#craftcation

This past April, I was able to experience an event I have wanted to attend for the past three years. I packed my bag, drove to the airport and headed to California. I didn’t know a soul there, but I knew I was going to spend a week with my tribe.

I went to Craftcation in Ventura, California!

Craftcation Business and Makers Conference is an annual event for creatives and small-business owners. The five-day conference was held on April 6-10, 2022 at the Ventura Beach Marriott and included over 200 craft workshops, business classes, expert-led panels, wellness workshops, field trips and social events. Attendees enjoy learning new skills as well as networking with fellow creatives and industry professionals.

In a press release before the event, Nicole Stevenson, CEO and Creative Director of Dear Handmade Life, said, “My desire to help other creatives pursue their dream business and discover the joy of making led me away from my own handmade business and into teaching, consulting, running my own studio and eventually co-founding Dear Handmade Life in 2007. Now, I connect, educate and shorten the learning curve for other creatives by sharing what I’ve learned through Craftcation and other DHL events. It’s been a genuine joy to see Craftcation grow over the years and I’m so excited for its return in 2022.”

When I read their belief statements, I felt like I had found people that understood what it meant to take the path not traveled. From their website, their core values are:

They believe in the power of community.

That growth can ride shotgun with gratitude.

There is joy in making things.

That purpose can crush comparison.

That “normal” is overrated and weird is wondrous.

We are all in this journey together.

Mistakes are part of the process.

Your passion can be your profession.

Supporting art is a necessity- not a luxury.

Everyone can be creative.

Progress beats perfection.

 When you read this, who doesn’t want to be part of the club??

 After a couple plane rides, a slow shuttle, a missed train and a long Uber ride, I made it to the Marriott hotel. I met my roommate and promptly crashed. Jet Lag was real!

 The next few days truly were a paradise of craft. One thing Craftcation prides itself on is it offers opportunities for people to try a variety of craft with no or very little cost. That way, you aren’t investing a lot of money for something you may not like. I found out that I really liked ice dying, but I don’t like watercolor or collage. I also remembered that I love everything bling and would be happy to rhinestone anything as long as it sat still long enough.

 Aside from craft classes, there were so many business workshops! I sat in on a lunch session with Ana from Hustle Takes Heart with the topic being how to craft your story. This was a fast paced two hour presentation on how to tailor who you are as a crafter to potential clients- or, if a person doesn’t have clients, how they would want the world to see them. It was so good and I am looking forward to working with them in the future.

 I was able to attend an event put on by fabric.com and we were able to give feedback on their website and what changes we would like for a better customer experience. Bonus—we got free fabric for attending!

 The best part of Craftcation? It was the people! I met so many new people and felt I came home with a bushel of new friends. While we had to take some precautions for Covid, we were able to spend time together and share the love of craft. Truly, creativity is something that binds us all together.

 On the business front, I was able to talk to Creativebug about their affiliate program, made some connections with Quilts of Valor, scheduled a followup call for Amazon Handmade, plus so much more.