Inspiration and Collaboration at Build Your Blog Conference 13

I just got back from the Build Your Blog Conference with some of Utah’s most amazing bloggers. The talented Brooke Walker of Studio 5 encouraged us to find our voice and be positive influencers. Her words sparked a neon light bulb moment for me. As she spoke about her transition from hard-hitting journalism to “vacuums and cupcakes,” I couldn’t help but think back to my print journalism degrees and internships and make my own connection.  My college days revolved around deadlines, the police scanner, and the next front-page story. Can’t even begin to express how much I loved that news office and my fellow editors and staffers who became like family (and who I still vacation with everyother year!)

After graduating and interning for a magazine, I jumped back into the education scene pursuing a masters in Marriage Family Human Development. Are you seeing the gradual transition to vacuums and cupcakes? I was ready to save the world and on my way to researching and helping orphans in Romania when Prince Charming aka Johnny popped into my life. The grad school years were jammed to the gills with our engagement, planning a wedding in between finals and folk dance performances, a devastating miscarriage at 12 weeks with our first baby, presenting at conferences six months pregnant, and teaching college courses with a six-week old baby who thought sleep was for the birds. It was quite the academic and familial whirlwind. I stepped back from my masters after I completed my teaching and coursework – just shy of a thesis from graduating. In my perfect world graduating would have been in the cards, but the decision felt right and I kept moving forward as a mother instead.

With our darling and determined Lily, a family blog was born. Fast forward five years later and our family added two little princes while I discovered the business side of blogging. Ads, sponsors, and workshops – oh my! I transitioned through several different blog titles never quite finding the perfect fit. I dabbled in social media for other companies and had my own writing on the back burner for awhile.

I moved forward on this path with occasional bursts of creativity and productivity until Saturday at the Six Sister’s Build Your Blog Conference where my prior hard-hitting news persona, my mommy blogging journalista, my entrepreneurial spirit, and my ready-set-go change the world soul all sprinted together in a head-on collision of fantastic proportions. To put it more simply, the puzzle pieces came together and I am excited to begin sharing with you my new vision for this blog. The opening session of the Build Your Blog Conference got my heart in the right place while the workshops got my head in a good space. To-do list here I come!

The Dating Divas opened my eyes to so many organizational solutions. Lindsay of Artsy Fartsy Mama and Ashton of Something Swanky got me pointed in the right direction for blog design. Get ready for some BIG changes around here! My Pinterest boards are going to be bursting with ideas. I can’t wait to watch the video of the rest of the workshops (which will be available to the public for a small fee as well – so worth it!)

Networking was also a highlight of the conference. I have a ring full of business cards for blogs that I while be checking out over the next month! Let me know if you attended the conference – I would love to check you out and follow you!

What was your last aha moment?

If you attended the Build Your Blog Conference, what piece of advice have you already implemented and found most valuable?