Be authentic.
It’s a lesson I feel we, as bloggers, hear over and over again, but what does it really mean? It’s something we talked a lot about during Food Blog Forum Orlando last weekend, and rightly so. As bloggers, authenticity is the key to not only success, but also to continued passion, because, in all honesty, if you don’t love what you do then there is no point in doing it.
To me, being authentic is about being yourself, not trying to be someone else. Not trying to change who you are to fit some predefined ‘ideal’ of who you think you should be. Not comparing yourself with others. There is a big difference between inspiration and imitation.
Being authentic is about cooking and sharing the recipes we actually eat. I don’t post recipes because I think they’ll be “popular” or go viral on pinterest. I don’t care if a recipe caters to the latest dietary fads. I post because I genuinely love cooking and eating and sharing those recipes with you.
It’s about the people you meet along the way.
The wonderful, caring people so open and willing to share what they know. The people who don’t look at you like you’re crazy because you’re taking two thousand pictures of your breakfast (because, in fact, they’re doing the same thing). The people who get you and understand what inspires you.
It’s about being inspired by the everyday. The little moments. The seemingly ordinary moments. The moments that ultimately make our lives worth living.
It’s about the food. Duh?
It’s about the cupcakes. Oh, it’s always about the cupcakes.
And sometimes it’s about the swag too. Because you can never have too many spatulas.
It’s about the magic. Honest to goodness Disney magic.
Taylor got a particularly healthy dose of it.
And lastly, it’s about giving credit where credit is due.
This event could not have happened without the amazing Walt Disney World Resort team: Pam, Karen, Marisa, Joyce, and Jennifer, who rolled out the mickey-printed carpet for us everywhere we went.
To KitchenAid, OXO, and the Florida Dairy Farmers for their support and generosity and killer prizes. To GIR and their life-changing spatulas. To Whole Foods Market Orlando for hosting our attendees and their families for a delicious brunch.
To the rest of the FBF team, Todd & Diane, Scott & Jaden, and most of all, to Julie, without whom this event would have never happened.
She’s the best, isn’t she? :)
Lovely photos and recap! Reading the reviews about this conference makes me want to go next year so bad! Oh and I agree with you, it’s about the people…. and the cupcakes lol!
great recap! It was so great seeing you! See you THIS WEEK in Austin–ahh!
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Such a pleasant reminder :)
Ok, I am not missing this next year! I loved following all of the photos everyone was posting!
Can’t go wrong with an excuse to go to Disney World :-) Hopefully I can go next year.
I couldn’t agree with you more. Thanks so much for this post and the motivation. I love following you for your wonderful recipes! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so so much for all of your work! You are a sweetheart :)
What a fantastic inspiring recap! You all did a wonderful job coordinating FBFORL. As my it was my 1st blog conference all other conferences will have to live up to this one. Thanks for all your hard work!
All true about “authenticity” and it is great to be reminded of what that means to each of us. It is hard not to get caught up in the latest “thing”…to just do what you love and not worry about what others are doing. Looks like you guys had lots of fun down in Orlando.
what a great post..authentic…that is the key and reminder…thanks for sharing.
First of all, yes. Such an important piece of advice. Sometimes it is hard to remember, but the best blogs are the honest/authentic/genuine ones. Like people, I suppose :)
Secondly, I LOVE THOSE FLOWERS! Beautiful!
And finally, what an awesome experience! I have yet had the opportunity to do something like that, but I hope someday I will.
Super great advice Lindsay!!! Gorgeous photos and great recap. Hope to meet you in person at an upcoming conference ;)
Great Recap! You all did such a fabulous job on this conference and I had a blast! Thanks for all of your hard work!
Love the recap! So true about being yourself and staying true to yourself and why we created a blog in the first place.
Lovely recap Lindsay! I wish we had more time there to chat not only together but as a larger group. It flew by SO fast. Can’t wait to do it all again.
I love your recap Lindsay! You captured the essence of the weekend so well. Again- getting to chat with you was a highlight of my weekend for sure- hope to see you soon! :)
Wow, this was such an awesome post. I loved reading it, I only wish I could have been there. Hopefully next year! I think originality and loving food and loving blogging is key! I love my blog to death! Such a beautiful post and that last photo of you Julia is so cute!
I love this post. Seriously so true about just cooking what you want and not even caring whether or not it goes viral or not. It’s just the passion behind it. Loved seeing you briefly – see you again soon!
I had so much fun this year (again!) Thanks so much for all that you did. I’ll see you at BHF in a few weeks!
What a great recap with fabulous pics, Lindsay! Thanks for sharing. xo
Great pictures!
So sad I missed it this year. Loved seeing your photos. The last picture of you and Julie is especially heartwarming.
Wonderful post! It’s so true and it’s always great to hear from bloggers I look up to. I started mine a year ago and reading all this great stuff about the FBF, I definitely want to make sure I make it next year!!
Aw, looks like you all had so much fun! Great recap!
ooohhh I wish I could have been there… why do I live in Europe? :P any chance we can get there here, too? There is a Disney land in Paris as well :D (is the girl writing wearing her mickey and minnie mouse t-shirt :P)
Great post, I love it. I can see that you guys had so much fun. Maybe next time I’ll join :)
Beautifully put, Lindsay. It’s the way life should be lived, blogger or not.
Very true words Lindsay, I loved following fbf on everyones instagram and it looked like a blast. Julie is the best but I think there should be a tiara for both of you ;) One day I’ll get to meet you guys!
Lindsay what an awesome post and thanks for sharing. Whenever I read about blogging events & conferences on people’s sites, I always wish I was there or had gone. But after reading yours, that sentiment could not be more true – what a fabulous event. I love the last pic of you and Julie and thanks for sharing all these other awesome pics!
Lindsay, you couldn’t have said it better. Great wrap-up! Yes, Julie is the best & the entire team involved in the FBF year after year are the best, the attendees are the best & the food is always the best of the best! Thanks for the high quality and the attention to details. You guys (all of you) rock!!!
Yay! Such a good post. I had such a good time at Food Blog Forum, and am already excited about next year. :)