presentation report, snag installment #1

time to start writing about all that happened at SNAG... i think the best place to start is my presentation. after a few intense weeks of preparation and some serious self-doubt (including a desperate phone call to my mom), i put my very first power point to bed the night before the seminar. (come on, how much fine-tuning can one really do?) i felt good about the content and visuals and had practiced many, many times. i had to stop, but not before another run-through with my friend and fellow presenter, marthe le van. we practiced one final time at about 11:30pm as we lounged in our matching twin beds in what we now refer to as "mansion camp." (we stayed at an extravagantly decorated brownstone in downtown savannah.) the next morning we made our way to the conference hotel, stopping at the fantastic SCAD shop for some very helpful retail therapy. (i was so nervous at this point!) i bought a ridiculously good fabric brooch made by kristen hlis. (this name might be a little wrong...i'm taking it from my receipt.) for the next 4 hours we dealt with all the technical stuff, which wasn't easy - there were a lot of issues. finally, after transferring our presentations to one laptop, the seminar started at 2. i spoke at 4:30. by that time, i had calmed down quite a bit and i have to say, i am pleased with the way it went. my talk had 4 sections, starting with my background. then i outlined indie shops and galleries, indie craft shows, and trunk shows. i defined each topic, discussed pros and cons, and mentioned my personal experiences. i really hope the attendees (all 200+) got something out of it.

now about this public speaking thing, i think it's always good to make oneself do difficult things, like public speaking. (it builds character, no?) like i said, i wouldn't do anything differently, but over the next few days i paid extra attention to the other presenters. they are much farther along in their careers and have more experience presenting. i listened to how they opened and concluded their talks, noted their transitions, and the overall structure. i even took some notes which i'll just file away for future reference. eventually, i would like to make my presentation public. it might be a good resource for many emerging jewelers and other artists.

p.s. marthe le van is an editor at lark books. they publish wonderful art and craft books including my favorites in the 500 series, like 500 brooches.

thanks for reading.