Notes from the Other Festival: Where Empowered Women Empower Women

I spent this past weekend at the Other Festival, a two-day event of panels, talks, workshops, masterclasses, and shopping with some of the coolest, most accomplished, and truly generous women who are kicking serious ass.

Here’s what it’s all about from the Other Festival website:

“Gloria Steinem once said: “It’s not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It’s about baking a new pie.”

“The Other Festival showcases the makers and creators of this generation, the women who are redefining how to do business, setting their own rules, putting new systems in place, pushing their own agendas.  Inventors, storytellers, founders, artists who can’t be boxed in.

“The Other is what makes you different, stand out, mold breaking, unlike everyone else. It’s about loving what’s distinctive and unique about you. It’s about refusing to conform to society’s expectations.

“Why would you want to be like everyone else?

“What does that new pie look like to you?

“Embrace other.

“Embrace you.”

While I was there, embracing it all, I took a ton of notes. The inspiration, the quotations, the ideas were coming at me a mile a minute and I realized that basically every other thought I had could be a blog post of its own. But as much I’d love to expand on every inspiring soundbite, I don’t have the time to do that. I also realize that if I didn’t do something with my notes, it would be a lost opportunity. So I’ve done my best to compile some of them here! And while it’s not as good as being there, I hope it inspires you a fraction as much as it inspired me:

 

“Create Innovate: Innovative Marketing on a Budget”

Danielle Snyder, Dannijo

• The best marketing is going after what you’re excited about.
• Our brand is successful because our customers feel like they’re part of a sisterhood.
• The second you realize that social media is a game and you don’t take it too seriously, the more fun you can have with it.
• Treat your customers like they’re friends. Be someone that people want in their orbit.

Jenne Lombardo, MADE Fashion Week and The Terminal Presents

• Where is there whitespace or a void? Ask yourself how you’re going to fill it.
• If you have made people feel, you’ve marketed successfully. And you don’t need money to make people feel. This is the new definition of marketing.

Danielle DuBoise, Sakara Life

• Don’t be afraid to start with just one client
• We wanted to make being healthy sexy. We seduce you into taking care of yourself.
• Your job isn’t to find your passion, it’s to find your mission.
• Things feel more real if the imperfections are part of the lifestyle.

Misha Nonoo

• It’s all about your niche—be laser-focused.

 

Norma Kamali: “Change is Inevitable”

• I write down one idea every day. If you only have one idea and something goes wrong, you’re screwed. If you have 1,000 ideas, you’ll always have something to fall back on.
• Reinvention is the key to staying alive.
• We can give women the gift of empowerment. That’s powerful.
• When women are empowered, they’re invincible.
• Reinvention doesn’t always have come at you or be a reaction, you can decide.
• How do you stay relevant? How does your brand authenticity stay in tact for the long-term?
• If something devastating happens, give yourself a very short time to sit in the negative. Take yourself out of it. Look at it like its a movie. Remove emotions and list the facts. Then make a list of good things that may happen now.
• Sometimes you have to turn away business (if it’s the wrong business), to stay in business.

 

“Pink Sky Ideas: Designing Your Brand’s Why”

Lisa Sun, Project Gravitas

• Find the “Dumbo’s flying feather” for you: What do you have that helps you love yourself and feel confident every day?
• My favorite luxury brand is American Girl. It’s a $108 doll. It’s the most expensive chunk of made-in-China plastic you’ll ever buy and it’ll become a part of your life.

Kara Weber, Brilliant Ventures

• Your brand visuals should come from deep thought around your brand’s meaning, value, and customer.
• Always be asking yourself these three questions:
  • Why does my customer need anything?
  • Why do they need mine?
  • Why do they need it right now?

Sarah Pierson, Margaux

• Everyone’s walking around with a great idea—what’s yours?
• Never get comfortable—you’ll fall behind if you don’t pay attention and change.

 

Jenna Lyons and Laura Brown: “TELLING YOUR BRAND STORY: POSITION YOURSELF FOR SUCCESS”

• There are infinite ways to express yourself now with social media.
• As long as you’re yourself in all these places, your brand will come through.
• Do your job and express what you love; that will propel you.
• Think of it this way: Instagram is the magazine of your life.
• Mix life with work and be real—we can smell the bullshit.
• You have to have a voice, a distinctive voice. It’s that authentic voice that propels things.
• Show up. If you’re an intern, get the lunch. Get in touch and interacting with people. Communicate personally if you can.

• Don’t worry about “being a brand.” Worry about being interested and curious in botany, art, cool jewelry, whatever. But be a person, have interests.
• There’s a point of vulnerability and real-ness that people are looking for and I’m not ready to be that, which is why I’m not on Instagram.
• Curation has become a way to wade through everything that’s out there. If you can curate well, people will respond to that.
• You have to have integrity and be true or you lose trust (it can’t just be about marketing).
• Be yourself, amplify what’s unique about you; whatever you’re obsessed with, amplify it.
• Don’t be like everybody else.
• Life is not about getting the [Instagram] picture, it’s about making connections and having the personal connection.
• Whatever you do, write a hand-written thank you note. It’s meaningful.

 

Stacy London: “WHY ANYTHING GOES IN STYLE”

 

In addition to the talks listed above, I was also able to go to several other panels as well as some mastermind sessions and workshops, which were all chock-full of knowledge and insights. I think maybe you can tell I got a lot our of the Other Festival. So yeah, I know this is a lot, but I hope it mostly makes sense and there are pieces that resonate with you. If you would like context for anything I’ve outlined, feel free to reach out or let me know in the comments.