For our dedicated DIY enthusiasts and those who prefer to dive straight into projects, feel free to explore tomorrow’s exciting post or browse through our extensive project gallery. This weekend promises some monumental transformations at the Ugly Duckling House that you won’t want to miss!
It’s Wednesday afternoon, and as I reflect, just three days ago I was navigating the culmination of one of the most mentally challenging yet profoundly rewarding experiences of my life. This year, the journey leading up to the Haven Conference was unlike any other, marked by a unique blend of personal introspection and professional anticipation. Despite the initial trepidation, I can wholeheartedly affirm that this event arrived precisely when it was needed, placing me exactly where I belonged, and connecting me with the incredible individuals I was meant to encounter. For those unfamiliar with the Haven Conference, allow me to share Kirsten Thompson’s succinct, yet perfectly descriptive, summary:
350 home decor & DIY bloggers gather in a gorgeous hotel in Atlanta for 3 1/2 days to mingle with brand reps and other bloggers while learning gobs of stuff to help improve their blogs, eating too much yummy food, and dancing the night away at a soiree. Oh, and swag. SO. MUCH. SWAG.
While an exhaustive recounting of every detail would be far too lengthy and impossible to illustrate with my limited photos, today I want to delve into the significant lessons learned from teaching for the very first time at a blog conference. For a different perspective, you can also catch some video recaps I published yesterday on Periscope and Facebook Live, where you can see me talk and showcase the various goodies I brought home. However, the insights I’m sharing below are distinct from those videos, offering a fresh exploration of my experience. If you’re curious about past years’ conference recaps, you can find them here, here, and here. These are my key takeaways from this year’s unforgettable event.
Find Your Voice… Over and Over Again: Navigating Authenticity in DIY Blogging
On this blog, across social media, and in all my interactions, I consistently strive for transparency—sometimes, perhaps, with a touch of rambling awkwardness. My aim is to openly share my mishaps, like the time I inadvertently imprisoned a family of squirrels in my attic, so you can learn from my follies. While I usually find it easy to articulate my thoughts in writing or engage with strangers (as an extreme extrovert in most scenarios), public speaking has always been a significant source of nervousness for me. Furthermore, there’s a delicate balance to strike between openly sharing my life—including the humorous quirks of my home, the DIY lessons I learn, and my personal experiences—and maintaining a sensible boundary regarding what *can* or *should* be shared. There’s no definitive guide, making it feel like fumbling in the dark, hoping to connect with readers consistently (a challenge I know well, given my mislabeled electrical breakers!). The internet, an unforgiving beast, ensures everything is permanent, screengrabbed, and observed by both strangers and friends simultaneously. It’s a continuous experiment with my comfort zone, leading to moments where I feel I’ve made a misstep, only to spend considerable time reassuring myself to summon the courage to speak up again.
This year brought a new personal dynamic into my life, a presence I grappled with for months regarding its inclusion on the blog. After years of blogging independently, the thought of introducing someone new felt daunting. As things seemed to progress well, suggesting a lasting connection, my default settings of second-guessing and cautious planning led to a torrent of internal questions: Would it appear strange? Would withholding information be more confusing? Would my writing feel dishonest or obviously altered if I didn’t share? And just as I was unprepared for this person’s sudden arrival into my strange, independent world, I was equally unprepared for their abrupt departure. Within a few weeks, I found myself heading to a conference primarily attended by married women with children, thinking they couldn’t possibly relate to my recent experiences, all while needing to articulate how I do things *my* way. I felt completely overwhelmed and procrastinated, hoping the day would never truly arrive.
Right up until the moment I sat down for the first of my two-day panel discussion, I was torn between skipping lunch, breaking down in tears, or running laps around the hotel to burn off my anxiety. In the end, I did none of those things. Instead, I found an unexpected calm by building a piece of furniture with the wonderfully grounding Jaime Costiglio. This brief, hands-on distraction provided a much-needed mental reset before facing the audience.
Find Humility: Overcoming Impostor Syndrome in the Vibrant DIY Community
The profound feeling of self-doubt I’ve described above is widely recognized as Impostor Syndrome—or at least a variation of it, assuming I’m not entirely mistaken about what that even means. From my perspective, and in terms I can truly grasp, it often boils down to a subtle form of arrogance. It’s the belief that I am more important than I actually am, coupled with the anxiety of failing to live up to the self-imposed expectations I just created. This kind of self-defeating magical thinking, constantly battling internal narratives, is likely how stress-induced aneurysms come to be.
The remarkable aspect of a niche blogging conference like Haven, however, is that it gathers a room full of individuals who feel the *exact same way*. Each of us, whether established entrepreneurs, aspiring business owners, or simply obsessive hobbyists, are united by a common thread: we struggle to take breaks, we exhaust ourselves with constant comparisons, yet we eagerly converge in these rooms. We come to share notes, divulge secrets, and most importantly, uplift and empower one another. There will always be someone we perceive as more successful—someone with a larger Pinterest following, a more discerning eye for photography, or a deeper understanding of web analytics. Yet, whether we call it a “community,” a “tribe,” or simply a room brimming with kindred spirits, we all engage in this uniquely strange endeavor because we love it enough to invest hundreds of dollars in a ticket, hundreds more in travel and accommodation, and then stay up until 2 AM connecting with each other, even when utterly exhausted and losing our voices. We discuss topics that only *we* truly comprehend, because our significant others, parents, and closest friends may not always share the same intense passion and enthusiasm for our craft. And then, we celebrate with a dance and get dressed up. It’s undeniably *awesome*.
Soak It In: Maximizing Engagement and Connection at Haven
Seriously, I probably took more photos of that incredibly innovative donut door than I did of my friends during the entire conference. It was, without a doubt, the coolest and most creative breakfast display I have ever witnessed:
But the truth is, I wasn’t spending my time documenting every moment in groups. Instead, I was fully immersed—absorbing every word, connecting with people about my own anxieties, and pouring my heart into my panel discussion. My confidence, which had wavered significantly leading up to the conference, steadily returned as I realized I genuinely knew my subject matter and could effectively answer the questions posed. The discussions exceeded my expectations, yielding a tenfold return on my investment of effort. Attendees eagerly jotted down notes and provided invaluable feedback, revealing how they were already implementing strategies to improve their blogs based on our conversation. After the first panel, two of my clients approached to introduce themselves, and one even presented me with a thoughtful gift to express gratitude for my assistance with her blog. I was absolutely stunned by their generosity and the tangible impact of my presentation.
Beyond the formal sessions, the conference was a whirlwind of heartwarming connections. I exchanged big bear hugs with some of my dearest friends and upheld our cherished dance floor tradition with Chelsea from Two Twenty One—an experience of utter silliness and joy that I wish everyone could partake in at some point. I engaged in lengthy, meaningful conversations with Jacque from The DIY Village, and finally had the pleasure of meeting several other online friends in person, while also forging a few wonderful new connections. These moments of genuine camaraderie are truly what make Haven so special.
Remember Why: Rekindling Your Blogging Passion and Avoiding Burnout
The closing ceremony featured the inspiring John and Sherry from Young House Love, whom I’ve admired for years and am now delighted to call friends. They shared invaluable advice, drawing from their well-known decision to step away from daily blogging—a story that offers crucial lessons for many of us on how to prevent burnout and maintain a sustainable pace. I found this particular image they shared from Waiting on Martha especially poignant. In fact, it immediately brought back memories of a post I wrote some time ago, penned during another period when I struggled intensely to articulate my thoughts and purpose. It seems that what I perceived as a new, overwhelming feeling for me this year was, in reality, a familiar struggle resurfacing.
Ultimately, despite starting this conference in a somewhat tumultuous emotional state and likely behaving like a total weirdo at times, Haven proved to be exactly the kind of environment where embracing your quirks is not just accepted, but celebrated. Being a “freak” among these folks is precisely what it’s all about. This experience was worth it, worth it, worth it, a thousand times over. <3
Get ready, because another exciting post is coming your way tomorrow! As we speak, some truly significant deliveries are making their way to my house, and I’ll be sharing glimpses of these new DIY adventures live on Facebook and Instagram. Make sure to stay tuned for all the updates!