Craftcation 2022: Event Recap and Photos

. . . wasn’t even officially during Craftcation. It happened two days before when our staff got together for a pre-Craftcation dinner.  You would think that after three years without seeing each other (thanks to our COVID Craftcation postponements) our staff would need some time to break the ice but the second we all saw each other, we broke into hugs, laughter, tears, cheers and a half a dozen other expressions of pure joy. 

It reminded me of when I was in high school and asked my dad how he could still consider his high school best friend his best friend when they only saw each other once a year. It was impossible for my 16 year old self (who was basically joined at the hip with my bestie) to understand their relationship. My dad explained to me that they didn’t need to see each other every day and that when they did see each other it was as if no time had passed. 

When I see our Craftcation staff, the badass women who work behind the scenes making EVERYTHING happen at the conference, I understand exactly what my dad was talking about. Although I’ve had very little contact with them (except for our year-round staff) in the three years that we’ve been waiting for Craftcation to be back, we slipped right back into the closeness we’d built over the previous years. 

I know I may come across as an extrovert who puts herself out there, and in some ways I am. But in other ways, I hold back parts of my truest self. I don’t do it on purpose, there are just parts of me that only emerge when I feel 100% safe and accepted. Being with people that offer that level of safety doesn’t happen often. But, it does happen at Craftcation. 

I got to spend that night with our staff experiencing what many of our Craftcation Alums love about the conference. The connection. The community. The feeling like you are with your people. The safe space to be your authentic self. The acceptance. There were deep conversations where tears were shed and loss was shared and there were also moments of laughing until I almost peed my pants. It was all there and it only took gathering a dozen women, who live all over the country and probably would have never met without Craftcation, to get it. 

While I love that Craftcation creates a space for people to explore their creativity,  get the skills they need to start or grow their businesses and get a break from their everyday hustle and obligations so they can reconnect with themselves, the reason I love it the most and why I think Craftcation has lasted for 10 years (how did I not mention that this conference was our 10th anniversary!) is the people. 

There are Craftcation attendees who although I’ve only been in the same room as them a handful of times, I’d trust them with the keys to my house or car or even to watch my son Luca (Holly Marsh, I’m talking to you!) although less than five people have babysat Luca in his whole life and only one isn’t a blood relative. YES, that’s how strong and pure the Craftcation bond is. 

For those of you who haven’t been to Craftcation yet, if you’re reading this and thinking, “YEAH! That sounds like my kind of place”, click here to join the waiting list for Craftcation 2023 (April 19-23, 2023). We sell out every year so as soon as we announce tickets are open (which happens in September for alumni, October for first-time attendees) get on it! Take a tour of Craftcation below and see what 5 days at the beach in California with 500 welcoming creatives and over 200 craft classes, business workshops and social & wellness activities looks like. 

For those of you who were at Craftcation 2022, THANK YOU! YOU are the heart and soul of Craftcation. Staff, crew, attendees, presenters, sponsors (Especially our presenting sponsor Spoonflower… Thank you all and I can’t wait to welcome you back to our wonderful and weird family of creatives.

Thank you to our photographer Sylvana Uribe for these gorgeous photos celebrating that magical week of Craftcation 2022!