things i've learned: at texas style council

If you can't tell by the photos, we had an INCREDIBLE time at Texas Style Council this past weekend! We got to spend a lot of time with some of our favorite bloggers and the sessions were extremely helpful and practical. Thanks again to everyone for such a wonderful weekend!!! We are definitely wanting to make this a tradition :)

For those of you who didn't go, I am going to share with you the top 3 things I learned at the conference as well as my top 3 favorite things about the conference. If you want to learn more, I heard a rumor that they filmed all the sessions and will be selling them - be on the lookout on their blog if you're interested.

3 THINGS I LEARNED

1 // MY BLOG NEEDS TO ADD VALUE TO OTHERS
One of the things I learned this weekend is that, if I'm serious about my blog and see it as part of my job and want it to be amazingly awesome, then I need to blog as if I actually care about what would add value for my readers. I think there is definitely a balance here. Of course, I love sharing parts of my life with you all, which probably doesn't add value to anyone except that I love doing it. And I definitely am never going to add a post series or something to my blog that I don't want to do or that I'm not passionate about. However, within the realms of the things I love to blog about, I need to continuously ask myself what sort of value I'm giving my loyal and lovely readers (that's you!) Thankfully, I did a survey a few weeks ago that many of you participated in (don't worry, I'm sharing the results on Friday) and now I have a better idea of what you guys consider to be valuable and I've been brainstorming ways to make those things even better. Have I ever told you that I love what I do?

2 // DON'T SACRIFICE YOUR VOICE
This was so important to me because I think this happens to all of us at one point or another. We read so many other great blogs and find inspiration in so many places that we start to sound like everyone else. It's important to stay true to who you are and what you blog about. We often compare our beginning to someone else's middle and lose ourselves in the process. - - Just be you. Last year, I challenged myself to try and take almost all original photos for my blog. I realized that I was re-posting a lot of photos from Pinterest and other blogs for my blog content. Not only is that potentially dangerous copyright-wise, but it is also bad because I wasn't challenging myself. And I wasn't finding inspiration from myself. It got me thinking... If I can't find myself inspiring, then how can I expect to inspire others?

3 // BRANDS WANT TO WORK WITH YOU... BUT...
As a full-time blogger and small business owner, I take what I do seriously. I know some people blog for fun or for their family, but I blog because, not only do I love it, but I truly want to add value to and inspire others. One of the things I walked away with at TxSC was that brands want to work with serious bloggers. Yeah, you need to have a good blog that people like a lot, but you also need to present yourself professionally. Make it a win-win for everyone and be on top of things. Create a media kit, think up fun collaborations, make a schedule, send them stats, and be honest when it's not a good fit.

3 THINGS I LOVED

1 // BLOGGERS ARE THE SWEETEST PEOPLE ON THE PLANET
But seriously. Besides my family and all the people I love, bloggers are probably the next sweetest people I've ever known. "Why?" You ask. Well, I have a few theories that I'll share with you. From my perspective, most bloggers are so sweet to each other because:

Becoming a good blogger takes a long time and a lot of work. Bloggers are hardworking, ambitious, love to pursue their dreams, and don't settle for less.
Bloggers respect and love each other. They celebrate uniqueness and love to see fellow bloggers succeed. It's not a competition with each other because the end goal is for each individual to pursue their passions and giftedness and to become the best they can be. They are encouraging and uplifting because of that.
Bloggers are vulnerable. They share their hearts online... in public... where you can't go back and erase it. So they have a lot of empathy, understanding, and grace with each other.

A big shout-out to Moorea, Julie, Kendi, Jenni, Chelsey, Elizabeth, Indiana, and Tieka - Thanks for hanging out with us this weekend. We loved it! You all are the sweetest :)

2 // THE SCHEDULE
Indiana (found of TxSC) and her staff did a wonderful job of scheduling out the conference this year. it was the perfect length, having multiple sessions at once "classroom" style was great, and we had plenty of free time.

3 // AUSTIN
What a great city! We didn't end up going on many explorations, but the ones we did go on were wonderful. I loved the vibe and aliveness of that city. Even thought it was HOTTTT there.