Create&Cultivate LA 2018
This last weekend marked my second Create&Cultivate conference, this time in my home city of Los Angeles. It's funny to think that this time last year I was hopping on a plane to spend about 36 hours in New York, 12 of those hours consisting of the C&C conference.
It was the first time I had heard of this incredible conference - a day filled with programming for women entrepreneurs, women in business, women in the fashion, beauty, entertainment, you-name-it industry in addition to a pop-up market featuring some really awesome brands. What wasn't there to like! My young budding blogger self just had to be there, even if it meant jumping on a plane and flying across the country for it.
That weekend couldn't have been more perfect, couldn't have been more dreamlike for me. Before I become engulfed in the nostalgia of my first trip to the Big Apple a year ago, let's focus on C&C Los Angeles.
This time I was joined by a coworker and friend of mine. My words could not properly sum up the craziness that was about to take place. I kept telling her, be ready to be incredibly overwhelmed from the moment the day starts.
The day was no different from last year's conference. We got there about 45 minutes prior to the first panel which gave us time to explore the market, grab a quick bite to eat - not for me however since I'm currently on Whole30 - but nevertheless we had plenty of time to feel immediately overwhelmed, as promised.
We bounced from panel to panel until we broke for lunch. It was a very interesting experience for me being on Whole30. There were so many yummy freebees throughout, all of which were seemingly "healthy" like Purely Elizabeth, one of my favorite granolas, however even their grain free bars had added sugar in them. I made it work though and knew I would most likely be grabbing a late night dinner on the way home (i.e. a salad from Whole Foods).
We scarfed down our food to allow time to check out the pop-up market and grab some pics outside while the sun was still shining in the sky.
After lunch it was back to back panels before an evening break in preparation for the keynote speakers. The first keynote speaker was my idol, Lauren Conrad and her business partner and friend Hannah Skvarla. Together, Lauren and Hannah created The Little Market, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fair trade goods from around the world. They source items worldwide for their site with each purchase going toward the artisans who created the beautiful items.
While I've spent the majority of my teen years and young adulthood loving Lauren Conrad, it was amazing to see her in a different light. She wasn't up there as the young reality TV actress or as the author or fashion designer but rather the founder of a nonprofit organization, one that she is clearly extremely passionate about.
Following Lauren Conrad and Hannah Skvarla was Chrissy Teigen and Jen Atkin. As expected, this keynote was full of nonstop laughs and unfiltered moments - everything that Chrissy Teigen is famous and beloved for. Sure she mentioned some of the various businesses she's built or been a part of but it was really focused on her overall hilarity and entertaining nature. I didn't mind one bit!
We were ushered out of the main room so chairs could be added/reset in preparation for the main keynote, the moment everyone had been waiting for, Kim Kardashian. Let me tell you, the claws came out. People were not messing around for Kim. Everyone crammed into the space just outside the main room in anticipation of her arrival and being allowed back to the room to find their seats at the front of the room no doubt.
At this point, we had already been there about 12 hours so we weren't trying to rush anywhere but home. We positioned ourselves toward the back of the room for an easy escape - after all, there were 800 people there, all of which in about an hours time were going to exit the building and most of which would probably look for an Uber, just like us. Yikes.
She walked out on stage and phones immediately went up in the air, snapping away. I could barely even see her around the arms outstretched holding cell phones everywhere. Her keynote topics were as expected - Kanye, Yeezy, Keeping up with the Kardashians, KKW Beauty, Kids, Family, Life, done. Since I've never seen her in real life, only on KUWTK on my TV screen, it was nice to see she's pretty much the same in real life.
Just like that the doors closed on Create&Cultivate Los Angeles 2018. It was another magical conference, another 12 hour day for which I have adrenaline and inspiration from some pretty badass babes to thank for keeping me moving.
Until next time Create&Cultivate!
(Originally Published March 5, 2018)