are the most hands-on part of the conference (super important for makers like me). I took a tabletop photography and styling workshop led by Nicole Gerulat of Nicole's classes and I feel like I learned an amazing amount in such a short period of time. It also gave me a chance to play with the new camera lens I got for Christmas, instead of procrastinating any longer. I cannot wait to apply this to our DIYs and to our product photography. I think coming out of Alt with a new tangible skill is a really cool thing since a lot of the other concepts can be pretty high level.

[photo via Alt Summit Flickr. Text added by the ravenna girls. This installation was part of the #bingittolife project
where Bing took blogger projects submitted over last summer/fall and made them a reality.]

The most important thing I learn every year at Alt is that you can't do everything. The days at Alt are long and jam packed full of inspiration, but you really need to set aside time to reflect on what you've learned and how you've grown. If you find yourself worn out from learning and socializing, take advantage of the amazing setting at Grand America by taking a bubble bath, visiting the spa, or squeezing in a workout to get those relaxation juices flowing.

Alt is an amazing experience for those interest in the online design community. I met a ton of interesting folks who aren't bloggers, per se, but have online shops or other creative presence. So, you don't have to feel like you need to be an experienced blogger to attend. Its just a great source of creative inspiration and a chance to push yourself out of your comfort zone in the best possible way!

Be sure to check out our blog this week for more recaps of the week including my favorite business cards, Details on Stefan Sagmeister's speech, and more on my tabletop photography class.

[Also - you can find tons of other blogger's recaps of the conference on the Alt Summit blog]

 

Favorite Friend Friday: Melanie Biehle of Inward Facing Girl & genuineMIX

The perfect Jane-of-all-trades, Melanie Biehle is one of those special people that seems to have about three thousand talents. Aside from being pals, we were lucky enough to be one of her first clients in her brand new business, genuineMIX: a creative consulting, branding and design business. Working with her was excellent and we learned sooo much. Walking away from our meetings made us feel empowered to build Assemble in the direction we want. On top of all of that, her successful blog, Inward Facing Girl, is a delightful read, and completely inspiring. Meet this week's Favorite Friend!


Photo by Sandra Harris
Tell us a little bit about how you came to be a blogger and consultant, and Inward Facing Girl.
I've always written things and kept diaries, ever since I was a little girl. When I was a teenager, that turned into bad poetry. Then when I got older I started exploring short fiction, essays, and screenwriting.

In 2003 I moved to Los Angeles to become a screenwriter. I'd worked in market research in Seattle, so I decided that I'd take a day job in film marketing until I became the next Nora Ephron. My political romantic comedy never made it to the big screen, but I did option my screenplay, which is pretty cool.

Inward Facing Girl
Ultimately, working in the film industry killed my creative mojo. I spent my time working long hours and telling studios how to market and edit their films. After that kind of day, I just didn't have the energy to work on my own stuff. In 2008 I moved back to Seattle, far away from moviemaking, and started Inward Facing Girl to ease myself back into creative writing. I never planned for it to be such a huge part of my career or that creating that blog would provide inspiration to start my own consulting business.

You've just launched your brand new business website, genuineMIX. We were so happy to be one of your first clients! What kinds of services do you offer?
Fun ones! I offer social media and branding consultations, graphic design services, and creative coaching. I'm interested in several different things, like a lot of creatives are, but I've found that these services really complement each other and give me a way to combine my educational and professional background in a unique and authentic way.


genuineMIX
What is it like to work for yourself? What are the downsides and upsides?
It's pretty awesome. I love being in charge of my own day. I can decide how I want to spend my time and if I want to get dressed or not. I love being able to do work that I'm completely passionate about, and that I know there are opportunities out there that I haven't even thought about yet. The downside of being a creative entrepreneur is related to an upside - I love being in charge of my day, but it's all on me. I'm the one who is responsible for bringing in new clients. I'm the one who is responsible for marketing myself and my work. I'm the one who is responsible for my own income. It's exciting and terrifying at the same time!

What would your advice be for anyone who wants to be their own boss, whether in the creative field or not?
Have at least a partial plan. Be open to switching gears if something doesn't work out exactly the way you'd hoped. Organize your time! That's a huge one. Typically when you're starting out all the work falls on you and you have to make room for the day-to-day and the big picture.

How do you balance being a mom and wife while working at home?
It's interesting. My husband works from home too. Until recently we both worked side by side in the same room, then one morning I asked him to help me move my desk into our bedroom. I'm probably more productive now. :) I have a two-year-old son who is in day care 5 days a week, so when he is gone I am in full-time work mode. I try not to do too much work on the weekends, but it's not always realistic when you start a new business. If I have to work on weekends, I try to do everything really early in the morning while my husband and son are still sleeping or during my son's nap time. Balance is something I'm constantly adjusting.

Do you have any new projects you are excited about?
I'm excited about getting new projects! I finished redesigning my website earlier this month, just met a lot of incredible people when I went to Camp Mighty that I'm hoping to work with, and I'm speaking at Altitude Design Summit in January. I'm excited to see what 2013 will be like, and I'm looking forward to meeting and working with some awesome people.


Smilebooth at Camp Mighty
If you could work with anyone on a collaborative project, who would it be?
Sofia Coppola. I love her.

What do you like to do in your off-time?
LOL! That's a good one. You're hilarious!

Okay, so my husband half-seriously jokes with me that I'm always working. It's kind of true when you have a blog that is largely about your life and the stuff you're interested in and like to do. There are times when I leave the camera at home and focus on experiencing the moment, but it can be really hard to turn it off sometimes. One of my personal goals for 2013 is to be more present when I'm doing one of my absolute favorite things, spending time with my husband and son. I'm not someone who is constantly on my iPhone, but I'm on it more than I'd like to be and my mind wanders too much sometimes.

In my on and off-time I also love visiting contemporary art museums/galleries, taking photographs, hanging out at coffee shops, having real conversations with people (small talk makes me tired), and reading a million blogs.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
I'm not a pick one place kind of person. I'd like to have the freedom to move about - not constantly, but I don't see myself as being tied to one place. This is my fourth time to live in Seattle! :) I would love to spend a huge chunk of time in Europe so I could take short trips to places I've already visited and loved and those I have yet to see. I'd probably make Hamburg my home base because one of my dear friends lives there. I could see myself living in Portland or San Francisco for a while. I'd like to spend a few weeks a year in NYC. I'm a nomad. :)

If you could eat at only one local restaurant for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I hate you. (editor's note: we made an exception--three restaurants!)
Breakfast - Wild Mountain Cafe
Lunch - Uneeda Burger
Dinner - Serious Pie

What's your dream job, besides what you are doing now?
Novel writer

You get to organize a dinner party, who is there?
Sofia Coppola, Andy Warhol, Judy Blume, Wonder Woman, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Loralei Gilmore

Thanks, Melanie! Happy Friday, everyone!