Blogging Day 5 of 200.
.png?format=original)
Tomorrow I'm leaving for a LERN conference. This is pretty exciting stuff!!!!
In 2009, I won an international design award for the "Best Catalog Design Targeting Gen Y" at this conference, which is why I was invited to attend. This conference was one of the best conferences I've ever been to! This year I've been invited to volunteer, with the hopes of hopefully developing some great connections to possibly speak at next year's event. Either way, attending this event is life changing!
It was a surprise that I even got to go, (way back in 2009) as my boss had submitted me for this design award for an edgy 30 page catalog I had done for Astoria Parks and Recreation, and I wasn't even aware that he had nominated our work.
It was sort of a secretive big deal that I got to attend as I wasn't a permanent employee of the Parks and Recreation. THEN, while I was there I got connected with the head of the Professional Outreach for Development of Students (PODS) for the University of Oregon (my alma mater) and they hired me to teach three of the best classes I've ever taught in my life!
Why are they so awesome? Because they're my favorite university AND I got to create the classes from scratch. The classes that I teach for them have to be some of my biggest passions in my career!
So since 2010, for the University of Oregon, I've taught Portfolio Graphic Design, Personal Branding and Entrepreneurship for Creatives. These classes are my babies and include video tutorials, and in-depth written lectures.
To bring this around again, my point is that this LERN conference was life changing for me. Not only did I get one of the coolest teaching gigs of my career, but I also learned some skills that taught me everything that I know a social media strategy that I developed for a women's non-profit that lead to 10k likes on their Facebook page in 3 months!
This is a powerful conference! My full circle moment, was that I got one of the best teaching gigs of my life at a LERN conference from an amazing lady who works for U of O, and then that same lady (my boss at U of O) recommended me to teach / present for LERN for this present term.
I was hired to teach a class called Creating Visual Presentations. This is my first class with LERN, but they invited me to volunteer and audit this year's conference. This generally costs about $1k a person! I couldn't be more thrilled to have this opportunity, and I am really crossing my fingers to be invited as an expert in Branding for next years conference. I will be writing about all that I learn! Good stuff!
Help me pick out which classes to go to over the next four days!!!!!! Please -- in the comments below!
