Jan Gossaert, Adam and Eve, ca. 1520 (Royal Collection)
Alt Summit is not the place to stand in the corner unaffected by lessons & connections. Sometimes lessons find you, and sometimes you seek them out. I went to Alt Summit with the intention of connecting with potential clients (which I did) and learning things that I could share with my clients (which I did) and drinking wine with my friends (which I did). I didn’t know that I’d be affected in a profound way by the experience.
On the plane ride home I found myself sifting through all my notes and trying to process all the information and inspiration that had washed over me. It wasn’t really a lightning strike connection, but something that had been reinforced over and over in every panel that I attended and virtually every conversation I had with a new friend. It was that moment when Stefan Sagmeister started his keynote with a giant image of him, nude. It was that moment when Jasmine Star pointed to us during her talk on personal branding and said, ” I want to attract you AND I want to repel you”. I realized something that I’ve been working towards since I started CooperHouse with with my husband.
If I want to find the right clients, the right connections, the right friends, I have to be naked. Not literally, although that does seem to work for Stefan Sagmeister. I have to be real about who I am, and who I’m best suited to work with. Even more specifically than just CREATIVES. I’m meant to work with people who need our special set of skills. I am totally finished with taking projects that aren’t a good fit. I’m done with struggling to work on the things in my business that aren’t a good fit for me. I’m going to hire some qualified help that will allow me to focus on the things that I’m good at.
So, in 2013, expect more figurative nudity from me. More guts. More taking chances. More bravery.
Next post, my new favorite friends from Alt Summit!
