Summit of Awesome

The names says it all. Summit of Awesome! I have spent the past two days at the Summit of Awesome in Portland learning all about the business of craft. It is being held at McMenamin's Kennedy School, an awesome place in itself. Along with a couple hundred other crafters, I am learning how to be a better craft business person. I have attended classes such as "Craft Show Set-up", "Craft Show Applications" and "Photographing Your Work with Your Own Camera". We started the show with a walking tour of Alberta Street. Then came back to the Kennedy School to make a couple of crafts while we waited for your first sessions to begin. Imagine a room with tables of craft supplies at your disposal for the times you just need to make something... and it is open all day long! We ended the day with a White Elephant Gift Exchange where many of us brought in our handmade items to exchange. I walked away with a cute needle felted coin purse.

Today was Day two of this three day event. I joined up with my new friends and spent a jam packed day attending sessions and being torn between wanting to learn more and wanting to get started everything I learned. We were entertained by our craftnote speakers, Pat and Aaron, the owners on BuyOlympia.com and the new shop "Land" on Mississippi Ave in NE Portland. They were the pioneers of handmade craft shops on the internet, blazing a path for other crafts to sell online. They started Buyolympia.com before there was even an online shopping cart! After more sessions, (I sadly missed the Craft Throwdown where crafters competed to make crafts from given materials within a certain amount of time), we ended the day at "Land" where we took a tour of the shop and warehouse.

Tomorrow promises to be another wonderful day at the Summit of Awesome!! ... don't you just love that name?!