Why did I do this?

Now that conference is behind me, I'm down to writing some well-deserved thank you notes and doing some evaluations and follow ups. I find myself mulling over the role of the conference chair and why I did it. Lord knows it was a lot of work. That said, it was completely worth it. When you think about it, you get to design an entire conference. You get to decide (OK with a lot of input from the board and the home office) what the conference will be about. You get to talk to major designers and thinkers. When I got home, I realized I got to dine with Glen Sheehan, drink a beer with Ross MacDonald, spend time with Ellen Lupton and fetch yogurt for Brian Collins. I'm just a lil' ol' designer down here in Clemson, SC. Those things don't usually happen in my world.

So what is my point here, you might be asking. My point is that UCDA can really change your life, if you want. Am I the kind of person who would just call people up and ask them to come speak to us? Not until now. I never dreamed I'd do that sort of thing.

So maybe you didn't like what we had to offer this year or you think you can do better. Or maybe you were totally inspired and want to give it a try. Perhaps you're ready to face new challenges too. Get involved. You can start small, by helping out at the national events. Or you can hold a regional event as well. Those can be anything you think might be of interest to designers in your region. It can even be a hands-on workshop. If you want to learn more, get in touch with a board member. We'd love to hear your ideas.