I kid you not, I felt like I was on a burning plane with no where to run. From the moment I started, I felt like I was off...kinda like comedian starting an HBO Special with a knock-knock joke, but worse. Way worse. As I the started presentation, I heard a cricket chirp somewhere in north Ohio...it was THAT silent in the room. A large group of videographers stared at me and it was then--yes, barely just THEN--that I realized my presentation was going to be difficult.
A few months ago, I was invited to speak at the ReFrame Collective Conference in San Francisco. These amazing conferences are for videographers and cinematographers from around the world to gather and learn from the best in their field. But therein lied the problem...I'm not in their field...the attendees had NO CLUE who I was. To them, I was just a girl who spoke too fast and laughed at her own proverbial knock-knock jokes. When it was time to take a 15-minute break, I peeled myself from the podium and limped to the back of the room where JD greeted me a huge smile. It's okay, he reassured me, you're doing fine.
After a few kind souls approached me during the break and offered encouragement, I approached the podium again with confidence. I apologized if they thought I sucked, but I was merely there to share my experiences with branding and building an online presence...and, truly, I only wanted what was best for their businesses. Then the tides turned. I literally felt the energy in the room morph into a warm, goopy mess of hope and desire...and the innate ability to know one's propensity for success. And for that, I am the luckiest girl. Evah.
Many thanks to the fabulous videographers I met yesterday and I wish you only the best as you follow your dreams and make your passion a reality.
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