My First Haven Conference

This past week, I attended my first Haven Conference. For those of you who aren’t familiar, it’s a conference for DIYers, bloggers, designers, & influencers to come together, learn & grow, and be inspired.

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I first found out about it through Instagram. Popular DIYers & bloggers have attended over the years & shared their incredible experiences. The line up of speakers included big names such as Brian Patrick Flynn, Angela Rose, Monica Chavez, Carmeon Hamilton, and many more. These are people who have become masters in their field, and I was excited to learn from them.

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I naturally love to learn new things and absorb a lot of information, so I was really excited to learn more about this creative space at a conference like Haven. I learned about things like Instagram Analytics, building my brand & platform, creative methods for income, but most importantly I learned about me.

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For a while, I was just sharing DIY projects, but never letting people in to see me. I naturally do not like to share my feelings, but I’ve slowly been opening up as this online community has become stronger, and put its arms around me. Haven further encouraged the need to share who I am and what makes me unique.

Prior to Haven I had decided to make a shift away from focusing on the building the most impressive DIY’s and getting those follower numbers on social media. I chose instead to focus on community & bridge building amongst creators. Instead of competing, I decided to work on community. The freedom in that decision has been amazing, not only in the friendships, but actual, honest growth with people who really want to support me. It allowed me to evaluate my strengths, and get back into teaching, but in a new way. I started launching my power tool tips series as a result.

At Haven, I was really able to draw on these current shifts, and heard very encouraging messaging. We need to do this thing together, support each other, and learn from each other. In the closing ceremony, it was shared that we can rise fast, and be alone or rise slow, but do it together. We each have things that make us unique in this creative space, so let’s celebrate that.

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The very best part about Haven is all the friends there to celebrate with you. You get to meet all the people you talk to daily on social media, as well as new friends, and some of the bigger household names. They’re all even more amazing people in person. Though I’ve heard it was different in the past, this year’s Haven was much more inclusive of all people & celebrated diversity. I’m most thankful for the lifelong friendships made this past week. If you get a chance to go to Haven, I would definitely do it.