What I'm speaking about at Outdoor Media Summit tomorrow

And a sneak peek at my presentation

Hi! Today is the first day of Outdoor Media Summit, a conference for marketing and media minds in the outdoor industry. This will be my first time attending. I was supposed to be there in 2020, but, well, you can probably guess how that ended up. I’m excited to reconnect with friends and make new ones. A few of my editors will be there, and it’s always nice to get time together in person and remember we’re both just humans doing our best. We’re in Missoula, Montana, where I was almost exactly a year ago reporting a story about the women’s technical apparel brand Youer that has yet to be published.

This afternoon we’re getting the lowdown on the most exciting new outdoor gear, and tomorrow is the first day of breakout sessions. I’m speaking on a panel with two other freelancers about how market myself as a freelancer. And surprise! I’m talking about how I use this newsletter to do that. I’ll focus less on making money on Substack and more on how I use it as a tool for self discovery and experimenting. What I write about for Honing Her Craft often turns into a test case for what I pitch to publications that will pay me for my writing. Writing about sewing here, for example, has helped me generate story ideas that have ended up in Trails Magazine, Backpacker, and Field Mag. You could say I use Substack as a freelancer to “build my brand” but really, it’s an extension of my creative work. The Studio Visits series is a good example of that. If it turns into a bigger project, it’s because I had the space to explore it and experiment here.

Are you here at OMS too? If so, drop me a comment because I’d love to see you! Here’s a little sneak peek at my presentation: