I was thrilled when I learned that AltSummit NYC was to be held (again) at Martha Stewart Living offices. For those inspired by her creative lifestyle (and that of her staff), entering the MSLO offices was like the Mother Ship calling me home. Needless to say, the ultimate hostess did not disappoint. From gorgeously styled and delicious food, to fun craft projects, and a personal appearance by Martha herself, MSLO was everything I’d imagined.

Getting my craft on with Jodi Levine of MSLO. Photo by Justin Hackworth.

As for AltSummit, I didn’t know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised with the experience. As a conference of likeminded craftspeople and “creative types” (graphic artists, shop owners, photographers, to name a few), we were educated on the latest in social media and the changing blog landscape by a dozen or so makers, social media experts, bloggers – each tremendously successful in their fields of expertise.

An array of business cards. Photo by Justin Hackworth.

An array of business cards on the AltSummit cork board.

In retrospect, what was cool to me about the event was the dichotomy of AltSummit against the backdrop MSLO. As makers, lovers of makers, sellers of makers we were there to learn and share. Most often Martha represents the epitome of gorgeous, perfect, finished products, yet the experience of being in that space (crafting, eating, learning) was about the doing. And listening to the AltSummit panelists was about learning how to do the doing better. So often, what we put out in the world is (like Martha) perfect, finished product. But getting to that place of “perfect” is messy and requires making mistakes along the way. The panelists all shared their “mistakes.”  Garance Dore, for example, a marvelously charming illustrator spoke candidly about her work life, foibles and all. She spoken openly about hiring the wrong types of employees or how she handles screw-ups. Grace was not the only one who gave us glimpses into “figuring things out along the way.” Tracey Stewart of Moomah expressed being dragged into the world of social media and Grace Bonney her reluctance to use Pinterest. All in all, I was pleased to hear their candor and their willingness to admit where they went wrong and how they handle cleaning up.

The underlying message for me was just to ‘keep on keeping on’. If I’m not sure about something, I can give it a try. If I mess up, well, at least I tried, and I am better equipped to do it the next time around. None of us have a crystal ball to foresee what is on the social media horizon, but with the willingness to give things a try we can find what works best for each of us.