My dear friend Greer once shared with me that one of her top priorities for growing her brand was finding her tribe. I remember repeating the words over and over again in my mind. I had never heard it said quite like that. And I never forgot it.
I was invited to attend Mighty Summit this last weekend and the level of smarts, talent, creativity and drive of all the women I hung out with for 3 solid days blew my mind. I almost didn't go... I almost let fear and the cost of a last-minute plane ticket to California keep me home. But I'm so glad I went. The weekend was transformative. I learned so much about myself and about the kinds of people I want in my tribe.
Each woman at Mighty Summit brought a life list. 100 or so things she wanted to accomplish over her lifetime. And on our last day together we picked five that we want to tackle in the next year. It sounds like it could be a little hippie-dippie woo-woo (and we all know I'm totally hippie-dippie woo-woo) but it was truly powerful. Here's my list:
1. Declutter my belongings to the most beautiful and useful. Liz is always an inspiration here.
2. Develop a regular yoga practice. In high school and through college, I used to do Ashtanga yoga like it was my part time job. Then I got a real job and started doing high intensity workouts instead. I'm ready to chill out again. To find my zen through my body. I want to do yoga 3-4x a week.
3. Plant an herb garden. This contributes to my ultimate goal of becoming a witch doctor on the side.
4. Work with Lady Gaga. Okay. Maybe that's a bit of a stretch. But more than anything this serves as a reminder of who I want in my tribe. The kind of brave badass who does things her own way.
5. Grow a successful ECourse program. I'm just really excited about this one. I want to see the Braid ECourse thrive and help people live what they love. Thank you to those of you who are already helping by enrolling and spreading the word!
6. Find my tribe. This is an unexpected bonus that came out of this weekend. Just like Greer, I'm ready to find my tribe. To intentionally surround myself with creatives who have stories to tell and ideas to execute. People like the women at Mighty Summit who make me want to be a better wife, business owner, sister, boss, friend and creative. But these kinds of relationships and connections and conversations aren't limited to just Mighty Summit. There are interesting people all over the world and I'm willing to make the investment to travel and find my tribe. I'm going to be doing much more of that over the next year or two.
I did the same thing last year with Sewing Summit. Signed up at the very last minute, shelled out big bucks for an airplane ticket, and went somewhere where I knew no one. It was life changing. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post. The vocabulary of "tribe" comes up a lot in the research I do in grad school, and it often pops up in the context the movement of makerspaces/hackerspaces where these communities of creative and scientific people are starting to refer to themselves as tribes. A lot of what I read also talks about being a "native"--for instance, a scholar named Marc Prensky has an cool article about "digital natives," in which he discusses how young people are born into a world in which understanding technology is inherent, which makes them "native" to that in a way others aren't. I just think it's fascinating how ideas of being in a "tribe" or being "native" are less dependent on geography and more about connecting with people across the globe, whether it be through travel or technology. Anyhoo, sorry for rambling but this post hit close to home for me!
ReplyDeleteI'm so jealous that you got to Mighty Summit! I feel like, after 11 years in L.A. and nearly 3 years blogging, I'm just now starting to find my tribe.
ReplyDeleteThe surprise? They're not at all who I thought they would be.
I think part of your tribe is in Seattle. You should probably check it out. Xo
ReplyDeleteFinding my tribe has been making its way up to the top of my priority list lately. I have so many wonderful friends, but no solid tribe that I can really vibe with and bounce photography/writing ideas off of. In short: I'm feelin' ya, sista!
ReplyDeleteKathleen, this is completely off topic but last night I finally made the lime tuna that you posted during your Whole 30. I have had the recipe and been thinking about it ever since. The tuna was amazing and I am already planning a second shot at the recipe. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteTravel to Dallas and lets expand the ladybloods tribe!
ReplyDeleteAshley - Thank you so much for your comment! I love the idea of "natives" and "tribes" being location independent. I want to read more into these concepts.
ReplyDeleteHH - It's so interesting to see who rises to the top.
Melanie - I keep hearing that! Seattle & Portland need a visit. Can we hang out?
Rachel - It definitely takes a certain amount of trust and mutual respect (not even in an "I like you" way but a "I UNDERSTAND you" kind of vibe) to have a friend or tribe you can really bounce creative ideas off of. And it has to be reciprocal, right?
Monica - Ha! So glad you enjoyed the tuna. Amazing, right? I'm going to have that for dinner tonight.
i would love to be a fly on the wall at one of these conventions. All that creative energy in the air would probably frizz my hair.
ReplyDeletei'll be your OM cheerleader for #2!
ReplyDeleteUHH...DUH!!!! That would be so awesome. xo
ReplyDeleteKathleen, I loved every second of meeting you! You are definitely in my tribe. I'm so in awe of all that you've accomplished and I totally cannot wait to see what's up next.
ReplyDeleteyeah, um ... I LOVE THIS. My comparison sounds a little silly compared to what you wrote, but I moved here from Colorado thinking that I needed to find my "Friends" (yes, I'm referring to the show...) -- but mostly I just meant that I wanted to find the tribe of people who would be at my side for the little things (coffee & beer) and the big things (babies & workshops) that come with being an adult. I have started to realize that I had those people all along, even though we aren't all residing in the same place at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI love this Kathleen! I need to surround myself with creatives more often.
ReplyDeleteEverything about this post was fantastic. I have so much to think about now. And I want to ask you about tribes and life and...aren't we due for a phone call soon?
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you had such a great experience at Mighty Summit.
I ran across this concept of finding my tribe awhile back too, but had no clue how to go about finding said tribe. Any ideas? I love your list, btw. It speaks to the inner me who wants to be more authentic and real and creative!
ReplyDeleteIs that Anne Sage in your photo? Love that girl.
ReplyDeleteGosh I love this & you! I think we are all searching for connection with people who just "get us" & once that is found we can do ANYTHING. There is so much freedom in knowing that you have a "tribe" to run back to...
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see where this year takes you Kathleen-- I'm lucky to have met you & to have had the chance to hang out TWICE this year. Sending so much love to you & your BIG dreams. XX