Nick recapped his experience at Alt as a man surrounded by trendy women (sounds dreadful doesn’t it?). I will share my perspective from being 30 weeks pregnant not able to party but still having a great time. Here are some highlights in case you still need to be convinced that it is as amazing as everyone always says it is.
You get to meet the people you read all the time! I got to meet one of my favorite bloggers Reichel of Copy Cat Chic who also happens to be pregnant. I’ve been a long time reader of hers and y’all she is incredibly sweet. We had dinner with Victoria of sf girl by bay (thanks Acura) and met a ton of bloggers we’ve been influenced by for years.
Also I can’t tell you how amazing the people you meet will be. It’s wonderful to be surrounded by people who are just as crazy as you are about spilling their guts on the interwebs.
You learn about the Business of Blogging – no matter what stage your blog is in part time, full time, or needing capital for the next phase. Here are some points that stuck with me:
- Be thoughtful about your time.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out.
- Never think of yourself as small.
- Spend money to make money (I feel like I have the spending money thing down, but it’s good to have experts back me up.)
My favorite speaker was definitely Rena Tom on Roadblocks, Detours, and Potholes. First she shares Nick’s goal of opening a hotel. Then she shows her knowledge of Blooms Taxonomy that made my former teacher self giddy. It was all up hill from there.
- When you hit a creativity roadblock and think “nothing is original,” the solution is to accept it, internalize it, and move on. MAKE IT YOUR OWN.
- You’re the driver, so embrace detours and investigate potholes.
- Be in the world. Proximity stimulates productivity.
- Talk to everyone about what interests you.
- Don’t be afraid to change your mind.
You get to do incredible things like have an Alice in Wonderland party at the Pinterest headquarters. Yeah that happened. We met Ben the creator of Pinterest. It was all so awesome that it didn’t even bother me everyone else was drinking it up while I stuck with some cucumber infused water.
The main thing for us was we had the opportunity to really talk through our vision for the blog. I am so lucky that I have Nick to participate in nerdy blog talks with semi-regularly, but Alt took that conversation and elevated it. We were able to define our purpose, understand our roles, and explain our story just by talking with like minded people.
I will share those thoughts with you eventually, but I cannot possibly make you read another sentence!
*The photos that clearly aren’t taken from a phone are from Alt’s flickr account and made possibly by alty. Also I took a group pic from Jessica’s instagram.
looks like such an amazing time, and you look adorable! too bad your husband was such a creeper.
“It is too bad” he whispers creepily
That sounds like such a fun time!
It was incredible! Can’t wait until we have the chance to go again! There were a lot of people there that didn’t even have blogs, but it’s a wonderful thing to be surrounded by people who are doing what they love. Very inspiring!
Maybe I can convince Mike that I need to go next year
He loved San Francisco when we went.
I still can’t get over the fact that Rena gave a crazy awesome talk…all while having pneumonia!
I know so crazy. I’m glad she still spoke even with that!
I loved that you guys shared recaps from both sides. Can’t wait to see where your vision takes you!
We both like to talk…a lot. Thanks! We can’t wait either. We’re both huge dreamers, so it’s easy to get carried away with visions!
(I think the internet just ate my comment!)
You are the most beautiful 30-week pregnant lady I’ve ever seen! You are seriously my hero. San Francisco is my favorite city in the US. It’s where Aaron and I went on our honeymoon
Thank you! Of course it’s impossible to feel beautiful (even normal looking) when you are 30 weeks. I sorta just feel like a whale. The hills of San Francisco were rough but gorgeous and worth it. It was both Nick and my first time there which is crazy because I’m from San Diego.
You look radiant in these photos. Love all your outfits
I’m still kicking myself for not going. Sf next year. Definitely 
Thanks for the recap!
Thank you! I put more thought than I want to admit into my outfits, but it was really hard to style the belly! I wish you would have gone. We would have had so much fun!
Next year!
If you can pry yourself away from your new mansion 😉
Haha if I can afford to after I have that mansion then you’re on!
I take Tuesdays off with my little guy and missed all kinds of goodness! Great recap. Also, I had no idea that we had dinner with the fabulous SF Girl by the Bay. What?! How did I miss this?
Thanks! Yes, she was on the other side of Nick, so like 3 people down from you! I was trying to play it cool. Glad I succeeded! I thought you talked to her? Oh well at least you can say you had dinner with her and sat at the same table!