Alright! Finally, an Alt Summit recap. Work’s been so maddeningly busy since returning to New York, it feels like eons since I was in Salt Lake City, immersed in blog talk, social media and inspiring chatter with so many new faces. I had such a blast, I nearly forgot I was sick as a dog.
Before jumping in, I’ll say this- while Pattern Pulp is a joy and certainly part of my weekly and usually daily routine, it’s not my full time job, it’s more of a supplement to my work in trend forecasting, art direction and design. While I usually can’t share a majority of my work (proprietary, etc…), I do feature what inspires me, what drives my decision making- what makes my heart skip a beat, in the dorkiest of ways.
That said, it was a pleasure getting to dive into Alt Summit and fully focus on a part of my life that can always use more attention. It was a guilt-free few days, spent with ladies I absolutely adore and it was very exciting to catch up with so many talented writers and designers that I’ve respected for so long.
Some highlights! Pattern Pulp was listed as one of Meg & Mimi’s up and coming blogs (very cool)- also a treat to see all of the other titles.
Got to meet Deborah Needleman, albeit briefly, catch up with Ben Silbermann and hear about the exciting evolution that’s happening at Pinterest, meet a few fellow pattern enthusiasts- Michelle Edgemont/Kimberly Hall/Kristin Appenbrink/Meg Lewis/Margot Harrington/Morgan Georgie, have countless (accidental) collaborative collisions and participate in Erin Loechner‘s very useful resource circle.
I’ll leave you with a few quotes from my favorite panels & keynotes- a small snapshot of why I thought they were great:
Turning Your Blog into a Business: “Consistency in the quality of your content is king – more important than the frequency of posting” – Chris Gardner of Curbly
Blogging to Book Deal (illustrated by Julia Rothman): “Review your competition when pitching a book idea- make lists of what they offer and see the reviewer comments- see if there’s a missed opportunity”- Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge
Growing your Audience: “Google trending topics are a good source to follow when keeping abreast of popular online conversations” – Kelly Beall of Design Crush
The Relationship between Traditional and New Media: “The event business is super in sync with the online world. Consider it a a revenue driver over traditional advertising.” Deborah Needleman
Pinterest Keynote by Ben Silbermann: “The Pirates of Silicon Vally inspired me to move to California. I wanted to be surrounded by people that inspired me.”
The Happiness Project Closing Words with Gretchen Rubin: “Happy people are more concerned with the world around them and they often leave a better impact on the world.”
And finally, I absolutely loved the Yumaki toothbrush in my welcome box. Definitely the give-away winner of the week. Here’s my attempt at styling it on my living room window sill. The red pops nicely alongside the green ey?
