I’ve been mulling over my thoughts on Alt for a few days now — trying to decide where to begin.

It’s hard to write about insecurities. And for some reason, post-Alt, I seem to be full of them.

The thing is you guys… Alt was so good. It was amazing. I connected with folks I haven’t seen in months, and folks I’ve only ever seen online… not to mention a boatload of incredible, sweet, generous new friends. And all are the kind of people you’d be lucky to meet just a handful of in a lifetime.

I feel incredibly grateful for a week spent with such amazing people, and incredibly inspired by the smart, creative, straight badass speakers I had the honor to listen to and learn from.

I also feel grateful for my sponsor, Lenovo, who made it all happen and even made it possible for me to give a tablet away to the sweetest, most appreciative Instagrammer who made my heart burst with excitement for her when she wrote. I was lucky to have a sponsor, and securing sponsorship for Alt was one of my goals for the year I can now say I’ve achieved.

But if I’m really honest… the truth is that I left Alt feeling a little overwhelmed.

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Hey, so you know what post I’ve had queued up and ready to go for a week, but haven’t gotten around to hitting publish? This one.

I know, I know… right now I’m supposed to be sharing other peoples’ cards, not my own. But I couldn’t leave them off entirely… they’re just too pretty, and Chris at Moxie Press deserves every scrap of credit I can send his way for the drop-dead beautiful job.

Not to mention lovely Moorea (who I finally had the chance to meet in person after all this time online!) for the beautiful logo that looks so great in letterpress.

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If you’re spending a lot of time on the blogs this week and not headed to SLC, you probably feel like punching me right now. I’m sorry… I know. It’s a lot this time of year. It’s a lot for us all…

Outfits, media kits, business cards, blog updates — bloggers think about this stuff all the time, but for some reason when it comes down to crunch time (conference time) suddenly none of it feels like enough.

We want everything to be just that much better… or that much more organized… or just that much more new. (What is it about new clothes that makes them so much better than the rest? Even cheap new clothes from H&M. They win every time.)

So there’s a lot of “new” going on right now — a lot of organizing, a lot of perfecting. Or at least trying to perfect. And on one hand it’s totally overwhelming… but on another, and I think this is why we all have so much love and admiration for events like this, it’s also really inspiring.

There are a lot of really really talented creatives out there. And this is one time when you get to see them shine just that much brighter.

Stepping up your game might be a little stressful, but it’s also a blessing. One of many reasons we all look forward to conferences like this — whether we’re on the outside or in — is because they light a fire under our ass. They inspire us to do more, to create more, to refresh and renew… much like the new year. And what do you know, when it comes to the Alt Summit, the two coincide.

So ya, I’m obsessing. But that’s not always such a bad thing to do. We all do this thing called blogging because it’s what we love. The pressure to do more just reminds us of how much.

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Eye tons and tons of fantastic advice and information, including this outfit planner from Design Crush, to help you prepare.

Buy a pretty green dress for Thursday night’s green party.

Make some great business cards to show off to new friends.

Bake some tasty treats for the 4am trip to the airport.

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You should also make both of these beautiful scrubs — speaking of talented creatives.

This is BRILLIANT.

Amazing backstage Polaroids from the Golden Globes.

Kelly Oxford’s office.

These baked eggs look amazing.

In case you need a little extra encouragement from your desktop.