What Really Went On At The Blogcademy?
“This past weekend I went to The Blogcademy and oh my heavens. I haven’t felt that kind of magic since summer of 2010.”
The Blogcademy was one of the best experiences of my life. Take thirty eager bloggers, add in three headmistresses, a world class photographer, a genius videographer, two incredible volunteers & a massive bundle of balloons & you’re starting to get an idea of what it was like!
We were completely blessed with a truly wonderful class of Blogcademy graduates; we couldn’t have asked for a better group! There were three Kiwis, three Brits, a babe from Belgium & several Canadians, all of whom had flown in specially to attend. They ranged in age from 23 to 49; they wore fake ice-cream necklaces & crisp white shirts; some had babies, some were covered in tattoos, & some climbed into bathtubs to practice their #bloggerface!
By the end of the class on Sunday, our venue was crazed. 10 bottles of champagne were quaffed, helium balloons were used as photo props, hugs were given & numbers were exchanged. We danced, we laughed, we ate teeny tiny desserts & took souvenir Instax photos!
It really was a dream come true: a dream to teach a subject we’re so passionate about, a dream to have such enthusiastic & engaged students, a dream to fill a room with turquoise balloons & answer questions & make jokes & wear sparkly things on our heads!
Here are Lisa Devlin’s beautiful photographs that illustrate some of the fun we had over the weekend…
As we finished setting up, we started to hear laughs & shrieks outside the door. When we opened it, we were so excited to see a huge line of incredible women waiting to come in! Here we are welcoming them inside…
Peach Blossom supplied us with fantastic fans, poms & oversized balloons!
…They sent over these paper straws, too!“Truth be told I’ve been trying to get my mojo to sing loud and proud for an age, to middling success. To get things hip hop moving along I spent a couple of days at the first ever Blogcademy in New York city. It was hands down one of the best things I’ve done to move my ideas forward in a really long time. The BEST. I think I may have a choir of mojo about to sing hallelujah. It got me thinking about how we get our mojos to sing…”
I secretly ordered these nametags from Alpha Engravers on Etsy, as little surprise gifts for Kat & Nubby. They were $3.99 each & totally worth it for the fabulous kitsch value alone!“I just wanted to say thank you so incredibly much for the Blogcademy. I learned even more than I expected, and I can’t even express the ways this class has opened my mind to possibilities that I didn’t even consider beforehand, and given me more courage to try some of the ideas that I had bouncing around the back of my mind…”
Headmistresses in the hallway with one of our star students: Veronica Varlow.“Thank you, Gala Darling – I learned from the BEST! The Blogcademy inspired me beyond belief. Thank you for being a true friend to me and a future collaborator of great magic things!”
I love this balloon’s-eye view!“This weekend taught me many, many things, and not a small part of that is the value of surrounding yourself with people who get you, and who are like you, but who have different backgrounds and experiences and points of view also. Those who can teach you things, and make you choke with laughter on your water while doing so…”
Our students were each greeted with a fabulous tote from Alphabet Bags, stuffed to the brim with treats & goodies. P.S. I pilfered one of the leftover ‘Bag of Tricks’ totes for my own nefarious ends!“All blogging info aside, Kat, Gala and Shauna taught lessons of confidence, self love and positivity. The overarching theme of the weekend was: you are the only person that can take control of your future, so own it!“
Holding our report cards, graduation certificates, & graduation buttons! We love to spoil our students! P.S. Yes, my manicure matches The Blogcademy’s branding. This is not a coincidence!“The workshop’s style and delivery were perfect for the way I learn. Informal, packed with awesome content (from lessons learnt, tips, the basics, what works, what doesn’t etc) and with loads of space for Q&A. I came away learning SO MUCH about all things blogging and how to make my blog fabulous. I am inspired with a game plan = ignited. And unexpectedly I learnt about the power of really living my mojo, singing from my own voice full time (not part). Over two days I soaked up the authentic voices of our teachers and it unconsciously washed over me and settled into my psyche. Seeing somebody else rocking it out prompts your subconscious to say “hey, why not join in”?”
Nubby doing what she does best: talking the talk — & walking the walk — about branding. Her segment was so informative, I learned oodles!“Y’all MUST GO. It was AWESOME. So much great info that a week later my brain is still leaking!”
So many treasures!Our sponsors were amazing. Much love & gratitude to Alphabet Bags for the beautiful totes, Crown & Glory for the sparkly hair bows, Devlin Photos for the CD of Photoshop actions, Everly Lane for the turquoise tassels, Finest Imaginary for the custom-printed Moleskine notebooks & heart rings, Garden Apothecary for the pots of vanilla body scrub, Miss Anastasia for the perfume, Molly Crabapple for the Dr Sketchy’s books, Peach Blossom for the balloons, striped straws, fans & poms, Sugarpill for the eye-shadow & Twinkie Chan for the Blogcademy coffee cozies! A Fine Press did our insanely gorgeous graduation certificates.
Thank you to Lisa Devlin, Ben Vogel, Nikki Pamani & Megan Frantz. You kicked down the door & rocked The Blogcademy so hard that it was at LEAST a 7 on the Richterscale! Paige Wilcox of Blogads, we love you: thank you for giving us the scoop on how to sell advertising, & for providing the incredible lunch from Pistache!
Petits fours: they do a blogger good!Of course, I couldn’t have done it on my own — without Kat Williams & Shauna Haider, I’m nothin’! Infinite gratitude to my fellow headmistresses.
Love love love!One of the most magnificent things about the weekend we spent together was that even us so-called experts learned so much just from listening to one another. Kat, Nubby & I have 30 years of combined experience of being extremely active online, & there are so many stories to tell, terrible mistakes to learn from, & things we simply didn’t know about each other!
We really wanted The Blogcademy to feel informal — like you were sitting in on a conversation with friends — & that’s exactly what it was. We’re not just standing up the front reading off a slide, we’re interacting with one another, answering questions & laughing a lot!
I’ve experienced an extremely unexpected benefit of teaching The Blogcademy, too. Ever since we wrapped things up on Sunday night, I’ve been riddled with ideas about how to make my blog even better! The concepts have been flowing thick & fast, filling me with excitement & anticipation. I haven’t been this inspired in a long, long time. I am so psyched to step up my blogging game!
For a first class, I think The Blogcademy was a startling success… & we can’t wait to get better & better with every subsequent event!
So if you’re reading this & feeling sad because you missed out, don’t pout! We’re announcing our next location — & offering an earlybird special! — on Wednesday November 14th!
Where in the world will The Blogcademy go next? Will we be painting the streets turquoise in your town?! Watch this space… & even have your say!
Hope to see you soon…
