Today I’m jumping on a plane with my sweetheart and heading to New York City for a week! I’ll be doing a little work there, having meetings with some great independent designers, and connecting with other female entrepreneurs and investors I’ve been wanting to meet for ages.

My friend Kat Williams of Rock N Roll Bride is the one who initially urged me to go as she’ll be in town for some work as well, so this’ll be our time to reconnect, share stories, and hit the town! I’m going to take her to gothic dance clubs.

So I tend to travel light on a plane–compared to how I normally travel, anyway. I hate carry-ons on planes and I hate it when everyone’s clogging up the line trying to fit their three enormous bags into the overheads and bonking everyone in the process. My mentor and German professor Sybille Bartels always said being polite was taking up little room with your person and little room with your voice, especially in crowded areas. Anyway, I feel like I went on about that quirk for way too long.

So here’s what I’m bringing on the plane. A bag that slides easily under the seat, a stylish but fold-able cape/jacket, an iPad with a keyboard to do some work, and a few personal essentials. My favorite is the striped Slim Sonic toothbrush from Violight–they’ve got tons of cute patterns and I’m sort of obsessed with their whole range right now (I keep one at work too).

Clockwise from top: Cape jacket; Lolita Lempicka travel-sized perfume, Maybelline lip balm, Lancome Hypnose mascara; Reusable bags (these are great for when you just need a sack to carry some stuff in temporarily); Violight Slim Sonic toothbrush; Bumble and Bumble Straight travel pack; iPad and keyboard; Solar iPhone charger; Touchscreen-friendly gloves; Leather and Canvas bag.

You can check out more details about this set on Polyvore. Bon Voyage and I’ll be blogging from the big apple!

xo
meg

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With Gabe Kangas at the first Big Omaha

Big Omaha is an awesome tech/start-up/creative superconference to bring together forward-thinking entrepreneurs, developers, creative types created by Silicon Prarie News to inspire, support, and connect entrepreneurs who come from all around the country to attend. This year’s tickets all sold out in mere minutes (although you can still get on the waitlist!).

Omaha is an amazing place to live because we’re kind of within this huge wave of change in the way we work and live. On the economic side, our entrepreneurs are becoming more comfortable with risk, investors are noticing the start-ups coming out of the Midwest, and the tightly-knit, accessible community makes it easier to get more for your investment. On the cultural side, our music scene here is already well-known, but we’re also growing in bars and dance clubs, sports franchises, and fine arts attractions like ballet and opera. The close, supportive community has been really advantageous to our growth.

But enough of an Omaha commercial, I guess–I know that I’m mostly in the wedding industry and most of my readers are brides (and I know that most of them skip over posts like this), but I also know from my reader surveys that 30% of my readers are male and 65% of you LOVE the business posts. So knowing that, many of you reading now are probably entrepreneurs–creative, tech, or otherwise–and you’ve probably gone to a few conferences or at least thought about attending. On the #BigOmaha Twitter feed, I’ve seen a few people asking if anyone had any advice for first-time conference-goers. I tweeted a few tips and decided that I really wanted share them in a post.

1. Sit up front

If you want to pay attention and engage with the speakers, you can only sit up front. If you want to take bathroom breaks and have whispered side-conversations with a cool new person you’ve met, stand in the back. But don’t miss a chance to have an emotional connection to an awesome speaker–in the front row, they’re sure to remember you if you want to talk later.

2. Think of two questions for each speaker

You’ll most likely get a chance to ask them, either with a microphone after the talk, or at an after-party or chance hallway encounter. Pay attention to what your internal dialogue is doing as you listen and react to each talk. Was a detail left out that you’d like to understand more clearly? Do you have a question about how to apply the speaker’s lessons to your own experience? Think of a few questions you can ask because you will definitely get the opportunity.

3. Eat lunch last

So part of the reason you’re going to a conference in the first place is to meet people, right? One of the biggest opportunities to network is over the long lunch break. So if there’s a line to wait for a buffet-style lunch, wait until it dies down before you dig in. You’ll have time to eat, and you won’t waste any of it standing in a single-file line when you could be meeting some exciting people or joining a table of experts you’ve been wanting to meet.

4. Follow the Twitter feeds and hashtags in advance

Following the social media stream (for Big Omaha it’s #BigOmaha) for the conference you are attending in advance will make it easier to find and connect with the people you really want to meet. Follow some people, reply to some people, ask people some questions, answer some questions…then when you finally meet them in person you sort of have a foundation already and you’ve built some trust.

5. Put together something cool to leave with people

If you have a business card, that’s okay. I always try to do something a little more creative. I like this post and discussion on Robert Scoble’s blog about business card best practices. Flickr has more creative inspiration like the “Nice Package” and “Crafty Packages” groups.

6. Go to the parties

They’re fun, you’ll meet people, get your picture taken, and get free stuff. Parties are usually open to the public, so if you couldn’t snag a ticket, you can still drop in and absorb some of the energy and make some connections. And put your phone down while you’re having a cool conversation.

7. Be kind

You’re being recorded all the time–whether it’s literally by a photographer or videographer (which are everywhere), or just in the memories of everyone around you. Don’t be a jerk, remember to use your magic words, and share a thoughtful compliment when you can. You’re always broadcasting your brand, and people always remember the very good and very bad.

Finally, follow up with people you meet. Whether it’s informally through Twitter, or via e-mail–I’ve even snail-mailed people little packages before–just send the people you connected with a little shout to thank them for the friendship. Ask for help when you need it and be open to people who reach out to you.

I love going to Big Omaha because being an artist is not only creative, it has a lot to do with running a business. And as an entrepreneur, I’m excited to attend an event where I can meet other entrepreneurs and forward-thinkers who do work in creative industries. Big Omaha is my favorite conference because they do this so well, emphasizing business and technology and welcoming the artists, musicians, and designers, and writers–people who may normally be in the minority at conferences like this.

So that’s it.
I hope I see you at Big Omaha! I’ll be there with a posse–Sarah Lorsung-Tvrdik, my business partner, Shannon, my assistant, and my husband David who recently started a video game design company is coming too. I’m definitely dragging them all up to the front row with me. I hope you say hi when you see me, and I look forward to making lots of new friends!

xx
meg

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For Wendy and Bill’s wedding, I created flowers and accessories that were colorful and eclectic but united by the intricacy in the stitching, and lots of little pearl, crystal, and dot details. I stitched most of this while watching episodes of Shark Tank on Hulu, so I’m sure I will remember it very fondly after it’s shipped off!

See more of the flowers and accessories I made for Wendy and Bill’s wedding here in their Flickr set. Congratulations again, you two!

xo
meg

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“‘Women aren’t funny,’ he said while posting his 248th rage comic as Family Guy plays in the background.” That’s a tweet from Amber E., a.k.a. @rare_basement on Twitter. Amber’s hilariously honest and witty observations touch on everything ranging from working in retail and raising her five-year-old son as a single mother to sex, politics, and feminism, and she’s part of a new wave of funny ladies on twitter commanding legions of followers and shining a light on womens’ less-talked-about experiences and observations. Many aggregate websites have done small features about the female comedians who are rising in Twitter popularity, but my favorite funny women are everyday people–moms and students, retail workers and entrepreneurs–who offer humor and wit inspired by experiences we can all relate to.

I asked Amber–I always want to call her “Rare Basement” in my mind still–if I could interview her for a blog post about her inspiration, background, and how online media has been a platform for her humor and the impact it’s had, if any. She obliged, and I’m excited to share our conversation as well as some of my favorite tweets from @rare_basement and other amazing women who are using Twitter as a platform not only to make us laugh, but to question our assumptions about feminism, gender, and politics.

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Meg: Who are you? What’s your story?

Amber: Okay haha well my name is Amber and I have always lived in southeastern Michigan. I grew up in a more rural area, took off to live with my grandma in a bigger city when I was 16, and have bounced around since then before ending up in the same neighborhood my dad grew up in. I have always loved reading and writing, I focused on fiction for the most part but eventually realized I am incredibly self-centered, and as such only feel comfortable writing about myself. I do not feel comfortable writing A LOT about myself, which is why twitter is a good forum for me as I am weak at constructing a narrative. As a kid I was involved in plays and improv and choir, I have always loved to perform. I never did very well in school. My senior year of high school I became very sick and ended up dropping out. Shortly after, I discovered drugs and had a few good years of partying before a heroin addiction made it necessary to get clean. Shortly after THAT, I found myself pregnant. So now I’m 26 with a five year old son, living with a boyfriend who is not my son’s dad and working whatever I can to support myself. So far that’s just been minimum wage part time retail as I have no real skills or education.

M: But did you always know you were funny? Was that an identity you just kind of came in to, and was it ever hard for you?

A: I never really thought I was funny. I thought everyone around me was funny. In high school I kept a notebook full of things I overheard that made me laugh, kind of a proto-twitter. I tried to figure out what kind of sentence structures were the funniest, what inflections. I found that most people were funniest when they weren’t trying, when they were just expressing their most honest emotion or reaction in a very simple way. “Jokes” weren’t my thing, I was just kind of obsessed with the way people spoke. I worked on emulating that, on eliminating self-consciousness to allow my actual dumb thoughts and ideas to come out in a way that would make myself laugh. When that doesn’t work I pay attention to the self-consciousness itself and express that. It was basically just an exercise to learn to like myself more, to put myself out there in a way where it was impossible to use my words to hurt me because I already knew how stupid they were, and I owned it.

I grew up with a great fear of sounding stupid, a fear that life was one big joke everyone was in on but me. I put myself out there to say “Hey I am a fucking idiot is anyone else a fucking idiot too” and found people to connect with. It’s an experiment in honesty and has the side effect of making people laugh, maybe because honesty is inherently funny? I don’t know. I feel pretty pretentious right now trying to explain this. The closest I’ve come to concisely stating what I mean is when I tweeted, “How To Be Funny: 1. think a dumb thing 2. say it”

M: So then how long have you had an online presence? Basically, how did you become an internet lover?

A: I’ve been online since I was 12 all over the place. I liked the internet when I was younger because it was easier to make friends with whom I had things in common since I was in a small town and no one really liked me. Plus, the internet made me laugh.

M: What are you doing right now? What’s on your plate for today?

A: Well, right now I am at my mom’s house on the computer while my son plays with her. I took him to get his shots and then to the doctor because he has a rash. Later I will go home, put him to bed, and sit on the couch until my boyfriend comes home. We will watch a couple episodes of 3rd Rock From The Sun and go to bed. EXCITING STUFF!!

M: Is your son funny?

A: My son is the funniest person I know. EVERYTHING he says is honest and unfiltered, even his lies (they’re so blatant!). It’s really amazing watching a person try to understand the world for the first time. I’m really in awe. I don’t think my twitter would be as popular without him. He is much funnier than I am, all I do is notice him.

M: So every humor writer has a favorite tweet or joke they’ve done or whatever…what’s yours?

A: This is a hard question because jokes are the hardest thing to write! I dont know, I’m just gonna go with my first instinct on this one.:

sext: i am archaeologist and u are fossil. i dig in sand and slowly reveal ur Giant Bone! i gasp and say “i’ll call u… Tyrannosaurus SEX”

M: That one is one of my favorites too–I know I favorited it. You don’t have a computer, right? I’ve seen you say that you just tweet with your phone.

A: No, I don’t have a computer because I can’t afford the internet. I tweeted through text until I received a smart phone for Christmas, which was a wonderful surprise. It sucks because I can’t do things like watch tv online or play games or write (I would really love to write) but on the other hand thanks to twitter I would probably never do that stuff anyway. I do whatever takes the least amount of effort to pass the time, and right now that’s twitter.

M: Who are your influences in humor writing and comedy?

A: Okay I need to preface this by saying that anyone who follows me probably know about my cultlike devotion to Community. It is my favorite tv show, hands down. But considering how new it is still, I can’t say it has SHAPED my sense of humor at all. As a child I think I was influenced by stuff like The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Cartoon Planet/Space Ghost, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and Far Side comics. As I got older I was mostly influenced by my friends, who I still think are the funniest people in the world. I like people who live to make themselves laugh, it gives me a lot of joy to see that. I like slightly-older sitcoms like 3rd Rock From The Sun and Newsradio that employ broad physical comedy with weird jokes and character-specific interactions. I don’t have a preference between highbrow and lowbrow. I’m really easily amused. I like puns. I like to see people get hurt, and I like it when people swear. Being insulted usually makes me laugh, especially if it’s creative. I was once told I “look like an overly cheerful cancer patient in a midgrade human hair wig” and laughed my ass off because DAMN sick burn and to be honest, they weren’t wrong!!

M: If you weren’t living your dream in retail, what would be your ideal job? Where do you want to go?

A: Oh god I don’t really have a clue. Retail is exhausting but I can’t think of anything else that would be any less exhausting. I don’t think I’d want to get paid to write because I don’t know how to write and I would have panic attacks until deadlines and then disappear from. I guess my ideal job would be winning the lottery and sitting on my ass all day, watching tv. I’m really lazy. I will do what’s necessary to survive but if work wasn’t, I wouldn’t do any. I would like to go to college someday, maybe to learn how to write, but I’m not sure student loan debt is something I would be able to deal with in the future. I’m poor enough with now with NO debt.

M: I would LOVE to see you working as a humor writer or maybe penning a column. One of the things that I think your fans love so much about you is that you’re equally good at super lowbrow butt-fart humor, but you’re also really good at bringing larger issues like politics, gender, and classism into your jokes. Talk about that…do you get generally positive responses from people?

A: Yeah the responses are generally positive because I think most people follow people who agree with them. I just post what I’m interested in and if people like that they can read it and if not, okay then. I’m not for everyone; no one is. I’ve gotten flak from conservatives for being pro-choice but it doesn’t happen often because most of them have no interest in reading what someone like me has to say. By far the thing that’s got me the most hate is making fun of Ron Paul but for the most part it’s a very funny kind of hate. “LIBERTY IS ALIVE, BITCH!” and stuff like that. The nastiest replies tend to be about really insignificant stuff like working in a record store, or admitting I recently had sex. It’s always unexpected when stuff like that happens. But in general the people I talk to have become good friends. I really truly love the friends I’ve made, and I’m very lucky that they allow me into their lives.

M: What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you because of your twitter account? I bet you get some weird followers.

A: I know this isn’t what you meant, but the strangest most surreal thing is being followed by and making friends with people I have been fans of for years. It’s terrifying and exciting and maybe my favorite part of twitter.

M: What five words best describe you?

“Demystifying the vagina through comedy?” “Dumb jerk never shuts up?” Maybe “Doesnt want to be lonely.”

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Amber is one of the funniest people I’ve ever “met” online, and forming a little friendship with her through Twitter has been cool. Here are some other women I love following on twitter who not only make me laugh my ass off at their funny observations and 140-character one-liners, but who also use humor to advance the conversation about women, gender roles, and stereotypes in our culture.

What happened to me after following these women for the last six months or so was not just a lot of laughter, but feeling a little bit more okay about my own thoughts about sex, or getting my period, or being asked why I’m a feminist, or running out of clean underwear, or a million other embarassing and “not socially okay to talk about” thoughts I have on a daily basis. I’m sure you have thoughts like that too, and it sounds weird but just reading tweets from women who aren’t afraid to voice those things, who don’t censor themselves, is incredibly refreshing and validating. I love to see women who don’t cut each other down, own up to the insecurities they do have, and be honest about their experiences in a public forum. Life IS funny, and following these women has made mine better.

Follow some funny ladies.
Thanks for the interview, Amber!

xo
meg

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Putting together wardrobe posts is my favorite part of every new season. It’s fun to show you guys what I’m going to wear all summer, but it’s mostly just to help me inventory what I have and how I can put it all together in new ways.

Here are some of my favorite pieces from my closet that I’m adding to my rack of basics (grey t-shirt, black pencil skirt, etc.) to create amazing new looks for the new season:

Tomorrow I’ll clean my closet out and add all this stuff to the rack of clothes in my bedroom! What colors and patterns are you excited to debut in the coming months?
xo
meg

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