Visual storytelling in the digital world

One of my goals for 2016 is to speak more at conferences, and I’m already making that happen by pitching myself and developing topics that I’m passionate about. For several years now, I’ve been at the keyboard plugging away in this new, ever-changing, world of social media. I’ve given a few presentations at conferences but mainly worked them, as we typically had a client we were collaborating with somehow. However, things have evolved and I’ve been able to really focus on growing my position within social media through work and my own projects. To stay on top of things, I’ve been sinking my teeth into podcasts, Youtube videos, webinars, wordy articles, you name it, with the intention of learning everything about this industry. I came from the art history world, which is a much more slow paced field. I’m not in a position where additional schooling is an option so I had to learn while doing. My lessons have all come in the form of taking risks and creating my own opportunities (with fingers crossed!). Needless to say, I’ve gotten one heck of an education, and I would love to share those resources with women who want to grow their blogs and brands.

But what about all those years I spent in the museum world as a lecturer and art interpreter? I didn’t want that to be a closed chapter in my life. Yet, I didn’t want to return to the museum field. Instead, I found a way to bring in all I’ve learned about visual storytelling, and have been working on a few fun projects to bring it all together (expect more updates this year). To get the ball rolling, I did a presentation on the importance of Visual Storytelling on Instagram at #WeAllGrowLA – a half-day workshop which is designed to be a taste of #WeAllGrow Summit jam-packed with sessions, sponsor networking and a lot of great food. Although the conference was in December, I view it as the first of many speaking engagements to come this year through theArtMuse and Latina Bloggers Connect.

If you want to see my presentation, you can see it here – Visual Storytelling and Branding on Instagram.
#WeAllGrowLA was such a lovely event. Of course I’m bias and have warm fuzzy feelings about it because all #WeAllGrow entities are the baby of Latina Bloggers Connect, but a lot went into making this day special. It was also the first time we introduced Latina Makers Market, where small business owners showcased their work, like these beautiful rings made by The Orphaned Earring.

Chef Eddie Ruiz of Corazón y Miel spoiled us with a variety of dishes – Fall Frittata with Chicken, Winter Honey Lox Toast, Spicy Chicken Enchilada Cake, and French Toast Bread Pudding with a choice of a Las Palmas Michelada or a Honey Berry Royale and Honey Leche. All recipes included our sponsors Foster Farms,Got Milk?/Toma Leche, Las Palmas Sauces & the National Honey Board.

The beauty of a small events is that you can really network with sponsors. We’re so thankful to Peter Lamas, Diabolo Beverages, SuperMama’s Podcast, Avión Tequila, Dove Dry Spray and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital for making this day possible. My presentation was followed by Roxana Lissa, Founder and CEO of RLPR, Pinterest Community Manager, Sara Martineau, Davina Ferreira, Publisher of Alegria Bilingual Magazine. I was in great company. If you want to learn more about #WeAllGrowLA, I wrote a recap with more details.