influence re-cap

Dear Friends,

It's hard to believe it's been almost 2 weeks since Influence Conference and I'm just now sitting down to re-cap it. I think it has taken me this long to process the experience because it felt like one big whirlwind of goodness. My brain is still digesting some of things we learned and talked about, but I'm here and excited to share my favorite parts.

First of all, the ladies. The ladies at Influence were oh so wonderful. I felt nerves creeping in as I got ready for Influence...and while I knew that was semi-normal, it didn't stop me from worrying about things like, "What if I don't make one friend the entire weekend?!" or  even worse, "What if my clothes aren't up to standard cuteness?!" You know, all the irrational things we tend to think before we do something a little out of our everyday comfort zone. BUT, as soon as I got there, there were smiling faces to chat with who 1.) Were more than happy to make new friends and 2.) Cared more about why I was there than my outfit. Praise the Lord!

This year I was so excited to participate in the Sashes Market, which was fun on about 100 different levels. It gave me a community of ladies from the very start who are in similar boats of life as me because they were all running handmade businesses. It was GREAT to be able to talk with so many smart, creative, loving business ladies and to admire all their beautiful work.

And then there were the speakers. The truth-spilling, Gospel-bringing, joy-bearing speakers who inspired us to dig deeper in life. We talked about not fearing our gifts and trusting God's plan to use them with Hayley Morgan. We talked about using our hearts and fullest potential to make things happen with Lara Casey. We talked being made for community and why writing/creating  is important with Shauna Niequist. We talked about how and why God created women and what for with Jessi Connolly. We talked about how to pursue dreams given to us by God and what we can do to make more time for them with Jeff Goins. We talked about finding writing voices, sharing our stories and using social media with Kate Bryan. Each session was unique and poignant, and I'm sure many of the words spoken will stick with me for a long, long time.

Other favorite moments of the weekend include: getting to know some pretty big sweethearts over meals, soaking up business tips from the incredibly talented Rebecca Stewart of Better Life Bags during a Handmade Business Workshop, meeting with some of the fantastic organizers and writers of She Reads Truth and singing along all the other attendees as Reeve Coombs and Christopher Kincaid led us in an awesome worship session.

If I had to summarize the conference in one word, it would be "full." Full of Jesus. Full of encouraging women. Full of inspiration and challenges to take home and spur us on.

The influence we have on each other is real and beautiful. Let's use it to love and encourage each other.

xo, Caitlin

Influence---I'm coming for ya

Dear friends, I've talked about it before, and I"ll talk about it again.  I'm headed to Influence Conference in 16 DAYS, and I can't wait to be there! It's hard to believe it has been a whole year since Influence 2012, but I'm excited to reconnect with friends from last year and meet many new ones, too.  I'm also super pumped to be participating in the Sashes Market!  If you're headed to Influence, be sure to to pop on by the market to say hi and check out the Anthro-inspired, real-life-Etsy market!  I'm thrilled to be bringing some Lettered Life items (canvases! notecards! iphone cases! journals!) and to spend time with some amazingly creative business women.  Would you like a sneak peak?  Here ya go...

Today I'm linking up with other Influence-goers so we can get to know each other a  little better before the conference kicks off.  (Hi new friends!)  We're sharing a couple of items we'll have packed and a few things we are excited for.  Without further ado...

2 things that will definitely be in my bag:

1. A journal.  I'm an old fashioned note taker and will be jotting down all that I'm learning and also reflecting on all God's goodness during the weekend!
2. A little bag to hold all the pretty business cards.  This sounds a little silly, BUT it's for real.  Last year I met so many people and loved having their cute little info cards when I was back at home so I could track down everyone's blogs/shops/internet spaces!

2 (or 6) things you I am most looking forward to during the conference:

1. Meeting new friends.  The entire speaker lineup.  The homemade business workshop.  Christmas shopping in the Sashes Market.  
2. Reflecting on how God has moved me since last year's conference and praying for what He'll do in the future. Hearing how God has worked in the lives of others!

I'm so excited.  If you're headed to Influence, leave a little note below! We can also connect on Twitter or Instagram!

Sending out love,

Caitlin

influential meetup

Hello hello! As I mentioned in this post, I attended Influence Conference last October and it was fabulous.  Lots of learning, lots of sweet people.  I am loving being a member of the Influence Network, and today there's a linkup to get to know all of the women who have joined the community!   Today we are sharing 3 things about us, 1 thing we have learned using the Network, and 1 photo of ourselves that we absolutely love.

So Influence Network ladies, here's a little about me!

Three Things About Caitlin

1.)  I love love love to read and am so thankful I only live a few miles from our local library!  One of my 2013 goals is to read 2 books a month, so if you have any suggestions, holla at me!  One of my favorite things to learn about people is their favorite book----so please share some of your faves and I'll put them on my list.

2.)  Beyonce is my favorite.  I listen to Beyonce most days.  If I've gone too many days without pumping some of her tunes, I'm a little off-balance.  I once listened to Love on Top about 800 times over the course of running a marathon, and she got me through.  (Chris Tomlin was mixed in there, too.)  She's definitely on my top 5 people I'd love to have over for dinner, so if you see her around, please let her know the invite stands!

3.) My family is the best.  I have a big huge family that I am crazy about.  I wish I could hang out with my siblings every single day and I have 25 best-friend type cousins that can always make me smile.  My parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles have all played huge roles in my life, and I"m really thankful for the influence they've had on me!

1 Thing Learned from the Network

How different we are, how similar we are.  I love seeing all of the different passions and skills in the community: writers, creators, thinkers, encouragers, teachers.  While everyone has a different story, the desire to follow God is the same, and I think that's a very beautiful thing.

A Photo That I Love

From our wedding in August!

So nice to meet you---can't wait to read your posts!

xo, Caitlin

influence

Hey there,

As I mentioned in this post about #SheReadsTruth, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Influence Conference back in October.  And if it's ok with you, I think it's about time for me to share the details behind this weekend, when the forward motion for this blog began.  Influence Conference was a 3-day workshop where 200+ women gathered to learn about using their influence to share God's word through social media and in our face-to-face relationships.  In a nutshell, it was an awesome weekend packed with sessions focusing on either life (your personal spiritual growth) or strategy (how you can actually apply your influence to make things happen online!).  There was a lot of learning, praying, and hashtagging....and it was so good.  I mean, you know it's going to be a good techie time when your nametag lists your name, twitter handle and blog, just so people can meet your in real life...and then meet you virtually.

Signing up to go was a bit bold for me because I knew I wouldn't know a SOUL upon arrival, but trusting that I'd be surrounded by faith-driven women who wouldn't make me sit by myself in a corner, I decided go for it .  The conference was happening in Indy of all places, and I told myself this was a sign I was meant to go.  People were flying in from around the country to attend---surely I could drive to Keystone to be there.  As it turns out, everyone was super sweet and encouraging from the moment I arrived.  I'll never forget the sweet girls who saw me awkwardly walking around after I checked-in and asked if I wanted some company.   I responded with an enthusiastic, "YES! I'm Caitlin and I don't know what I'm doing!" and they took me in, praise the Lord.  From then on, I was good to go, and introduced myself to tons of sweet ladies as the weekend went on.

 I super-enjoyed the sessions because they were easy to relate to and full of useful info about social media/blogging/sharing faith.  Feeling like I was in college again was also fun as I took notes and tried to sit close to the front of each session.  One of my favvvvorite parts of the weekend was a meet-up for people with online shops to talk about strategy and give advice.  While I did not have an Etsy shop at that point, I was excited to hear what others had to say about it.  I was blown away by the camaraderie between shop owners and there helpfulness giving tips to the newbies.  So many talented ladies doing super-creative things with such compassionate business models....I was so inspired! 

So inspired, in fact, that I felt that the experience I was having at the conference was the little push I needed to realize that God was giving me the voice and desire to share my words and creativity with others.  The idea had been floating around in my head for a while, but I clearly felt the pull to get this thing going by the time the weekend was over.  I realized I could start a blog and stationery business and give Him the glory, and have fun doing it.

So here I am.  Bloggin' and makin' and sharin' because it's my way of sharing my story and recognizing the influence we have.  If there's anything I can pass along from Influence, it's just that.  You have it.  In your home, at work, at school, on the bus, in line at the grocery store, on Instagram and everywhere you go.  You can use it to share the Word, tell your story, and pass along some joy, even in the smallest ways.  You got that?  You have influence, and it's a really beautiful thing.

Lots of love,

Caitlin