CreativeLIVE : Behind The Scenes

The alarm screamed at 4:30 a.m. and I was awake before it began. Nerves were flying through my veins like fire ants. With a vengeance. The ants and I sat in front of my computer and the glow of the screen made droopy shadows on the wall. I reviewed my notes, took deep breaths, and stretched in the darkness. JD and I prepared for the day, said a prayer, and darted out the door at 8 a.m. sharp so I could show up five minutes late for the breakfast I planned for the creativeLIVE course attendees…casually late to show just how cool I pretend to be. Yes, I plan my casual lateness.

We showed up at Emerald's Cafe and found the table empty. So much for being cool. Five minutes later, I told JD we'd been stood up and I was thoroughly embarrassed. I felt like I was waiting on my porch for my prom date to arrive. Just before I broke out in hives, the front door busted open and seven people–all wearing sunglasses–came in snapping their fingers. They formed a semi-circle, started clapping, and I was handed a bouquet of flowers…it was the funniest thing. Ever!

We spent the morning one-upping each other's jokes and it felt like we'd been friends for 30 years, not 30 minutes. I knew instantly the days were going to fly by and deep alliances created. They were so awesome…it's good thing they taught me how to snap because they allowed me to be part of their clique. I feel so lucky.

With many thanks to JD, he captured a few behind-the-scenes photos from this past weekend…

This is Celeste–our producer–and she pretty much blows my mind. She's incredible at what she does and even if she's stressed, she finds a way to make everyone laugh!

cL is moderated by the ever lovely Kenna and Susan…love them!

Nikko is the editing genius behind cL…he regularly pulls all-nighters and I appreciate his hard work more than I can express!

Here's the group showing off their snaps…clearly I look way too excited. Com'on…it's the CLIQUE…and I was LET IN. Allow me to revel for a moment.
Okay…I'm done….
Ashley Goodwin, Anthony Quesada, Candice Benjamin, Erin Oveis Brant, John Payne, Tim King and Christy Cropper…you rock my world. And make me want to howl at the moon.

This is the only photo of us from the entire weekend. It's definitely not my favorite, but it's better than nothing. I think.

The studio set up…

During breaks and lunch, we spent our time together and talked trash…just like a good ‘ole dysfunctional family! 😉

Celeste and Teurth (and Adam in the background)…and they're the production backbone and overall great people…

I was incredibly honored to have my good friend and photographer extraordinaire Chase Jarvis join me for a bit…I asked him to join me for an interview and his insight was such a great addition. He's such a great guy!

We're missing a few people, but here's a group photo of the crew…people who made my heart melt with all their hard work…I'm so indebted to their kindness and support!

Time for GROUP PHOTOS and I'm going to show you how to make GANG SIGNS!!!!!

Erin: An ex-cheerleader.
Christy: Wants to be at a rock concert.
John: Lives in Colorado. And they don't have gangs in Colorado. They have North Face jackets.
Me: I'm part-gangsta.
Candice: Practices her miming skills.
Ashley: Is a lost member of Oompa Loompas On Ice.
Tim: Is just being Tim.
Anthony: Living his life-long dream of being a CK model.

To my wolf pack…J*Jets…my newest friends…I love you. With all my heart.

To everyone who tuned in and watched online, THANK YOU. The support is so incredibly appreciated and if I could hug everyone who watched and shouted out, I would. Thank you a million times over.

If you're interested in watching a free one-hour sneak peek, feel free to check it out at creativeLIVE.com!