Okay, but can we discuss how instagram has now been down for almost 12 hours?!

Like, girl, I am absolutely shook. We trust so much in these social media platforms, yet at any moment they can go completely dark. And there's absolutely nothing you can do about it. *creepy* But it also makes me super grateful that I have my own platform not based solely on Instagram. Because that means I can talk to you guys anytime (hi, hello!)

Okay, anyway, back to the matter at hand.

I had the *fabulous* opportunity to attend yet another Create and Cultivate Pop Up Conference. In case you missed it, I went to my first Create & Cultivate last summer!

For those that are still a little confused, let me break it down for you.

Create & Cultivate is an online platform set to inspire and empower the modern girl boss.

They have a v strong brand and an even stronger following (seeing that we waited in line for hours to get in) and they host these awesome pop up conferences all around the country. Some of them are free and some of them require ticket purchases.

I've only had the opportunity to attend the free conferences, so I really can't tell you the difference between the two, but from what it seems like, the paid conferences offer more focused content, panels, and one-on-ones.

Either way, C&C found it's way in Austin, TX and me and my favorite blogger babe, Tino, definitely weren't missing it!

We drove up to Austin early Sunday morning, and got to the site around 9:30am. Doors opened at 10:30am, so we spent the next hour waiting in line, sipping what was left in our empty Starbucks cups, chatting with the girls in front of us, and taking cute selfies to sustain our boredom.

When the doors finally opened, we walked into this cute vintage house, and were immediately greeted by pumping music, bright pink wristbands, hair and makeup booths, and a lot of vegan snacks.

Majority of the conference was hosted outside, in a chic clear tent decorated with twinkle lights and flowers. Apart from the panel stage and seats for the audience, it was literally a blogger's playground: there were beautiful hand painted walls to take pictures in front of, faux greenery, free drinks, and brands with their own creative stations!

Since you made it down this far, I think it's safe for me to spill a little tea:

Although I had fun attending this pop up conference, I definitely enjoyed the Houston C&C a bit more than this Austin one.

For one, the panels in Houston were way easier to hear and learn from. Even though the last C&C was literally in the middle of a mall, it was significantly quieter. I remember the audience being very engaged while the moderator would interview the panel, and I would only hear a few whispers every now and then in between pauses of me vigorously scribbling notes.

However, at this most recent C&C, it was a little tough to stay engaged. There were so many booths and stations aside from the main panel that caused a constant buzz of voices and conversation that competed with the volume of the speakers. This made it very hard to focus on the speakers and hear the gems they were dropping. *sad face*

Also, in Houston, the speakers were seated on high chairs so even if you were sitting on the back row, you could see who was talking. This made it easier to follow the conversation and be engaged with the speakers.

For the ATX panel, however, they sat in super low chairs on the stage which made it extremely hard to see if you were sitting in the back row (which was me for the first half of the conference). So I basically stared at the back of the person seated in front of me the whole time --- which made it way harder to focus and be engaged in the conversation.

On the bright side, I really enjoyed the featured speakers that the C&C ATX conference had. Tan France and Natasha Lyonne (both with shows on Netflix) each had their own segment at the pop-up and it was so cool to hear from their experiences!

Content-wise, however, I have to give it to the Houston Conference.

Last summer, the conference was more focused on bloggers. So the panels were filled with various types of bloggers from different genres and sizes. It was really amazing getting to hear their stories and their advice on how they scaled and managed brands.

This Austin conference was definitely focused on small business owners, so all the panels, conversations, and questions were geared towards that demographic. As a small blogger who (at the moment) is more focused on producing content than scaling a business, this wasn't as beneficial to me. I do know that they had a panel focused on creating content, but sadly, since I could barely hear the panels in the first place, it was a little hard to distinguish who was who (or hear the advice for that matter).

Networking-wise, I didn't really meet that many girls. Part of it was definitely my fault: me and Tino were having so much fun exploring, creating content, and genuinely just having a good time, I had to keep reminding myself to talk to other people (which is kind of nerve wracking). The girls I did have a chance to talk to, were so sweet and I really enjoyed our conversations! I also ran into an old friend and met a famous blogger that I admire! Nevertheless, most of the girls I engaged with were small business owners and not bloggers, which was such a contrast to the Houston Conference.

I swear I gained like 30 new Houston blogger friends in one day, Tino being one of them!

Overall, C&C ATX was different than the Houston conference, and not what I was entirely expecting. But I did like a lot of things about it that C&C HTX didn't have!

For example, the Austin conference actually fed us real food instead of filling us with only snacks to last all day. Plus there were so many brands to interact with! I actually had so much fun visiting the different booths and interacting with La Croix, Glade, Paige, Roxy, Core, Beyond Meat, and more! And I got SO MUCH NEEDED CONTENT. Seriously! I think my last C&C I only took one picture.

Also just a con from both experiences and something that nobody ever mentions about these types of conferences: there are LINES. EVERYWHERE. There were lines for food, lines to engage with brands, lines to meet cool bloggers (I love you @daniaustin!) and yes, lines for the bathroom. I think I waited 35 minutes (each) just to pee. It was a madness.

I say allll of that to say this:

Everything isn't always as it seems, and things may not always reach your expectations...and that's 100% okay.

It's just life.

We are not always promised perfect moments. We're not always promised excellent experiences full of glitz and glamour and "omgthatwassomuchfun!!" seconds.

All we're promised is a life to live. And that if you try to make the best of the situation, it may just surprise you.

So stop fretting, stop doubting, stop turning up your nose and immediately judging, and just experience. Because THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is what makes ANY situation you encounter worth the while.

Thanks for reading, lovebugs! Overall, C&C is a awesome experience that I recommend everyone checking out at least once. If you want a review from C&C's point of view, check out their blog post covering the event's most show-stopping moments.

Until next time,

- The Corporate Queen

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