Alt Summit 2013 – The Best Parts

Photo by Brooke Dennis on the Alt Summit Flickr photostream

It’s almost been a week since Altitude Summit SLC 2013 ended and the round ups are both abundant and fantastic (read some here, here and here). I love reading other attendees’ personal take on the conference. I definitely need some time to get through them all! There are posts on business cards, on things learned, on meeting people and on memorable quotes plus a bunch of other stuff.

I’ve wrestled with what exactly to write about it all. Alt is amazing and invigorating and inspiring and nerve wracking and my feelings on it are so big that I’m having a hard time putting it into a post that doesn’t drone on forever and overuse the words ‘incredible’, ‘amazing’ and ‘awesome’. A conversation over coffee would feel better to me. Then I could use hand motions to really illustrate what I’m feeling. :) But since you are there and I am here, I’ll do my best to put it into words.

The best things about Alt:

Attention to detail

From the location (the Grand America is grand!) to the food (check the Instagram feed) to letterpress menus, the sponsor dinners, lounges and mini parties, the Clue party….. it was all incredibly impressive. As a person who gets a high off that kind of stuff, it was a real treat.

Photos by Justin Hackworth and Brooke Dennis on the Alt Summit Flickr photostream

Dress code

While I was nervous and self-conscious, I LOVED dressing up and pretending I knew how to put outfits together. My life doesn’t often call for a day wearing my brown boots or wearing a black dress with a belt and sweater. Don’t get me wrong, I like the dress code of my real life. But I adored being feminine and attempting to be stylish without worrying if it was appropriate for errand running and tickle-fests. I was worried going in that I wouldn’t be dressed in the ‘right’ way but I was pleased to see that people stayed true to who they were and looked awesome doing it.

Photo by Brooke Dennis on the Alt Summit Flickr photostream

I really felt like I was among kindred spirits.

I spend a lot of time creating, dreaming and scheming on my own. I don’t have a group of creatives I see or hang out with on a regular basis (maybe someday!). Being at Alt, I was surrounded by people who do what I do, who know the challenges and pitfalls, who know the self-doubt. These people also have determination and fire. They dream big, do big and succeed at big. And they got the hustle. I was in awe of them all. Each person has their own voice, their own perspective, their own direction. Yet we are bound together by our need to make our dreams a reality. It was a heady atmosphere.

Photo by Justin Hackworth on the Alt Summit Flickr photostream

The creative energy and encouragement for dreaming.

As a person who chose art as a major, I’ve heard the wise cracks about the creative profession. But I would dare anyone to crack a joke about creating for a living at Alt. It was a place FOR dreaming, all kinds. It was amazing to meet so many people with amazing ideas and concepts. In meeting them, I felt encouraged to explore ideas I’ve had but deemed not good enough. But all bets are off. The sky There are no limits. Case in point: The Land of Nod crew created an over-to-top tea party lounge, complete with a gigantic swan, see off to the right below. No limits.

Photo by Justin Hackworth on the Alt Summit Flickr photostream

Stefen Stagmeister is the bomb. (No one has said ‘the bomb’ since the 90s but it’s all I could think of.)

Stefan, a designer and creative, was our keynote at lunch on Friday and I adored him almost from the get go. Anyone who shows an epically large ballroom full of strangers a nude photo (two actually)….on a huge screen………..and leaves it up for long enough that everyone gets a good look……… is fearless. And has a wickedly good sense of humor. Fearlessness and humor are two of my favorite qualities. I was immediately bummed that I wasn’t going to be able to adequately record his speech but I let that go and decided to soak it in for myself.

Stefan talked about happiness and his current quest to and experiments in increasing one’s happiness. He shared 10 or so minutes of The Happy Film and I loved it!! He hopes to show it at film festivals later in the year and I really hope I can see it in its entirety because I just adored it. He also has a corresponding show, exhibiting his research called The Happy Show. You’ve got to see it so click the link. I’m not going to show pictures because my grandma occasionally drops by. :) But again, I loved it!!

I can’t describe exactly why I enjoyed him so much and had a conversation with another Alt attendee, both of us basically stumped on why we couldn’t find the right words but I’ll try. I loved the humor and fearlessness. I loved the research and his curiosity. His design, his creations, his innovation. But I think what I liked most was his introspection and his interest in learning about happiness, a concept that is often taken for granted. Happiness is a big deal to me and to see someone as talented and gifted and amazing as he is take is seriously and just blow it up, it was truly inspiring. Plus, he joined us on the dance floor Friday night. What a cool guy.

Photo by Justin Hackworth on the Alt Summit Flickr photostream

Meeting people and feeling connected.

This was the best part of Alt. I have worked with and emailed with a number of the bloggers I officially met at Alt last week but in actually meeting them, I felt so much more camaraderie and connection. Not that my connections weren’t awesome to begin with but to see them as a real person and not an email, tweet or like on Instagram, was so much better. There is something really wonderful about face to face conversation. Plus, I was able to meet a whole group of people I wouldn’t have otherwise ever known. And they are awesome! Connecting with others is the best feeling in the world.

Me, Natalie from The Field Trip Company and Jenny from The Happy Family Movement rocking the Smilebooth. Don’t worry, I have 43 more of these to share. :)

So there it is, my love note to Alt. :) It was amazing and I’m so happy I went. If you find yourself on the fence about going, dig deep and jump in. You won’t be sorry.

Take care.