Click Away 2019 | California owes me nothing

I’ve been sitting here for approximately 2 minutes trying to figure out how to begin this blog post. And I have to be honest, I’m kinda at a loss for words.

Click Away 2019 was a truly awesome experience that I’m still trying to absorb. I met a lot of new people and got to meet people who I considered online friends in person. To be honest, people talked about making life-long friends at Click Away before and I never really understood. But after this year… I totally get it.

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Although I taught my own workshop in July 2018, Click Away was my first time teaching as a part of a large conference with so many moving parts.

Moment of transparency, I was nervous. Like… NERVOUS nervous. Like… teeth chattering, but not because I’m cold. I wanted my class to go well and my students to leave feeling inspired + motivated. I was excited to be teaching Confidently Photographing Confident Women, and simultaneously wondering if I was confident enough to pull it off.

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Thank you to Jennifer Skinner for this hilarious photo of me during my first class at Click Away Conference. My bun made the perfect hat rack!

Thank you to Jennifer Skinner for this hilarious photo of me during my first class at Click Away Conference. My bun made the perfect hat rack!

So appreciative that Kelley Raye got this snapshot of me photographing one of my models during my last class of the conference!

So appreciative that Kelley Raye got this snapshot of me photographing one of my models during my last class of the conference!

Spoiler alert: my classes went great! I had 3 classes of wonderful women who were ready to learn, grow, and push themselves out of their comfort zones. Seriously…. I prayed at the very beginning of the conference when the plane landed in California, and God definitely smiled on me throughout the entire weekend.

Not only were my participants awesome, but all of the other instructors were SO kind. I think I was probably as pale as a ghost before my first class, and so many of the other instructors lended me encouraging words and checked on me after my first class concluded to make sure I hadn’t passed out halfway through the session.

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It wasn’t just my own personal experience, though. The atmosphere of the entire space was just joy-filled. It seemed like everyone was smiling, collaborating, networking, and genuinely enjoying each other’s company. Do you know how good it feels to be a part of something like that?

Wait, let’s go a step further.

Do you know how good it feels to have contributed to something like that? It feels damn awesome if I’m completely honest.

I don’t know what else 2019 has in store for me, and I don’t know if anything can top my Click Away experience. But if it’s even half of those 5 days I spent in Dana Point, California… then I’m in for something good.

A few captures of my models for my 3 classes below. Thank you to these beautiful women for posing for my class! You’re all awesome and so appreciated!

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