Conferences
My name is Courtney and I am a conference junkie.
There is something about the thrill of being among a room of like-minded people (or your tribe, as Dee so succinctly put it) that just makes me want to go as much a possible. I've been to little conference and big ones. I've been to ones where I had to travel and ones just ten minutes away. I have heard speakers who make you want to write and draw and dream and fly right from the seat of your chair and I have listened to speakers who have bored me to tears (this is very rare though).
The speakers at SCBWI conferences are almost always top-notch. They are celebrated, successful but most of all, enthusiastic about their craft. Recently I attended my local conference and listened to Bruce Coville speak for the second time. He spoke at the SCBWI Austin conference I attended last year. He was fantastic! Inspiring, with good tips and just so cool that I wanted to be just like him. (except not male, or older or with facial hair) . If you want to know about other great speakers, go here or here.
Meeting other people is also an awesome aspect. I met up with Johanna and Dee at the NY SCBWI conference after exchanging e-mails. Leezy accosted me at my first SCBWI conference after she recognized the image on my business card. I also got to meet Amy and Ruth and the girls from the Picture Bookies Blog among many others.
There is also a chance to be seen or get feedback at the conferences. Now, one of the few gripes I have with the NY SCBWI Winter conference is that they tend to scrimp on illustrator critiques. You get to display one piece (unlike LA, where you get an entire portfolio) but do not get to schedule a one on one portfolio review. Maybe that will change in the future.
When someone recently asked me if I was going to the SCBWI NY conference, I was not sure. I'll look at the website and see what they have to offer but writing this post has brought back so many grand memories that I am now leaning towards yes. I recommend a SCBWI conference (especially a big one) to anyone who has never been.
My only caveat is to expect to be inspired and overwhelmed but not necessarily discovered.
But.....you never know.
There is something about the thrill of being among a room of like-minded people (or your tribe, as Dee so succinctly put it) that just makes me want to go as much a possible. I've been to little conference and big ones. I've been to ones where I had to travel and ones just ten minutes away. I have heard speakers who make you want to write and draw and dream and fly right from the seat of your chair and I have listened to speakers who have bored me to tears (this is very rare though).
The speakers at SCBWI conferences are almost always top-notch. They are celebrated, successful but most of all, enthusiastic about their craft. Recently I attended my local conference and listened to Bruce Coville speak for the second time. He spoke at the SCBWI Austin conference I attended last year. He was fantastic! Inspiring, with good tips and just so cool that I wanted to be just like him. (except not male, or older or with facial hair) . If you want to know about other great speakers, go here or here.
Meeting other people is also an awesome aspect. I met up with Johanna and Dee at the NY SCBWI conference after exchanging e-mails. Leezy accosted me at my first SCBWI conference after she recognized the image on my business card. I also got to meet Amy and Ruth and the girls from the Picture Bookies Blog among many others.
There is also a chance to be seen or get feedback at the conferences. Now, one of the few gripes I have with the NY SCBWI Winter conference is that they tend to scrimp on illustrator critiques. You get to display one piece (unlike LA, where you get an entire portfolio) but do not get to schedule a one on one portfolio review. Maybe that will change in the future.
When someone recently asked me if I was going to the SCBWI NY conference, I was not sure. I'll look at the website and see what they have to offer but writing this post has brought back so many grand memories that I am now leaning towards yes. I recommend a SCBWI conference (especially a big one) to anyone who has never been.
My only caveat is to expect to be inspired and overwhelmed but not necessarily discovered.
But.....you never know.
1 Comments:
haha! I LOVE your introductory sentence! I think you summed up the experience well. Hearing that you're thinking about going to NY again makes me want to rev up and get creative with our budget. BUT if I go to NY, then that means LA's out of the picture....so I'm going to be strong! :) (You sneaky secret keeper you!)
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