I’ve heard the phrase “Everything’s bigger in Texas” numerous times this weekend, and the I Heart Faces Conference delivered accordingly–big ideas, big hearts, big inspiration.
Okay, big nasty horse teeth too.
He tried to bite my arm, and I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was only admiring my orange sweater. Yes, sweater as in I got to legitimately wear a perfect fall-hued sweater as temperatures dipped into the low fifties on Saturday and Sunday. It was lovely. I made sure to drop lots of “Hang on, let me grab my sweater” or “Good thing I have this sweater” or just the simple obnoxious “sweater, sweater, sweater, sweater” because I could. I miss sweater weather.
It was inspiring to hear so many women talk about photography and to see how they’ve built their businesses, created their brands and fearlessly chased their dreams.
If you are a photographer and haven’t heard of Sue Bryce, I suggest you check her out. Perhaps begin by watching this or this. Sue delivered the closing keynote speech with her stunning images of women she’s photographed, reminding us how powerful it is for women not only to recognize they are beautiful but to never stop believing or following their dreams.
She also taught us how to pose properly for pictures, and for the rest of the weekend everyone went totally into Vogue mode.
The weekend bonus came, of course, with JR’s face plastered all over the South Fork compound.
And the horses and the chill and the picturesque ranch, its acres just begging to be photographed.
They came, the artists, toting their cameras.
The fabulous and funny Jen Tonetti-Spellman of Jellybean Pics
Amy Locurto and Angie Arthur, founders of I Heart Faces
I spoke Saturday morning–nervous at first, but quickly overcome by the energy in the room and the inspiration we draw from each other and from our journeys.
Photo courtesy of Heather Rodriguez
Photo courtesy of Heather Rodriguez
And my favorite part of the weekend?
The women, the stories. Sitting back and listening, watching women communicate, surveying a room full of people who make efforts to accomplish their dreams every day. Different women, different dreams, different paths but hungry to create beautiful things.
This sort of inspiration always makes me redefine my own goals and tap a little deeper into my potential as a woman, wife, mother, friend, creator and story-teller. And for those of you who I met this weekend, how wonderful it was to hear the ways in which you are doing the same.
Photo courtesy of Heather Rodriguez
Gratuitous butt shot; You’re welcome.
Thank you to everyone at I Heart Faces for the incredible Texas hospitality and for the wonderful opportunity to be a part of this weekend’s events.
I missed my family. So happy to be back.
*****
Linkel Designs Giveaway Winners:
Congratulations to Comment #9, Megan Cook: Oh my – Nella is just precious here and is becoming quite the little lady like her big sis! My oldest daughter, Ella, is about six weeks older than Nella and lately it sends a little pang through my heart to see how quickly she is growing up. Thanks for the Wednesday quickie and sharing as always!
…and Comment #169, K_Fitz: Needed a little pick me up tonight and your blog was perfect. Always encouraging and uplifting… Thank you for sharing so much of yourself and family and oddly, your photos. I’m a very visual person and pictures speak to me. Love seeing how you capture the beauty of your girls.
Ladies, you both won a $50 gift certificate, courtesy of Likel Designs. Please e-mail your contact information to kellehamptonblog@comcast.net with the subject line LINKEL GIVEAWAY WINNER to claim your prize. Congrats!
*****
Welcoming doTerra Essential Oils independent consultant, Jess Litster, as a sponsor this month. We started using essential oils a few weeks ago, and Nella already knows the drill. When I pull the oils off the shelf in the morning, she smiles and runs to the living room where she lies down and throws her feet in the air (we put our On Guard oil on the bottom of her feet). There’s a wealth of information available through Jessica and doTerra about the benefits of essential oils–from immunity protection to stress mangagment–and particularly the quality of doTerra’s oils. Jessica will help you find what oil is best for your family’s needs.
You can contact Jessica and order through her site, or you can e-mail her at jessicalitster22@yahoo.com for more one-on-one guidance and education about specific oils and their benefits.
*****
Gettin’ our fall on now. Giddy up.
Ugh, I live just 2 1/2 hours away and hate I wasn’t able to attend.
WOW- same wavelength sister. Just professed my love of the weekend and you on my Facebook page with a SUPER DUPER IN YOUR FACE close up Heather took. 🙂 xo I’m on such a high from the love and learning this weekend.
I’m so glad you enjoyed Texas. I live in Fort Worth and thoroughly enjoyed the sweater weather this weekend!!!
Dude that looked like a lot of fun. Pumpkins, horses, gowns, women with camera. Love. Want to come to seattle? I promise you can wear a sweater all the time from now till May. Promise!
xo
Melina
BUTT! Oh how I love you. xoxo
Great pics! Can’t wait to see more from the pumpkin patch!!
-Charlene
http://www.becomingthebarrs.com
So glad you felt welcome in Texas. We Texas girls love hospitality! Xoxo
Had mouthful of water, when I got to “sweater, sweater, sweater”, accidentally had a sinus rinse when it shot out my nose. Hilarious. Melanie
I just read your blog, then went to our local newspaper and this article was featuring this young boy with downs, http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/10/07/3021192/fresno-boy-with-down-syndrome.html . It’s an amazing little story. Reminds me of you and your wonderful family.
Haha, horse butt!
Sounds like it was such a great conference. Very inspiring! I used to feel like that after I would go to art education conferences, too — you come back ready to be creative and use the things you learned.
Thought of you yesterday — We spent the afternoon at Wiegand’s – here in MI and had such a fun time at their Harvest Fest. Put a few pics on my blog if you’re interested 🙂 Our daughter had so much fun running through the hay maze and playing with the other kids that were there.
Loved this weekend too! 🙂
Kelle – I would “Sue Bryce” it again with you in a heartbeat. What a great weekend of connecting and growing and tapping into those parts of ourselves that are just begging to be inspired to do more, to be more and to give and accept more. Thanks a million for the part you played in all of that. And yeah, we wear fun sweaters in Boston pretty much year round. Feel free to come on up when the urge strikes! Hugs to you 🙂 Jill
Looks like a beautiful gathering. LI love the energy created when artists gather in community.
Side note: I LOVE your yellow skirt when you spoke. Care to share where you found that treasure? 🙂
Love and light,
CJ
Woo hoo! I made the blog and I didn’t even have to jump in the pool. Which is lucky, considering that I was freezing even while dry. It was so fun to be surrounded by lots of other women doing (and talking about) what they love. It would have been worth it to make the trip even if it was just your talk, it was so moving. And just the reminder I needed to not lose sight of the heart of photography as I improve technically. Last night, though, I was standing at the kitchen counter, 10 minutes after walking in the door, hand washing the containers I needed to pack school lunches for the next day. And I grumbled to my husband, “This weekend Kelle quoted Michelangelo. You know he never had to make school lunches, it might have been why he got to make so much art.”
We’ve finally gotten a break from our 90s in OKC, too. So glad for sweater weather – and that you were able to enjoy it, too.
I love the horses and especially love your red boots!
You were so brave to go to that conference. It would have been much easier and less scary to dream about going but never really do it. Good for you.
We had to make sure we were still practicing our Sue Bryce tips and that picture definitely put them to work! Gorgeous!
This weekend was so wonderful! Your speech was so inspiring and meeting all of these amazing women with so many different stories and dreams made everything so worth it.
I’m sure we’ll all be going into Vogue mode in lots more pictures in the future. Thanks for being so great and talking with us all morning. You really are such an inspiration to all of us!
Kelle…it was so nice to get to know you this weekend. I was so impressed by how you went around to every single session and mingled with all the I Heart Faces attendees. You’re are such a sweet person and beautiful inside and out. Thank you for sharing your story with us!
You are such a special person! It was such a pleasure getting to know you. I hope to see you again sometime soon! Thanks for traveling to Texas! We Heart YOU! 🙂
Loved reading this. I really wanted to attend and hope to be able to make it next year!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving 🙂
I am so glad you could go! I knew everyone would love you. How could anyone NOT love you? : ) I laughed out loud about you throwing the word sweater into every sentence. You are so funny!
Awesome weekend with awesome ladies! Thank you for sharing your story! Among many other things, I am inspired to make it a priority to take “photos of beautiful things.” Oh, and…Sweater!
Sounds like such a beautiful, refreshing and fantastic weekend! Woo! Go ladies!
I love that you had the chance to meed Sue Bryce. She sounds like a very lovely woman. A girlfriend of mine has breast and bone cancer. Sue took her to Paris a few weeks ago to take pictures of her. It warms my heart to know that there are such wonderful woman out there that want to share the good.
i was rooting for you…feeling your nerves. i knew you would blow it out of the park. there was no doubt. these pics are awesome of course…crisp…perfect.
Sounds like a wonderful time! Checked out your links to Sue Bryce. Wow! She is amazing! Love her work!
And yes, always wonderful to get back home to our families when we are away. Thanks for sharing!
I’d never heard of Sue Bryce before. I want to know her tips for posing for sure….
Looks like an amazing weekend. Me instead of sweaters I’ve craving linen dresses, long stripy bamboo dresses and some warm weather to wear them!
Wow. I was going to leave a comment after visiting Sue Bryce’s site and seeing the ‘before & afters’ but then I watched the videos you linked and I sat here feeling exhilarated and ready to cry tears of joy. What beauty. How inspiring. Thanks for sharing, Kelle. If that’s only a tidbit of what you got at the I Heart Faces conference, then WOW!
Glad you had fun. Now loving the pics of you back home with the girls and the pumpkin patch!
The conference looks like so much fun!
I’m so glad you didn’t pull a “What to Expect” moment during your talk in front of all of those people. Did you see that movie yet?? Hilarious.
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You truly helped take our conference up to the next level with your kindness, generosity and lovely spirit. It was such a pleasure to meet you in person and I’m hoping our paths will cross again one day!
-Angie
http://thearthurclan.com
co-founder of I Heart Faces
Hi Kelle,
I just wanted you to know that I really appreciate you. I read your blog everyday and it makes me happy to “know” you 🙂 Thanks for sharing your life with all of us. Love from Prague, Megan
this has absoulutely nothing to do with this post…just stumbled across your blog and birth story…ug…so many tears for you and for me…but thank you, thank you, thank you for spilling your guts. for sharing the crap and anger and sadness and naked disappointment…the stuff that completely levels us, blows away our happy and forces us to change our whole being. and then…blesses us to overflowing. thank you.
You were 5 minutes from my house. I found out about the conference too late and it was sold out 🙁 Hoping for another opportunity so I can attend. Glad you had fun!!
Kelle, it was such an amazing experience to meet you and get to know you, to discover that you are an even lovlier a person than I was expecting!
I loved Bloom, and have followed your blog ever since. I absolutely love the pix of Nella sitting on the book shelf…so cute!
I saw this video and just thought I’d share:
http://www.oprah.com/omagazine/Martha-Beck-Seminar-from-O-Magazines-10th-Anniversary-Video
Oh, Kelle, I think I just adore you. Haha! I loved that we were able to to laugh and tell stories together this weekend. It was an amazing thing for me to meet you, who have inspired me toward the best in life with the circumstances given to me. You are even lovelier and kinder (and, um, funnier!) than I even imagined! Oh, and I don’t know if I mentioned that your keynote speech reminded me why I fell in love with photography and has inspired me to capture again the things that I love!
Anyway, thankful for you, friend. So glad you had an amazing weekend, too!
oh how I miss Texas…although I am a hop, skip, & jump away..I miss the daily life…you know, the traffic, the people, the diversity, the great food that can satisfy the wildest cravings, the football, shopping…oh, how I miss Texas. Glad your trip was a safe one, and I bet your girls are happy you’re home!! 🙂
Why, Thank You…We Texas Women love you too …
glad you enjoyed your stay in our great State!!!
blessings to you and your family!
Love Different women, different dreams, different paths but hungry to create beautiful things. xo
I wrote a blog post about my experience this last weekend at the I Heart Faces conference in Dallas. I was so inspired by you talk and am forever change. Thank you so much, you are such a inspiration!
Jennifer Polson
http://www.jenniferpolson.com/?p=321
I love seeing you in all of these photos! Oh, how I want to finally learn how to use my camera. You are always so inspiring. Thank you.
Steph
So funny, your being pissed at Brett. And TEXAS?! LOVE it. LIved there for 6 yrs on and off, various times, in SAN ANTONIO. The people there are the best!! love from your Blog Mama
looks like a lot of fun..I love hearing how others use essential oils, going to check out that website now…
I enjoyed hearing you speak and I especially appreciated your candidness! Thanks for coming to the workshop and being an inspiration!
Kelle, totally love you and your super precious family! I enjoy reading your blog, and get excited for each new post! You inspire me to be a better person each day:). Wondering if you will come to Atlanta for book signings or anything!!?? Would LOVE it!!
-Lori Beth Adams
I got the biggest grin when I was catching up on your blog tonight and saw you with my friend (Jennifer Tonetti-Spellman)! I OF COURSE touched base with her stat and she said that you are as lovely in person which made me smile since she knows I adore you. Next time you’re in NYC, I’d love to meet you, do a girls night (with Jenn too), have you stay with us if you need a place…anything. Hope you’re feeling great.