The First Beckley Dinner | This Year is Your Year

The very first Beckley Dinner — a stepping stone in bringing more people into the community of sharing what it means to be authentic, passionate, and driven. On May 30, 2019 we gathered around one large table and, to put it simply, embraced every moment.

“This Year is Your Year” was the theme of the evening. It’s a response to something my soccer coach once said to me, “Next year is your year,” which was also the worst piece of advice I’ve ever been given. As people gathered and guests dove deeper and deeper into thoughtful and refreshing conversation, dusk settled in, and dinner was served. White lights twinkled and candles flickered. Peaceful music carried us through the evening as the wine flowed, and soon we were well into the evening feeling as though we were catching up with old friends.

Joined by a simple love of life, connecting with people, and using our gifts to navigate our place in the world, this was simply a calming and truly rejuvenating evening. A feeling of wholeness has made this a challenging post to write. Nothing will be the same as being there, happy, and with a healthy dose of sweat across my forehead from choosing at the last minute to wear a wide-brim hat to the event, but just happy. Simply happy.

For those who were there, thank you. You made the evening special. Without any fluffy language or hyperbole, I mean exactly that. You made the evening special. Your choice to attend, your willingness to share, your openness to meet and embrace new people. Thank you. And I am also very thankful to Taylor who hosted us in her beautiful home that was an integral part of our vision. Elizabeth, my right hand at Beckley deserves such a giant thank you. She prepared and cooked the meal and was with me through every step of planning this inaugural dinner. Marshall, who arrived early to help with literally anything and was certainly put to work, and who captured the evening so beautifully through his own lens. And my husband Andrew, who stepped in and helped with everything else I could have possibly needed throughout the night — all the little things that keep the party running smoothly that you, hopefully, don’t notice. Thanks babe.

xo, Becca

P.S. Stay tuned for upcoming events. When we say “First” we mean “First of many”!

Flea Style Summit Fostering Community

PHOTOS AND POST BY ELIZABETH KERIN FOR BECKLEY & CO. 

Fleastyle’s Graphic Designer and Branding Director Kristy Goode explained how with self-promotional tools like Instagram as the primary branding tool for makers, a central conversation at the Summit was how to distinguish oneself from the competition.

Goode pondered “How do you reinvent the wheel? And how do you give yourself a new edge?”

These questions present some of the central challenges for creatives on Instagram. 

With a medley of brightly-patterned fabrics draped from the rafters of the space and happily flea-marketed mélange of curated sitting areas speckling the floorplan, the conference checked all the expected boxes of an event catered to Instagrammers – with the presence of one unexpected trait: an underlying dedication to face-to-face authenticity unachievable on any social media platform. 

One of the panelists, Taylor Madison, the Dallas-based founder and creative director of a travel and lifestyle blog called The Simple Sol, has attended several creative conferences, but remarked that the Summit’s unique energy set it apart.

“There’s no competition here, it’s all one collective. We’re all bringing each other up and elevating each other. And nobody feels threatened. And it’s exciting.” 

Another panelist participant, Lauren Essl, a prominent hand-letterer of Instagram, explained how the conference puts the self-promotional spirit that Instagram cultivates into perspective. 

“It’s not about creative competition, it’s about fostering a community thinking about it that way.” 

February 11 marks Fleastyle’s upcoming Dallas convention, next in a long line of Fleastyle Summits.

Cobb spoke of her aspirations to see Summit reach creative audiences nationally. 

Community is something Dallas-based creative entrepreneurs don’t wait around for. They do to what they do best. 

They make it.

Members of the Dallas creative community convened forFleastyle’s inaugural Summit, a grassroots creative-minded convention, Saturday, July 30, at Gilley’s Dallas for a day of educating, crafting, networking and inspiration. 

Fleastyle, founded in 2009 by Dallas’ Brittany Cobb, encourages makers of handmade wares and authentic small businesses through hosting flea-market-inspired shows.

Cobb’s vision for Fleastyle culminates with the Summit, a unique opportunity for attendees to meet likeminded people in their relative artistic circles.

Aspiring artists, businesswomen and entrepreneurs drew to the Summit as a source of inspiration and reassurance. 

The convention served as a space to share their experiences of the joys and struggles of building a creative livelihood.

“Whether it’s a creative company or personal in their own lives, this is just about celebrating creativity and being you and finding your passions,” Cobb shared.

The attendants arrived hungry for what the Fleastyle team had prepared: an eight-hour conference, featuring scheduled panels, speakers, workshops and socializing.

The 150 registered attendees to the sold-out conference, the first of its kind, represented a myriad of ages, interests, aspirations and backgrounds. But, they all craved a fresh start.

Aspiring creatives often encounter their competition constantly, in plain view on websites and social media platforms like Instagram.

“We just have keep to keep doing what we’re doing and help small businesses – that’s what we’re all about.” 

Darling Dinner x Lou & Grey

Hosted by Darling Magazine + Lou & Grey, Darling Dinners are curated to foster conversation and community

Darling's mission statement inspires integrity, sophistication, authenticity, and creativity; ideals BECKLEY & Co. stands behind and strives for daily

We loved photographing this night at Americano and enjoying what felt like an Italian family feast with both wine and conversation flowing freely

florals and event design by Chelsea M Carter

URBAN BAZAAR ON BISHOP

Last Saturday, local vendors lined Bishop for Little D Markets' Urban Bazaar. From handmade jewelry to painted pet portraits, there was something for every shopper at any age. We enjoyed meeting each merchant and learning a little bit more about their craft. Bringing the community together to support local business in shopping local, Little D Markets put on a great event, and we are excited for what's next!

feel free to repost any photos with credit to BECKLEY & CO. linking to our website and/or Facebook page

GEODE WORKSHOP // THREE TWELVE CO. x PAPER & POSIES

Coffee, exercise, work sleep. Coffee, work, laugh, work, drinks, sleep. Coffee, work, drive, work, drive, work, work, sleep. 

I have never felt such a sense of urgency or excitement to work hard and keep making the BECKLEY dream a reality. A combination of over-caffeination and over-stimulation though, makes it hard to sit back and realize has what already come to fruition. I am in a constant state of looking ahead at the next thing, which is by no means detrimental, but focusing more attention on the here and now does not come as easily to me. 

On Saturday, gathered around a large wooden table with flowers, watercolors, and rosé, it became much easier to sit back and enjoy the moment. Hosted by Three Twelve Co. featuring Jenna from Paper & Posies, the women learned how to paint whimsical geodes using a few different techniques. Local Moto + Provisions offered the perfect space with natural light pouring in (...AND - everyone's favorite by the end of the day - a bold cactus just outside offering the perfect photo backdrop for guests and their finished paintings)

Coffee . . . chat . . . listen . . . learn . . . paint . . . rosé . . . chat . . . listen . . .

This is the pattern of life I need to employ more often. A magical day, as any other created by Lauren of Three Twelve Co. - creating and learning with other beautiful and interesting women, what more could anyone ask for in life? 

Our reflection for the week: How do we balance looking forward and planning ahead with taking time to sit back and enjoy what is around us? If you manage to find even a glimmer of this in your life, post about it with #BECKLEYblog - we would love to see where the week takes you!

photos may be purchased to download and print here