A Recap on Stationery Academy

Last week was quite an adventure. My first stop was a visit to my best friend in Mississippi. It’s so nice to take a little time away from everything + catch up with those who bring us such joy.Then it was off to Nashville to attend Stationery Academy, a workshop for paperpreneurs. I arrived excited, motivated + a bit terrified, and left with the same feelings. But while the emotions were the same, the direction had shifted.

The 3-day workshop was full of laughter, tears, worksheets, hard work + MAJOR swag.

The thing about workshops is you expect to leave with all answers, but I think the good ones leave you with as many questions, too. When I say questions, I really mean thought-starters. There was no shortage of these thanks to our 3 incredible hosts (Natalie Chang, Whitney English + Jennifer Faught) and a great speaker (Nicolle Spitulnik of Libby Lane Press).

My main objective was to connect with other stationers, and that hope was fulfilled almost immediately after meeting the 3 most fabulous roommates. I look forward to the continued snap chats + group text convos.

Meeting the rest of the gals was deeply rewarding as well. It’s so important in an industry to have people with whom you can “talk shop”, but a theme in the group discussions was feeling alone with our fears. It can stunt our growth as business-owners very early + quickly. But I think we all left a lot less lonely in the stationery world. My experience ended with a one-on-one session with the super-talented (and fellow bright-color addict) Whitney English. Soon after we started I half-wished I had brought my custom portfolio, so she could hopefully see and/or believe in my full talent. But if all I wanted was praise, I could have just gone to see my Mom. She lives a lot closer and visiting her usually includes a home-cooked meal. I brought to the table things I was not as confident in, and got back really helpful feedback. On the plane home I was on a writing rampage in my notebook, to the point where I was disappointed to hear the flight attendant ask me to stow my tray table. When I started my pen-to-paper bonanza, this is what I put on the first page: So now it’s time to put things into action. I have a plan in place for the next six months, what I’m calling “Roseville 2.0”. It includes a bit of branding refreshening, nerdy spreadsheets, and (hopefully) a lot of beautiful designs. Thanks to all my fellow Academy classmates for their talent + open hearts, and to the amazing mentors for their hard work + support. It has been life-changing for sure.

For more info on the conference, check out Stationery Academy’s website!