PP 162: Mike Jones on Building a Thriving Community & Conference Experience
Are you tired of hearing me say that relationships are everything?
Even if you are, I’m going to continue to beat this drum, especially in terms of getting out of your bubble and doing everything in your ability to attend a conference.
My first conference was in 2015, and I heard about it through people I followed on Instagram at the time like Ian Barnard, Winston Scully, and Bob Ewing.
I started doing some research on this thing called Creative South. I was a year into Perspective-Collective, and my audience was growing quickly...but I still felt stuck, and this conference felt like something that could give me a new spark (not to mention it’d get me out of Iowa).
I wrote a proposal for my day job (I’m good at selling) and convinced them to sponsor my trip and cover costs for workshops (one being a logo workshop with Von Glitchka).
It’s safe to say this conference blew me away, changed my life, and connected me incredible people you’ve heard on this show: Diane Gibbs, Lenny Terenzi, Jason Craig, and so many more.
I went home on fire and started my blog. It helped me find my voice and build some tiny amount of authority in the form of encouraging creatives. Little did I know, this spark would lead me to speaking on the Creative South big stage the next year.
My creative career blasted off because of the incredible people I met at Creative South.
One of them more specifically was Mike Jones, who just so happens to be today’s guest.
Mike Jones...this man gave me the opportunity of a lifetime out of nowhere. I don’t know where I would be had he not given me the call to speak well before I was ready.
That’s Mike. He sees potential in people and uses his platform to shine the light on others in our creative community.
Mike is the definition of a side hustler. He not only runs Creative South (a highly renowned creative conference in the States) but also runs his own design studio called Serve Studio. If that isn't enough, he still has a day job, four kiddos, and an incredible wife named Karen.
Take some notes as Mike and I are about to dive deep into:
Event planning and focusing on the experience
Serving the bigger picture and expecting nothing in return
Cultivating community vs networking to leverage connections
Throwing yourself into the fire and learning as you go
What to expect from Creative South Conference 10 year reunion and more
This one is going to give you all the feels, and leave you super hungry...since we may get sidetracked and talk about BBQ.
connect with mike jones:
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CREDITS
Music - Blookah
Executive Assistant - Paige Garland
Photo & Video Specialist - Colton Bachar
Social Media Coordinator - Hannah Schick
Animation Specialist - Greg D'Amico