WDS 2013: Survived, Thrived, Inspired & Alive

Another wild, wonderful, whirlwind World Domination Summit is over and I find myself wading through the requisite overwhelm.  The term ‘shell shocked’ comes to mind.

I’m no newbie (alumni WDS2012), so I expected this dazed and confused post summit denouement.

Though not feeling capable of stringing together elegant paragraphs quite yet, I wanted to gather up and share the sparks before they fade away.

WDS2013 Sparks

• The late-night launch of my beautiful website redesign with Tzaddi Gordon from our Mark Spencer hotel room.
• Seeing familiar faces and catching up with WDS2012 friends at registration.
• Christine Martell’s pre WDS (mostly uphill) hike on Portland’s 4T Trail (with Christine’s personal selection of awesome WDS attendees and un-conferencers).
• Reuniting with my sweetie and being thoroughly delighted by the March Fourth Marching Band at the WDS kickoff party
• Standing in the longest lineup ever to get into the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on opening morning and seeing smiles on everyone’s faces:

Photo Credit: Armosa Studios

• Main Stage speaker Nancy Duarte’s shape of great speeches.
• Main Stage speaker Darren Rouse’s urge to find what gives you energy and surround yourself with it.
• Rockin’ my Bow Tie Flow:

Gorgeous photo courtesy of Mike Ambassador Bruny

• Jia Jiang (Main Stage speaker) recounting his social experiment to be rejected 100 times with the goal of building resilience against rejection.  NB: Being afraid to ask for what you need is rejecting yourself.  When we let the fear of rejection paralyze us, we are the ones holding ourselves back.
• The 2^nd Annual WDS Artist’s Dinner (organized by The Abundant Artist’s Cory Huff).  So nice to get some face time with one of my accountability partners, Lisa Call!
• Andrew Warner’s True Mind mantra strategy for conquering Counter Mind:

Photo Credit: Armosa Studios

• Main Stage speaker Tess Vigeland’s vulnerability when she shared her story of what happened when she let go of a sure thing to follow a dream.
• Seeing artist Christine Martell’s artwork on display at the Heathman Hotel.
• Running the awesome WDS Volunteer High Five Gauntlet when entering the Schnitzer Concert Hall:

Photo Credit: Armosa Studios

• Main Stage speaker Donald Miller reminding us that we are not our failures, and that we are also not our successes.
• Singing the lyrics to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing” at the top of my voice along with every other WDS attendee at the Pioneer Square closing party (and let’s not forget the Bollywood lessons from DJ Prashant):

Photo Credit: Armosa Studios

• Ice Cream Breakfast meet-up at Salt and Straw (split waffle cone of olive oil and strawberry, cilantro lime cheesecake – yum!)
• Conspiring with Cory Huff and Tzaddi Gordon to make a visual art activity a reality at WDS2014.
• Post WDS Monday meet-ups: drifting from one to another and having the chance to connect with folks in a way that you simply can’t during the event.
• All of the bonus Pace and Kyeli face time.
• Spending this whole wild ride of a week with BFF Tzaddi Gordon.

Any regrets?  Yup.  Two.

• I didn’t get to hear ukulele diva Melissa Dinwiddie of Living A Creative Life serenading the locals this year.
• When I was chatting with folks I lost focus of what I wanted to accomplish this summit: meeting artists who might want to do a studio swap and/or engage in studio skypes, and talking about my dream of showing my work in Japan.  Blame it on the shell shock.  Next year I will endeavor to be more focused.

For now I will revel in the fact that this introvert survived, thrived, and returned home inspired and alive from WDS 2013.

Big thanks and hugs to Chris Guillebeau, the fabulous presenters who volunteered to speak, the entire WDS Team, and all of the WDS Volunteers for rockin’ this event for the third year in a row.