What I learned from attending my first Alt Summit in Palm Springs: Part 1
Entering Alt Summit with an open mind, a light schedule to conquer, flexibility, and how to better serve my calligraphy and wedding clients
A week ago, I attended my first Alt Summit in Palm Springs, California. Alt is a conference geared towards creative women entrepreneurs. I attended with the goal of meeting fellow creatives, listen to their inspiring stories, arts and crafts fun, and to grow as a business owner. As a designer, I know I’m a rockstar. But if you told me ten years ago that I would be an entrepreneur, my response would have sounded something like that, “Um, no thanks!” I remember a time when my friend told me she wanted to be an entrepreneur and I thought it was the craziest thing ever. An entrepreneur to do what? Isn’t being an entrepreneur a fancy way to get rich fast but not really being qualified for anything? Yes, my idea of an entrepreneur made zero sense. But here I am calling myself just that.
Mentally preparing myself for Alt was a challenge, as naturally, I do lean more as an introvert and adding more to my anxiety, I only knew two friends attending. Yes, two. And no, I was not rooming with either of them. Instead, I was rooming with a stranger who is a friend of a friend.
To get the most out of Alt, I was really going to have to get out of my comfort zone and fight all of my instincts to stay quiet in a corner.
Prepping for Alt
Alt Fashion: it’s definitely a thing and I wasn’t going to miss a chance to wear my colorful outfits!
But the ever changing issue: weather. It doesn’t rain often in SoCal but this season has been a doozy! Rain, sunshine, hot, cold—I didn’t know what we were getting so that meant, double packing: outfits for sunny and rainy days.
Also while preparing for Alt, I needed to figure out a special, unique gift for those who I made memorable connections with. And if you know me, these “little” project ideas tend to turn into something bigger than expected. One of my creative goals this year is to get better at painting. So I decided on gifting personalized notebooks with 4 different hand painted covers. It took a lot of time but I was thrilled with how they turned out and couldn’t wait to hand these out.
Check In Day
With a full tank of gas, a packed car, Taylor Swift playing, and Trader Joe snacks, I headed out Sunday morning from Los Angeles to Palm Springs. Nothing says, “Welcome to Palm Springs” like the windmill farms and once I saw them, I felt excitement and a bit of anxiety. I safely arrived at The Saguaro (pronounced “swah-ro” and I had to look this up and ask multiple times), checked in, grabbed my Alt badge, and I was ready! Not gonna lie, while I was waiting in line to grab my Alt Summit badge, a group of ladies were annoyingly screaming and squealing. I wondered if I had made a mistake and should just drive back home to LA. I gathered my thoughts, zoned them out, and dropped off my luggage in our very hot pink room!
The first workshop I attended was hosted by Jacinda Studio and we painted abstract watercolor desert landscapes. Class started with going over the basics: using slight variations of the 3 primary colors and using it to mix new colors, the 4 painting techniques, washi tape, and accepting the unpredictability that comes with watercolor painting. We warmed up by painting some circles and shapes, getting a feel of how the paint reacts with water. Then we quickly jumped into painting our landscapes. Jacinda provided 7 pieces for us to practice replicating. I chose the desert scene with the palm trees–we were in Palm Springs afterall.
Once class wrapped up, I contacted the networking queen Aria Leighty. Was she a friend? Not yet as I had just messaged her via Instagram a few days before Alt. She posted in the Facebook group about hosting a meetup for BIPOC creatives so I reached out. Upon meeting her, she had such a loud, fun vibe and I met her other two friends Chelsea and Angie. The trio were a delight to be around. We made our way to the gifting party line.
I aspire to journal regularly but it’s a work in progress
So the gifting party. We were allowed to grab up to 5 items. Upon entering the room, it seemed as if everyone was making a straight shot to the table with the inflatable champagne floatie and the wicker bags. I went to the neighboring table that was filled with notebooks. I love sketchbooks and journals—I aspire to journal regularly but it’s a work in progress. I grabbed a yellow journal with white florals and “big goals and made hustle” on the cover. Moving over to the table on the right, were more journals—I really do love collecting notebooks, sketchbooks, and journals! And over at this second display of journals, I found the item that was meant for me. Rambling Rach had a display of fun, goal themed journals to track. The one that caught my eye was a little black book and on the cover read “I haven’t met the new me yet. -Taylor Swift.” Put her name on anything and I am sold! If you didn’t know, I’ve been a Swiftie since 2006 when I first heard Teardrops on my Guitar. I quickly grabbed the notebook and handed my gifting stamp card to Rachel. So far, two gifts and three spots left. The third gift was a candle made by The Magick Shoppe, owned by a black and Filipina woman based out of Sacramento. Not only did it smell amazing, but the top was filled with dried herbs and crystals. I love it so much and can’t wait to use it. Right next to The Magick Shoppe, Brenda Olson’s Blueberry Road had a display of cards and art prints. I love collecting art prints and had to grab some. She had these really cute Palm Spring themed pieces. For the last hole punch spot, I found a display of books. But how to pick one? I had no idea as none of the authors sounded familiar to me. So when in doubt, I ask, “Which one is by a person of color?” The kind lady managing the books handed me one titled My What if Year by Alisha Fernandez Miranda. And with that red cover book, my five gift items were complete.
The one that caught my eye was a little black book and on the cover read “I haven’t met the new me yet. -Taylor Swift.”
After the gifting party, a group of us went downstairs to grab dinner at El Jefe Restaurant for some fish tacos and churros. At dinner, I met a lot more people but the most notable was Nadine Fonseca. She had a stack of bookmarks that featured an illustration from her upcoming book, Only a Trenza Away, which has a beautiful story about a dad who spends his time braiding his daughter’s hair and telling her about a magical, adventure story. I already pre-ordered my copy and you can get yours here. And with that, check in day ended and I was ready for a good night’s rest on the extra fluffy soft pillow.
Takeaways from the first half day:
Meeting a lot of people and trying to remember everyone’s names
It’s really amazing to be around like minded people who have big dreams
Stay tune for part 2 where I’ll go over my first full day at Alt, including the people I met and workshop details.
I’m so excited to implement what I learned at Alt into my calligraphy business and better serve my clients!
Are you ready to work together? Let’s chat!
Check out some of my other favorite posts:
5 Brand Activation Ideas that Create a Memorable Experience
Moody Winter Wedding at Malibuo Lake Lodge
Blush, Reds, and Gold Modern Tea Ceremony at Rancho Las Lomas
