Hi darlings, happy Friday! By now, you guys have seen a ton of photos over the past week from Create & Cultivate Chicago. Let me tell you, there is nothing like spending the weekend with 1,000 badass women! This weekend was filled with inspiring, life changing conversation.
If you are unfamiliar with Create & Cultivate, don’t worry! I will be explaining all the details below!
What Is Create & Cultivate?
“This is a 365 day conversation around being a modern woman in the working world…”
“Create & Cultivate is an online platform and offline conference for women looking to create & cultivate the career of their dreams”. Create & Cultivate hits all the topics for the modern, working women, yay! It has quickly grown into a cult favorite. And no, it is not just for bloggers! The founder and CEO is Jaclyn Johnson, and she is a powerhouse. Jaclyn recognized a gap in conversations, resources, events and community for female millennial entrepreneurs and responded with a solution, thus this fabulous platform was born.
Collaboration Over Competition: #CreateCultivateChi
“Behind every great woman, are great women.” -Jaclyn Johnson
Create & Cultivate Chicago was a conference. “At Create & Cultivate you are destined to meet other talented, like-minded women, all while learning tips and tricks from some of the best in the business. Attendees get access to a highly curated, impactful one-day program of workshops, mentor sessions, and panels, as well as delicious cocktails, food, pop-up shops, photo booths, gift bags, and more”. Women come to feel inspired, make new friendships, network, enhance their business, and mingle. The conferences take place twice a year in major cities like Atlanta, Los Angeles, Chicago and
Brooklyn. They have also added summits, which are sprinkled into the yearly calendar.
Create & Cultivate Chicago was a very long day, but extremely productive. Your day is planned out hour by hour. There are two tracks you can choose from. One was focused more on the business side, while the other was more social media and creative focused. I was Track One, which was more business geared!
They offer VIP tickets and General Admission. The difference is that VIP picks their track and their mentors, while GA has their track and mentors assigned. I was a GA ticket holder, so I did not get to pick my track or mentors. It really worked out just fine though, and I am happy with the results.
Throughout the day we heard from many talented people. From corporate CEO’s to Bloggers and actresses, no ones advice was insignificant. Some of my favorites were Blake Von D, Marianna Hewitt, Jenna Colgrove, Maxie McCoy, Reesa Lake, and Ben Silberman.
We had AMAZING Keynote speakers too! There was my girl Shay Mitchell, Alli Webb (owner of Drybar), and Jennifer Hudson.
We were able to stay fueled throughout the day thanks to some major food and beverage sponsors. Health-Ade kicked off the day with breakfast and of course some kombucha. Sweetgreen provided a delicious array of salads for lunch, and McDonald’s came through with a food truck for a mid-afternoon bite. OUI by Yoplait, RX Bar, and Luna also had snacks prepared for everyone to nibble on!
One of my favorite things was the pop-up market, which featured everything from beauty touch-ups to business pitching opportunities and relaxation. Both Sexy Hair and Living Proof featured the latest products for both volume and styling. Sexy Hair did crazy, awesome braids on me (see photos)! Nordstrom Beauty had so many of its best-selling brands available on-site, which was nice because I was sweating my make-up off.
Every wall and corner you turned was so picture perfect and Instagramable! It was seriously a bloggers paradise! I was in HEAVEN! “Do it for the Gram” had never been more real!
Once you attend one conference, you are immediately hooked!
You Need To Invest In Yourself
“You have to spend money to really make money” – Sherry Jhawar
Investing in yourself comes in many forms. I understand these conferences and summits come with a hefty price tag, especially when you combined them with travel. I am not going to sit here and act like I paid for my trip all by myself. The general admission ticket was $375 and the VIP was $575. I couldn’t afford it. I wouldn’t have been able to go to #CreateCultivateChi without the financial support of my Dad. He helped me out so much with my flight and admission ticket. I paid for the hotel which was $190 per a person myself. To know if this is right for you, I suggest following Create & Cultivate on Instagram and other social media platforms. Get Jaclyn Johnson’s new book “Work Party”. They just launched a new podcast called WorkParty as well. Get your listening ears on! If you are still itching to learn more, then I highly suggest committing to a conference. It is like getting an education, you are investing in yourself. You have to spend money to make money with your business. That is exactly what was said to us and I couldn’t agree more. What you get out of it will truly be priceless!
There you have it gf’s (and potential dudes)! Definitely check out the website or message me if you have any questions!
xx Courtney