Hi there! As many of you know I just got back from Haven Conference! And I am almost getting upset writing this…yeah, it is going to be one of those posts. LOL. Here is the thing…I meant amazing people and brands. It was truly an amazing opportunity to be at Haven Conference and I am thankful that Brandt and I got to go. There were amazing classes that I was able to attend. And, I also found my voice there and finding my voice is not something I expected to happen.
I have struggled with blogging in the past. You see, I started Rescued Furnishings as something to do with my husband for something fun on the side. We had been so inspired by other bloggers but we also just had fun with it. It went from something fun to “hey lets go to Vintage Market Days and have a booth” to “I hate my real job and feel like I am doing what I love and my corporate job both half way.”
The key note speaker was John Acuff and one of the things he talked about was leaving the best parts of you behind when you went to work every day. Man, that is me. I know that feeling. He also said “Kale chips taste like regular chips if you have never tasted regular chips” which made me die laughing because all my sisters and Mom are vegan. I digress. I’m just so so happy to be doing what I love now. In case you didn’t know, I quit my full time job labor day weekend of 2014. My engineering job at a Fortune 500 company…I felt like a crazy person.
Since then, we have rented a large warehouse and hired 2 employees. We are growing and it couldn’t be more scary and exciting all at the same time. I have always wanted to share more about the types of projects we love which is how we found this business in the first place. Before Rescued Furnishings we had installed 2 retaining walls, a flagstone patio, a fence, deck, an entire basement-including electrical, hard wood floors, backsplash, renovated a kitchen, and re-purposed furniture ALL as DIY’ers.
Crazy…I don’t think I have ever told you all that! Now our business makes sense! LOL. We are DIY’ers at heart and that is why we have been slowly sharing more advice and tutorials this year. But if Haven was good for anything for me it was I know what MY VOICE is now. Mandi, from Vintage Revivals really opened my eyes during her closing speech to everything that blogging can be. She is one of the most amazing people I have ever meant. I felt like she was so IN every moment. I wanted to just keep hugging her but not in a creepy way.
Anyways, without trying to, she made me realize I have a voice that matters. Not only are we DIY’ers and want to share more about that, but we are small business owners that left corporate America and are getting ready to be a company with FIVE employees which is crazy. Our company has a unique perspective in that DIY is our job. We are self taught. Wanting to share our life, our passion and our job with you and the ins and outs of DIY and DIY as a business is something we are passionate about. We get to do a lot of unique things that maybe we wouldn’t think of because we have some awesome clients and so we are always learning new things.
Jon and Mandi both spoke about knowing your readers. Because of the “numbers” you guys like the real life things and they tutorials but what else do you want to see? I should have been asking this whole time. What do want that I haven’t done and what do you want more of? Tell me! I genuinely want to know!
So Yay, I have a voice with a MOUNTAIN of things to do. Better blogging, better instagramming and better Periscoping. Well, that’s okay. Yes, I feel totally overwhelmed but in a focused kind of way. The theme of Haven was to be authentic and to be you, to speak your truths and that is why I am going to say this….
I am really shy. Like really shy. And it kind of hurts me. I know, sad. I’m not telling you for sympathy but I feel like not many of you know this about me. I can be on camera or even LIVE tv or in front of a group of 500 people like nobody’s business. Seriously, I am awesome at that. So humble. I know. But put me in a group of 500 bloggers that are all there to network and I go hide in a corner.
I am not a bubbly person and I know we have all been hurt and burned before but I am not someone that has 100 super good friends, I have like 5 best friends in the world that I would die for and I have no idea how to go up to a group of 4 people that look like great friends and become their friend. I feel like an outcast and I think it comes off as standoffish when really its scared to deathish and wish I could be your friendish but don’t know how. It is easy to be genuine and lively when I am hosting a class or event because people already know who I am and I feel so comfortable. But when people don’t know me, forgetaboutit. Am I making sense to anyone?
Meeting Amazing Stars
