Oh where to begin? For those of you who don’t know what Creative at Heart is, it’s a three-day conference for creatives hosted by Kat Schmoyer of Dear Sweetheart Events. Kat works tirelessly to provide a safe space for growth and encouragement from the moment you arrive to the moment you step through the doors of Winmock for the last time. Each day is filled with impactful keynote sessions, breakout groups, and plenty of time to get to know the other attendees and form life-long friendships while you’re there.

I had heard about Creative at Heart through some photographer friends I follow online, and many of the educators I’ve learned from over the years have attended at least one conference (and regularly try to come back). I knew this was going to be a special conference when I signed up months ago, but it was so much more than I could have ever imagined. It was amazing being able to be in the same space as so many fellow creative entrepreneurs and boss babes, let alone with several people I’ve looked up to and only dreamed of meeting this time last year.

I chose a lot of practical breakout sessions to attend like Stephanie Skryzowski’s “The Purpose Driven P&L” and Amy Northard’s “Accounting for Creatives”, and I loved every second of them! I knew that if I was to get the most out of this conference, I would need actionable goals and a plan to move forward with once I left, and these more dense sessions would provide me these things. I made sure to sign up early for Nicole Miyuki’s watercolor brush lettering breakout session to give myself a brain break, and I left her session with a new hobby and passion I hope to incorporate in a special way into my business!

Each keynote session was a tearjerker, and I’m pretty sure we ran out of tissues by the end of the conference! I particularly loved
Katelyn James’ keynote on protecting your passion in business, and Lara Casey’s keynote on how to make things happen. Even though some serious truth was spoken during these sessions, each keynote motivated me to do better and to serve my clients better.

I left the conference with a dream of going full time in my business within the next year, and some new ways to serve my clients and the vendors I work with. I cannot wait to begin and I look forward to going back next year!