I’m still lost a magical, glittery daze from my time at The Blogcademy in New York City last weekend! Gala, Kat, and Shauna are such babes, and being in the city was just as amazing as the workshop itself. I met loads of inspiring fellow Blogcadettes and my mind is racing with new ideas and thoughts about blogging.

The space itself was one of the most dreamiest places I’ve ever been! From the collection of vintage couches pulled together as seating for the workshop, to typewriters, old school rotary phones, and roller skates littering the various shelves and tables, Rent Patina was heavenly (I think I was most enamored by a mantlepiece decked with books, a golden skull, and topiaries in trophies).

And the lighting? Gah! You think you know what photographers mean by shooting with the right kind of lighting, but when you get in Rent Patina’s loft space you REALLY see it in action. I feel like I could’ve pointed my camera at my elbow and still gotten an exquisite shot.

Okay, okay, enough about the studio. We were really there to learn how to be super-awesome blogging queens (and take #bloggerface pictures).

Our lovely headmistresses did an amazing job catering to new and veteran bloggers alike, which was one of the best things about the workshop. Blogcadettes ranged from fresh-faced bloggers just starting out, to those with a few years under the belt, and not once did the content feel too far spread in one direction, and it wasn’t regarding the same ol’ basics that you hear about in every “new” article you find on the web. Sure, the basics are the building blocks and served as a great launching pad, but the headmistresses really stepped it up in order for us to take our blogs to the next level.

While I might have pages and pages of copious notes, what wows me still is the way The Blogcademy changed the way I think about blogging. I never really gave much thought to my blog beyond a personal hobby before last weekend. It started as a travel journal for friends and family while I was in Japan, and just kind of hung around afterwards as something I enjoyed. Now I realize how much more blogging can be with some planning and direction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t get enough of the little details! Teal rotary phones, sparkly ears (thanks, Crown and Glory!), disco balls, ecstatic greenery, platinum balloons, bedazzled necklaces (courtesy of Sparkle Beast Design) paintings of dogs, popsicles, adorable heart pouches from Alphabet Bags, Frederico the flamingo, bubbles galore, design savvy business cards, and sequins abound!

(And can we talk about the solid parfum from Milk & Honey Naturals in our goodie bags? My Tres Naturel scent is part of the Star-Crossed Lovers series and inspired by Catherine Earnshaw of Wuthering Heights. Plus, there are some other literary-inspired scents in the line – what an awesome idea!)

 

 

I couldn’t be more grateful to have received a scholarship to The Blogcademy. I seem to have avoided the blogging rut that’s swept a lot of bloggers as of late, but just felt like something was missing, some spark. Now I have a whole notebook full (literally!) of tips, notes, and ideas that I need to comb through, organize, and most importantly – get into ACTION! It finally feels like I have that spark, the direction, to give myself a vision to strive for.

Have you ever been to a blogging conference or workshop? 
Do you set blogging goals and plans for the future?