Three Tips for Craftcation First-Timers
Editor’s Note:
I met Lori at Craftcation in 2018 in a marketing class we were both attending. She raised her hand when the presenter, Mélissa Peng, asked for willing participants to get down to the nitty gritty of their marketing strategy. I noticed right away that Lori had a fire in her belly – she had come to Craftcation with a purpose.
Lori’s personality is radiant, she was always greeting everyone with her beautiful smile. Just like her business, Olive + Bo, Lori is full of color and radiates happiness and positivity. I’m so glad we get to share a little bit of her with the rest of you today.
In today’s post, Lori is talking about her first Craftcation experience and what she recommends for first-timers planning to come to our Makers and Creative Business Conference in the future.
We hope you’ll join us in April as we reunite for Craftcation 2019! April 3-7, 2019 – Ventura, California. Early bird registration opens on October 5th, 2018 at 9:00am PT and the first 50 people to register get $50 off our already discounted early bird tickets!
Now – on to Lori!
xo, katie mac
THREE TIPS FOR CRAFTCATION FIRST-TIMERS
When I heard that there was a conference solely for crafters and handmade businesses AND it was in California (I’m from the East Coast), I knew I had to attend! This past Craftcation (2018) was my first one. It was actually a lot of firsts for me: the first time I traveled alone in many years, the first time being in California and the first time being in a place where I didn’t know anyone.
I went to Craftcation with the mindset that I wanted to not only learn how to improve my handmade business and learn tricks of the trade on how to grow and expand, but also to step out of my comfort zone and meet more people that are like me. I left Craftcation SO energized and full of information that I have used to improve my photography skills and work on creating a cohesive brand.
But some of the most important things that I brought back to the East Coast with me are some of the genuine friendships that I made there!
Here are my Three Tips for Craftcation First-Timers!
1. Try to attend as many of the “extras” as you can.
There were a great amount of events that happened at Craftcation such as happy hours at local bars/restaurants, crafting make & takes, morning and evening yoga classes, Wanderings (where attendees decorated their hotel rooms or created their own pop-up shops and it was open for everyone to “wander” through), and so much more.
Try a few out – or all of them if you have the time! It’s a good way to break the ice, meet new people and get a change of scenery from being in business/craft mode all day!
2. Explore the area.
The first thing I did when I arrived at Craftcation, was walk the short distance to the beach!
I also took an awesome walking photography tour of Downtown Ventura with Sarah Deragon. This was an excellent way to see parts of Ventura that I probably wouldn’t have gotten the chance to see on my own. But if you have the time, get an Lyft, grab a new friend and go explore Ventura!
3. Give yourself time to let it soak in.
I arrived at Craftcation ready to take my handmade business to the next level. I left Craftcation with so much helpful information (and a huge bag of art projects, crafts and goodies too!). I wanted to jump right in to building my website, fixing my pricing, taking new product photos, etc. And while I did do some of those things, I also gave myself time to come down from the high of being in that perfect world of crafting/business/artists for four days and get back into my normal routine. That’s the tricky part: How will you incorporate what you’ve experienced into what you’ve already been doing up to this point?
Craftcation was truly a unique and life changing experience for me and my handmade business. Attending a conference will definitely get you started on whatever path you’re looking to travel!
About Lori
In 2010, after becoming a mother, Lori wanted items that were special and unique to decorate the nursery – but everything in the stores was so traditional, (and pastel). Because of her desire for her daughter to be surrounded by bold colors and images and not just pink, she decided to take matters into her own hands. What started out as a new mother sewing “non-traditional” blankets and bibs for her baby, grew into selling those items at craft shows and starting a small handmade business. At Olive + Bo, Lori combines her love of sewing and quilting with her love of everything colorful. She designs & produces high quality, fun, & modern home decor products for that one-of-a-kind human that you are, no matter the age.
