In this video, I’m switching it up from my usual UX design career content and trying my first real vlog. I took you with me to Creative South 2022, a three-day creative conference in Columbus, Georgia that brings together designers across a bunch of backgrounds—graphic design, illustration, UX, agency folks, freelancers, and more. I honestly almost didn’t go because I found out late, conferences aren’t cheap, and I didn’t have much info… but I snagged a half-off resold ticket and decided, “sure why not.” Zero regrets. I show the behind-the-scenes of balancing work and life (my meetings ran late, of course), then jumping into the conference energy—checking in, grabbing the swag bag, walking the booths, and sitting in on talks. A big highlight was finally hearing Chris Do in person and getting to meet Matthew Encina too (both are influential to me as an Asian American creative/content creator). I also met Ben, the Head of Creative at Twitter, connected with a super welcoming group from a branding agency in Athens, and had my first-ever “YouTube fan encounter,” which was honestly weird (in a good way) and exciting. My biggest takeaway: I’ve been craving community like this for a long time. The Southern hospitality was real, the speakers were actually “among the people,” and events like this genuinely recharge my creative motivation. I’m definitely going again—and next time, I’m planning ahead for workshops.