I recently sat down with a long time friend of mine, Schellie Fanfan, LMHC, MS, EdS, CRE, and spoke about the challenges, emotions, and ebbs and flows of running a business. Let me tell you that she brought to light so many things that I’ve thought about or experienced but never really put into perspective with regards to mental health.
As a creative, there’s so many feelings and thoughts that circle our minds on a regular basis. Some things pertaining to business, some to personal, but still there and not always having time to fully process. The realization was that all of these things and more were affecting my mental health. Coincidentally I thought back to green room conversations at past conferences I attended with other creatives having similar conversations and sharing how we each individually “deal” with day to day happenings and what not. What I didn’t fully realize until I talked with Schellie was how being a highly functioning person, the effects to my mental health that would ensue.
Now this wasn’t a formal session, we were actually on set recording some promotional videos for her new website and platform. I saw an opportunity to ask her about what she notices when counseling business owners and entrepreneurs. This short snippet isn’t enough at all, but does give insight on the different ways that our mental health can be affected in our day to day without much notice from us at all.
I would highly recommend that after watching this if you have any questions to reach out to Schellie directly. She has years of service and even more in studies, degrees, and has more acronyms that I’ve ever seen.
A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of being the photographer for a high school buddy of mine. It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon with the famous Florida sun gearing down for a fantastic sunset. Now this was a shoot I did alone since it was a small engagement, but if I had my assistant with me I probably would have staged this photo. Believe it or not it was a candid real moment that I happened to be at the right place at the right time to capture. Check out the original post on our Instagram page here.
This weekend is the first WordCamp happening in Jacksonville, FL. Tickets are just about sold out for this inaugural event, and that is saying a lot for a first time conference. We’ll be driving up from Orlando on Friday evening (hopefully will make it in time to catch some of the pre-conference festivities).
We are excited about it for a few reasons, but before I get into why, I wanted to take a moment and give you the details on the event. It is going to be held at the
Florida State College at Jacksonville
Advanced Technology Center
401 W State St
Jacksonville, FL 32202
One of the first reasons why we are excited is that this will make the 4th WordCamp for the State of Florida. Miami being the biggest and I believe first. Then Orlando and Tampa, and now Jacksonville. It’s crazy for me to think that all of these are happening through the year in Florida, and at least for those of us living and working in the state, they’re all within driving distance. We attended WordCamp Miami this year and like ever year it was awesome. Our own Brand Strategist Nicole Perpillant was a speaker too! You can view her slides here.
Next reason why we’re hype is that, myself, Jean Perpillant will be speaking at this conference. I made a personal goal to speak at 4 different events this year and I’m nervous and honored to be chosen as one of the speakers for their first event. You can see my details as well as the other talented speakers by viewing this link. I’ll be speaking on Custom Themes vs Premium Themes; discussing the advantages and disadvantages to choosing either as well as key things you need to know.
Another WordCamp means another great opportunity to network with new people and grow your network. For me it’s one of the most fun parts about these conferences is the ability to meet new people, influencers, speakers, and sponsors. From being able to get a quick selfie with a speaker or sponsor, to asking the person sitting next to you what cool app their using, you’re pretty much guaranteed to be inspired just by attending.
So have you attended a WordCamp before? If so let us know some of your tips and feedback in the comments below. If you haven’t, I highly recommend you check to see if there is one coming up in your area.
WordCamp Miami is just a few days away and we’re really excited here at Design Theory. I’m taking the whole family down, which includes my kids so that they can experience their first conference and kick start their own web and internet journey of creativity and creation.
Below is a list of tech things we’re packing to make the trip and stay as productive and comfortable as possible:
Macbook chargers and extension cables. Power is always a big thing at conferences. It’s just as important as having a reliable wifi signal.
Smart phone and tablet chargers and portable chargers. This little $10 and $20 portable chargers can usually recharge your device 2 or more times from a dead charge.
Macbook Pro laptop. Because I’m going to get ideas on things I’m going to want to implement right when I hear it. So having my laptop will be essential.
Tablet/iPad. Having this as a second input device is rather helpful and lightweight. Easy to carry around and setup on a small desk surface.
A comfortable backpack, rolling case, or messenger bag. Carrying all of your gadgets and hardware can get heavy or cumbersome.
Business cards. This should go without saying, but it’s a good way to quickly give out your contact information while in passing or like a secret note in class during sessions.
GoPro. This is a really small and easy to use video camera that I can also take stills on. On one charge it can last me up to 3+ hours and I can control it from my phone.
Nikon DSLR. This one is a bit heavier because I have a few lenses that I like to use for various situations. But capturing some great speaker profile pictures, or scenes of packed out rooms where lighting is really low, my Nikon comes in really handy.
Extension cord and/or power strip. If you’re going to be staying in a certain track for a few sessions in a row, it helps to secure a seat where you can plug in your power strip and multiple devices to charge all at once.
A notebook and pencils. In case you run out of charge on all of your devices, having a good old pencil and paper for note writing is really handy.
So those are the things I’m bring with me. What are some things you plan to pack with you? Add to the conversation below or on Twitter with me and the hashtag #WCMIA
![Mental Health Awareness in High Functioning People [Featuring Ask Schellie]](https://jpdesigntheory.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/AskSchellie-FINAL-3.jpg)
