lucille in the sky
Head in the clouds, dreaming. Feet on the earth, dancing.
I spent my first full day, 8-6, away from my daughter. Not including lunch. My ever supportive husband drove Giovanna to see me during lunch so she could have some mama milk before nap time.
Even when I sold tea at the farmers market, I brought Gigi with me, carrying her in the front pack while I set up the booth, sampled and sold. Sometimes she nursed, sometimes she slept, sometimes she observed with round, curious eyes.
But on Saturday, I didn’t take her with me. I went to Bloggy Boot Camp hosted by the SITS girls, and I left her with daddy.
Giovanna and I selling tea at the market, May 2010
Was I nervous?
Yes.
Did I miss her?
Yes.
Did I have fun anyways?
Yes.
I learned a lot and I made new bloggy friends. I have a stack of business cards and I intend to visit the website of every person I met. Eventually.
I also took a lot of notes. Some highlights:
Jenny from Jenny on the Spot warned against using auto-play music on your home page. I couldn’t agree more. She encouraged us to set up a Facebook-like page for our blog. Um, I’ll get right on that. I have one for my business…does that count? On a less technical level, she recommended that we saturate our selves with like-minds (GREAT advice), that we tilt our head for perspective, and that we always remember our first love. I had the privilege of speaking with Jenny and she is incredibly sweet and genuine.
Carol Schiller telling it like it is
Carol Schiller gave us the lowdown on how to pitch brands and monetize our blogs. This woman really spelled it out for us. Don’t beg, deliver. What can you as a blogger offer the brand? You are unique, you have a unique solution, a unique angle. Be unique. Represent local businesses, the ones you can actually help. Stop talking about yourself in your pitches, and focus on identifying and solving a problem for your potential client. Focus on what you can do for them. Tell them what it’s going to look like and feel like when their problem is fixed. Give them testimonials so they know you’re the real deal. Be the real deal. And always conclude your pitch with a call to action. Carol Schiller is a Goddess of internet marketing. There’s not much else to say.
Before lunch, Denae Handy talked to us about writing, an inherent and very crucial element to blogging. This woman is a character. A brilliant character. She’s practically bursting with laughter and stories. She loves good stories and she loves to tell a good story. She said, no matter what you’re writing, you must tell a story.
She spoke again (after lunch) at the writer’s workshop, discussing narrative arc, David Sedaris, and the first 7 seconds. We have 7 seconds to make an impression with our website, and a maximum of 8 minutes of reading time. In which case, I will move on.
Marlynn Schotland sharing her wisdom
Marlynn Schotland, an adorable mother of two and a fierce entrepreneur, gave a lesson on balance, on finding the time to “do it all.” Or at least pretend that you’re doing it all. In reality, she instructed us to practice cutting out to do’s that cause emotional clutter. (Practically a mortal sin for those of us enslaved by our to do list.) She also said that eliminating clutter cuts out 40% of the housework. What more motivation do you need to get rid of your junk? This woman knew what she was talking about. She even told us to delegate tasks to our children. Hallelujah. Isn’t that why we have children in the first place?
Sheila Tan, the Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Marketing at Align Technology (the company making Invisalign), emphasized the importance of being present, positive, and staying true to yourself. She warned against taking yourself too seriously and trying to do it all alone. This woman immigrated from Burma at age 10, she has been a single mom of 3 kids, and she’s the only executive at a big company. Her story was inspiring and heartbreaking and illustrated the point that you can do anything you want to do.
Mama Kat being expressive, Denae Handy being amused
Jyl Johnson Pattee from Mom it Forward told a room full of eager bloggers to stop worrying about our numbers (I loved this!) and start thinking about our influence. An influencer, she said, was someone who is articulate, passionate, positive, solutions and results oriented, and understanding. Someone who follows through and thrives on community building. Jyl is a picture of an influencer. She is warm, approachable, friendly and fun. It is no wonder her website is an incredible community, growing each day.
The SITS girls — Tiffany, Francesca, and Mama Kat — are beautiful, funny, smart and social media geniuses. I think I might be a better blogger from just spending one day amongst them. That’s how powerful community is.
And after all of that, I made it home for dinner.
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28 Responses to what i learned at bloggy boot camp
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My name is Lucy Miller Robinson. I live for mothering, writing, reading and dancing. I love nature, art, yoga, design and slow food. I make artisanal and medicinal teas for my business, Herbal Philosophy. I write short fiction and poetry and as-yet-unpublished novels. I strive for wellness, balance, mindfulness and gratitude. My blog is a love letter to the bohemian spirit.
Want to get in touch? Email me at lucy {at} lucilleinthesky.
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So cool, I really wish I had gone! Sounds like an amazing day.
Andrea recently posted..Weekending
It would have been so fun to see you. Next time!
What a great summary from a wonderful day! I only wish that we had a little more time to meet everyone there. How nice that it was so close that you could see your little one over lunch, so sweet.
Brenna @ Almost All The Truth recently posted..Fantasy Book Series- space exploration with Commander Toad
I know! I got lucky with it being so close to the city. And I wish I’d had a little more time to get to know others as well…at least we have our blogs
Please tell me we met and hugged and chatted for a moment and that I’m just not putting two and two together!! I hate leaving conferences feeling like I didn’t get to talk with someone I was hoping to meet!
We exchanged maybe 2 words at check-in. I kept wanting to say hi, but never had a good chance. And then I rushed off because I missed my baby! (I may or may not have a touch of separation anxiety. I’m okay with it.)
Anyways, it was certainly one of my regrets because I was totally looking forward to seeing you in real life. Next time!
I realize that I should have said hi when I had the chance, and my only excuse is that I was still half asleep and desperate to get to the coffee
Such a fun day, wish I could of been there too.
Me too! That would be great.
Lucy, what a great recap! You brought up some things I’d forgotten, I’ll have to add them to my notes.
It was nice to meet you and thanks for stopping by my blog too (and the referral – wow, thank you!!). I hope we can get some networking going for all us local bloggers – its nice to have the support!
PS your kids are beautiful!
Thanks, Bec. I felt like I learned some things just by reviewing my notes. Valuable stuff! And so nice to meet you.
Lovely recap. And I adore your pictures, specially the ones from Iceland.
Stasha recently posted..While you were away
Thank you! The baths in Iceland are worth the trip alone
So glad you’re learning all that good stuff to make your life lighter and more joyful. It’s great to commune with experienced others who can offer you advice to help you find your own little piece of heaven, which is what we’re all looking for. xo
Thanks Aunt Mary! I am also blessed to have such supportive, wise family (like you) to guide me. Love you!
Lucy, I am so glad you came and found BBC worth it.
I had a fabulous time and am still amazed at the things I still learn at each event.
Thank you so much for coming!
You’re beautiful, Tiffany, on the inside and out!
Thanks for sharing! I am building my blog now and am searching the web for info. I live in Chicago and could not make the BBC, but am following the links on Twitter. Best of luck in your endeavors!
Chriss
Thanks, Chriss. You too. Leave me the link when you launch.
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Wow Lucy, You take awesome notes! I’m totally sitting next to you at the next conference and cribbing your notebook. Thanks so much for the awesome shout-out and look forward to seeing you at the next of many “bloggy” events. – Carol
You are welcome to cribbing my notebook anytime
I was a straight A student once upon a time…now I’m just a mommy trying to hustle. Seriously, it was amazing to hear you speak. I learned so much. Thanks again for sharing your wisdom.
ahhh! it was so fun, wasn’t it? it was great meeting you… and you sound like an amazing mom
amy@agoodlife recently posted..everybody freak out!
Thanks, Amy! I do try. So glad I met you at BBC
Sounds like a fun + productive event! Wish there was a Bloggy Boot Camp in NYC :/
Gr8 low-down on the Seattle conference! Wasn’t it fun?!?
So much fun! I had no idea what to expect, and the best part came AFTER the conference, which was all of the new connections and blogs to read!
So much fun! So cool, I really wish I had gone!
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