I am so excited to share our experience at the Come Together Event about Social Media and Blogging | Part One. Yes, there are two parts!! A little over a month ago I got an email about this little event called the Come Together Event in Virginia, put on by Katelyn James and Amy & Jordan from Arizona. As I read on it was just a cool little meeting on a Thursday evening where they were going to casually talk about Social Media and blogging and then sit down and have a Q&A time. Coty and I quickly signed up and we planned a little road trip to Virginia with our friends The Jackson’s.

I can’t even begin to tell you how happy I am that we went! I had my fan girl moment in the car when we pulled down the tree lined drive… I confessed that I was completely having a fan girl moment. I literally have been following Katelyn James Photography since before she got married. She had a cute video there for a while and I can still remember that in the first line of the video she expressed her love of teal and sort of giggled. It was adorable and so hilarious because its so true! I had randomly emailed her way back in the day about her brand and she had told me she had done it herself which totally gave me the courage to do mine myself. I have admired her work for so long and followed her amazing blog for years and I was finally getting to meet her. So my fan girl moment was out in the open and I got out of the car and laughed it off. Now that I’ve told the world about my embarrassing fan girl moment… don’t judge. When I finally got to meet her in between the sessions, I expressed that I felt like a bit of a creeper, that social media does that. Knowing someone’s wedding anniversary, what their first house looked like and what their dog’s name is before you even meet the person, it can be a bit creepy! I was happy that Amy & Jordan declared that there is nothing creepy about it! I have loved watching Katelyn’s business grow and even though we just met the first time, I’ve admired her business, her work and blog for so long and I love seeing God use her and her husband do so much in this community!

One of the first things that Coty wanted to know was what I got out of it. Judging from my several pages of notes, it was a loaded question. I first want to comment on both Amy, Jordan & Katelyn for being so bold in their faith. I’m blown away with the fact that they were so open about how important their faith is to them and how that is something you can’t take out of their social media posts and blog. I love that. As a Christian myself, I serve a greater purpose and to hear them speak of their relationship with Christ, it was overwhelming. To know that everyone in the room left there hearing the word of God was far greater than any social media or blogging session in my book. So I just had to get that out of the way because it truly was amazing that they shared so much of that with us all. I really feel like I left there thinking about what I’m doing, how I’m presenting myself not only as a professional and business owner but as a Christian, mom and wife. I know it was a running joke that we all need to think about our “grid” but lets be honest, I think sometimes we need to think about our grid in life. There are some things we can style up, set on a white background and make look pretty but sometimes there are some things that end up looking muddy, messy and super chaotic. I love how Amy & Jordan spoke about parents who take on being entrepreneurs along with raising children, its daunting task and sometimes it is discouraging. Its hard to read these tips on businesses and get all excited but the moment you sit down at your computer your baby wakes up after taking a 10 minute nap and you look over in the living room and your daughter has drawn all over the coffee table… true story. I was so encouraged by what they had to say about us making the sacrifice and that we are serving a greater purpose with our kids because it really hit home for Coty and I. I could tell my sweetheart was getting a little teary eyed because we are so right there right now! I love the emotion and passion that came from each of them, just goes to show us all how much they love what they are doing. I loved meeting Amy & Jordan after they spoke, they have such genuine hearts and I love their energy. I am excited to see where God takes them because I have a feeling its just going to get better and better!

 

My first photo with Katelyn James.

Our first #demossandwich

Jordan looks so serious here!

Amanda & I

Seriously though, how did I get so lucky with this guy? Such a cutie!

 

Some of the main things I really took from Amy & Jordan’s portion of the get together I have listed below.

1. Do my posts inform, entertain, inspire, connect, add value or make people smile? { You know I believe all my instagram photos of my kids do all these things so I’ll keep them coming}.

2. Perception is the only reality.

3. I want joyful clients not zoolander models. I can’t even explain this one, I wrote it down and it made me laugh so I had to share! I totally suck at those “serious” shots so I was so happy that others share the same thought! I love laughter and joy and I want that to be seen in our photos!

4. Be aware of how your grid looks. Oh the grid. This was a much deeper topic for me but I tend to go off on a tangent!

5. Comparison is the thief of all joy. I have heard this so many times but it is always a great reminder!

Now for Katelyn’s points.

1. My story is meant to be shared. I loved this point that I wrote down because I just feel like God has a purpose for all that He’s done in our lives and I want to share it. Thankfully I have been able to share our story here and there and I’m so grateful it has touched others in some way.

2. A lie I have believed is that once you find what works, it will work forever. This is the reality of our business right now. After 8 years you’d think we could just keep doing what we’ve been doing… WRONG! I cannot stress it enough to not get comfortable!

3. People only get disappointed when they expected something. You can ask Coty… I HATE disappointing my brides. The harsh reality is that I have disappointed some in the past and I took it hard. I sometimes wish I could ask every one of my brides what their expectations of me are but the reality is that they don’t really know until the wedding day is over. I think thats why I’ve taken on the role to go over and beyond what I think their expectation is… and then go a little further!

4. What reputation do you want to have? Ah… this was such a huge question I left asking myself. Its something every creative should ask themselves while running a business!

5. Don’t grow for your own Glory.

These were just a FEW things I wanted to share, but do you want to hear something AMAZING? You can actually watch the video of this amazing event. That is right, you can just pretend you’re right there in Virginia and join in on this awesome video of Amy, Jordan and Katelyn speaking. You just click on this link right here, and you can purchase the video yourself! Its funny, I brought my camera to this event, only took a few photos but I took so many with my phone that it went dead. Yes, my phone went DEAD at a social media/blogging event. Only me. Well overall, Coty and I had an amazing time and we are still soaking in the information we got. If you weren’t able to go, please get the video. Its worth it and if you feel like your social media or blogging is lacking, this will help boost it! I’m getting ready to check all my little technical seo things right now, Coty would be so proud!

Stay tuned for our the second half of our virginia trip!