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Why Attend a Creative Conference? An interview with Kelly Affleck
Business Tips

Why Attend a Creative Conference? An interview with Kelly Affleck

ByNicole Stevenson January 27, 2015January 25, 2015

Welcome to our interview series about attending creative conferences! Since our Craftcation Conference is just around the corner (March 26-29, 2015) we’re sharing tips and advice from Craftcation attendees for making the most of your experience at Craftcation or other…

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APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN for our #PatchworkShow mini- APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN for our #PatchworkShow mini-marketplace in Santa Rosa on December 6, 2020. Our jury is accepting vendors on a rolling basis which means we're filling booths as applications come in, so don't delay!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ This will be our only Northern California marketplace this year.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We will be adhering to strict safety guidelines from both the cities and counties of our venues including but not limited to:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Booths will be placed ten feet apart⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Attendance will be limited and monitored by event staff⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Social distancing will be mandatory and monitored by event staff⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Masks will be required at the entrance, monitored throughout the event and enforced by staff⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the show⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Each vendor must have visitors sanitize their hands as they enter their booths and monitor social distancing⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Each booth will be stocked with hand sanitizer ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ - Unfortunately there will be no food or live music allowed ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Head to our website for vendor info and to apply. Link in profile. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Feel free to tag any awesome Northern California makers you know who may want to join us.
Three things you may not know about me…⠀⠀⠀ Three things you may not know about me…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. My go-to ice cream topping is salt.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2. I used to be a Hollywood costumer & I’ve dressed Alec Baldwin & Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 3. When I was 8, I started my first business, a handmade (I mean VERY handmade) stationery “shop” located in front of our condo.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Since I haven’t done an intro here for a while, here’s a bit more about me.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ At 24, I turned my passion into my profession when I started selling Random Nicole, my handcrafted clothing line at flea markets & backyard craft fairs. I grew it into a thriving six-figure business that was carried at over 250 shops around the world.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ My desire to help other creatives pursue their dreams led me into teaching, consulting & eventually co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007 with my aunt who left the business a few years ago.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now, I work with a tiny team of incredible creative women & together we bring you #PatchworkShow, #Craftcation & our blog, podcast, online shop & workshops.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ It’s taken me a few decades of self work to proudly fly my freak flag & the people I’m drawn to/connect with most embrace their weirdness too. Like Meryl Streep says, “Whatever makes you different or weird - that is your strength."⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ After a 7 year struggle with infertility, I finally got that positive test & in January my first (& only, hey, I’m 44!) son, Luca, was born. A few weeks later, COVID arrived & postpartum depression/anxiety hit me & I’ve been working to find my footing as a middle-aged new mama, grasping my mental health struggles & figuring out how Dear Handmade Life (the events business that I’ve poured over a decade of my blood, sweat & tears into) will evolve in the pandemic.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Bonus: One more odd fact about me… I can’t stand turtlenecks or shorts.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What’s a fun fact about you? 📷: @nikvphotography
🌟BIG NEWS! 🌟 So many of our vendors and gues 🌟BIG NEWS! 🌟 So many of our vendors and guests have reached out in hopes that we’ll have fall Patchwork Shows. We've been working hard with our host cities and venues to find a way to have a safe and modified Patchwork Show season so we can help invigorate the local small creative business economy, AND... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We are excited to share that we'll have one Northern California Patchwork Show mini-marketplace in Santa Rosa on December 6th and are working hard on adding a Southern California show slated for the middle of December (be sure you’re on our mailing list for updates-link in profile). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Vendor applications are open now and we’re filling booths on a first-come first-serve basis so get your application in! This will be our only Northern California marketplace this year.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We will be adhering to strict safety guidelines from both the cities and counties of our venues including but not limited to:⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Booths will be placed ten feet apart⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Attendance will be limited and monitored by event staff⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Social distancing will be mandatory and monitored by event staff⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Masks will be required at the entrance, monitored throughout the event and enforced by event staff⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Hand sanitizing stations will be placed throughout the show⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Each vendor must have visitors sanitize their hands as they enter their booths and monitor social distancing⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Each booth will have hand sanitizer ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🛍 Unfortunately there will be no food or live music allowed ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thank you all for your patience as we navigate all the new procedures and work to keep creating community events for you! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Head to our website for more details & info. Link in profile.
Seeing this Road Trip @mixbook from #Craftcation a Seeing this Road Trip @mixbook from #Craftcation alum and presenter @bobodesignstudio made me nostalgic for my annual beach trip to Ventura which isn’t happening this year.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Instead, my “summer vacation" is happening at home where I’ll be taking a break from posting on social media and recording our podcast for a few weeks to focus on some behind the scenes Dear Handmade Life work, hanging out with my little baby and keeping up with my social justice work.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Pic and Roadtrip Photo Book by @bobodesignstudio in partnership with @mixbook
This week on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I’m This week on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I’m chatting about time management with writer, artist and art book editor Bridget Watson Payne (@watsonpayne). We talk about how to find hidden pockets of time, time management from a cultural perspective, aligning your to-do list with your values and ethics, techniques to tackle your inbox, priorities, her book How Time is On Your Side and more. 📷: @watsonpayne ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Listen on your favorite podcast app or by clicking the link in our bio. Thanks to this week’s sponsors, @spoonflower and @ampjar!
This week on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I got This week on the Dear Handmade Life podcast I got to chat with Ciji Tatum Townsend of @balancednotbusy. We have a refreshing conversation about our personal histories with familial busyness, how to discover and breakdown your balance barriers, how to begin to unbusy your life, making time for wellness and so much more! Tune in by searching for Dear Handmade Life on your favorite podcast app or by clicking the link in your profile. Huge thanks to our sponsors @spoonflower and @ampjar!

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