Sunday, January 25, 2015

TXSC CAMP 2015: Create A Meaningful Presence

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Texas will always have my heart. I've loved Austin since my first time visiting in college, and with each subsequent trip, I fall a little harder. The land, the people, the scenery... all the nooks and crannies. I've been back several times since, with most of those trips coinciding with an event that I love with equal intensity: TXSC.

I've had the honor of participating in and speaking at several Texas Style Counsel Conference events throughout my years of blogging and they remain some of the most genuine, inspiring, motivating and relatable blogging experiences I've had the pleasure of taking part in. While so many events geared towards bloggers seemed to focus primarily on monetization, popularity and how to get more followers, TXSC dared to swim against the currant, offering attendees a more hands-on, meaningful and connected experience. The sense of authenticity and community at these events is palpable, and I always, always return feeling inspired and excited and above all, motivated. Those few days in Austin each spring were an opportunity to come together with the bloggers I admired, collaborated with, and became close friends with, to share our stories and share our expertise. Woman to woman.

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While past Texas Style Counsel events tended to stick to a more traditional conference format, this year it's going to be even more amazing. Because this year, we're going to Camp. Summer Camp. We're getting back to basics with a pared down, relaxed format (seriously, the camp grounds don't allow heels!)  and a focus on building relationships and meaning in our online community. CAMP: Create A Meaningful Presence (see what they did there?) will be held at a Girl Scout camp just outside of Austin, where we'll be staying together in cabins and gathering for meals in a mess hall (just like real camp - I should know I went to an all-female camp for nine years! Really.). Not only will that format only help to further bring us together, it also solves the problem of finding a place to stay (and a cab) during SXSW.

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TXSC will not teach you how to be a million dollar blogger. You won't learn how to land a collab with a huge company or a magazine cover. It's completely fine if those are your goals -- more power to ya -- but they're not mine, nor are they many other other blogger's.What you will walk away with are connections, skills you can use, more inspiration than you'll know what to do with, and an overwhelming sense of community.

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TXSC: CAMP will be held from March 20-22 and Registration is now open, so if you've been looking for a new blogging conference to attend or have been on the hunt for an event that matches your blogging style, TXSC is for you. The price is slightly higher this year, but the cost includes:

  • Shared, assigned lodging, based on registration type 
  • Five meals (Friday's dinner, Saturday's breakfast, lunch, and dinner, & Sunday's brunch) 
  • Four keynote sessions 
  • Your choice of Saturday workshops (choose three of nine) 
  • Access to blog mentors 
  • Friday night's Create + Connect mixer 
  • Saturday's Khaki Cool Jamboree (party!) 
  • Sunday's Badge Ceremony 
  • Digital headshot c/o Awake Photography 
  • Shuttle service to and from the Austin airport [arrives and departs around 3:00pm on Friday and Sunday]* 
  • More camp swag than you can shake a walking stick at 
  • ... and a few surprises!
When you consider that your food, lodging, and all event costs are taken care of, it sure beats the dough you'd have to shell out for an Air BNB, cabs, and restaurant meals in Austin during SXSW. Plus, we can all pretend we're in Troop Beverly Hills. 

I can't even tell you how excited I am for this one. Spending the weekend with some of the most inspiring and hardworking women I know, sharing our stories, and learning from one another.... well, it's going to be pretty incredible and I truly hope you can join us! 

Let's sit around the campfire together and eat s'mores this March... if you're lucky, I'll teach you how to make a God's eye and some lanyards, too. Because no one leaves camp without a lanyard to give to their mom.
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Don't we look fun?
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(we're super fun)

Have a TXSC question? Feel free to ask in the comments or on my social channels (@OrchidGrey) and I'll answer!