ATL Ideas — Philippe Lazaro

ATL Ideas! 🍑 What a fun past three days it’s been in Atlanta.

I’m back home now, but I’ve got a mini notebook full of ideas, pockets full of new friends’ contact info, and a heart full of motivation.

Conferences are a vital part of my work: making new connections, being in the places where change is being made, and investing in myself are all important. But with the kiddo on his way, I do have to be a little bit selective. Plywood Presents is consistently a fave.

I’ll be digesting things that happened this week for a good while. Some of my favorite quotes and takeaways are in my stories highlight for ATL Ideas but here are some things that I personally got out of my time in Atlanta:

1️⃣ No matter where you are on your creative journey, you’ll always feel the gap in between where you are and where you want to be. It’s never too early to learn to stop comparing yourself to others and to instead learn from them!

2️⃣ Always look to see who is missing from the picture. Inclusion can’t be a passive act. Whether I’m thinking of podcast guests, books on my nightstand, or friends in my crew, it takes intent.

3️⃣ Community is worth the struggle. This reminder comes from side hang outs in Atlanta just as much as it comes from conference content. Gathering people together isn’t always an easy thing. But it’s so important it’s worth fighting for.

4️⃣ Finding your core message takes digging deep. Joe Bunting threw out the challenge to focus on your core message and Amber Rae led a session that felt a bit like Inside Out meets therapy. All of it seemed to lead to this: the message you must share with the world is often the one you most needed to hear.