I was thrilled to be invited as a presenter at the Craftcation 2018 this last April put on by Nicole Stevenson and Delilah Snell of Dear Handmade Life. This is an extravaganza of crafts, color, fun, and talented and generous people.

The energy of this event is almost indescribable. Also, the effort and vision of its founders blew me away. It was such an impressive event that really brought people together. A lot of the focus was crafting and business but what I picked up on the most was people talking about being around like-minded people, expressing themselves without judgment, and seeing the event as an epic act of self-care.

I was asked to present about Mindfulness for Creatives with my friend Cassie Uhl of Zenned Out Jewelry. We talked about the importance of taking time for yourself and shared a lot of tips similar to what I share on this blog and on social media.

Each day people could sign up for office hours that covered different topics.

I did mini-intuitive business readings and absolutely loved them! Some of the people have continued working with me as clients.

I had my tried and true Medicine Woman deck along with these amazing oils from Joyful Roots. The oils help bring people into the present moment and the cards help people think about and view their situations from a more intuitive place.

I also offered Guided Meditations to attendees on the beach. Wow! These were so amazing. I just loved the energy of the people who came and the sounds of the ocean in the background. To be honest, I felt like I could do this all day long!

One of the highlights was listening to Debbie Stoller talk from Bust Magazine. I am a fan of hers and she left me pondering about what to do with my own Kerry Magazine. It was a project of mine to help show all women as beautiful. It evolved into some pretty interesting issues. You can check it out here: https://www.kerryburki.com/kerry-magazine/.

I love connecting with people I knew from being a presenter at previous conferences like Ami from Flutterbye Prints(above).

I was also on a panel about self-care which is one of my fave topics! I showed up in a bright red dress and a huge flower crown because that is one of the ways I show love for myself, by wearing what makes me feel fabulous. Also, on the panel from left to right is designer, Jeanetta Gonzales, business coach, Alisha Roberston, and Holly Marsh of MarshMueller.

Some takeaways for you would be: getting better at saying no, scheduling downtime, learning to know when you are close to burnout, practicing breathing exercises, decluttering, and taking breaks from social media.

The last evening I was there, I was a part of Wanderings. This is a super fun event where guests and presenters alike are given the opportunity to change their room into a theme for the other attendees to wander in and out of all night. Cassie and I created The Zen Den. We offered DIY essential oil blends, coloring pages, crystal kits and, of course, tarot card reading with me.

I went for 4 hours straight and LOVED the connections, and “aha” moments that happened that evening. I hugged and cried and laughed with people I had just met. When asked how I was able to do this, I told them that I simply created the space for them to feel safe to look within and honestly view the situations they were concerned about. I followed up with everyone about their card a few weeks later to help keep them in the groove of the event.

I made sure I crafted too! Of course, I signed up for the clay moon phase mobile class and a mixed-media macrame wall hanging (above).

If you are a creative business owner or simply someone who loves getting crafty, I encourage you to check out Craftcation. I am very grateful to have been part of it this year.

Photo cred: Heather Shane Photography