Last year I was thrilled to be asked to be a part of the QuiltCon crew. Most of the crew (like me) are volunteers, sort of like Super Volunteers (which are volunteers who take on 16 or more hours at any QuiltCon) but on steroids: the crew officially starts with a meeting the Monday before QuiltCon and typical hours are 6:30am – 9:30pm through the Monday after QuiltCon. Oh, and for the record, volunteers at QuiltCon are amazing and we couldn’t do it without the help, so thank you to everyone who has and does volunteer! All the heart eyes!!!
One afternoon in Savannah last year, someone stopped by the registration desk (where I was working) at a quiet moment and caught my attention to let me know that “you look nothing like you do online.” And you know what? I am pretty sure she was correct.
Above are various images I have used as my social media “headshot” over the years. When I’m going to take a selfie or have my photo taken, I brush my hair. I try to have the photo taken from a nice angle. I throw away the photos where I look goofy, and I’m a pretty goofy person.
And let’s be perfectly honest, after several days of working ~16 hour days, I’m not going to be looking like my social media “best”. But I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a smile on my face or listening intently, or doing my best in that moment to make sure that I am doing what I can to help people have the experience they want at QuiltCon.
I actually tried to keep this in mind over the past year. As soon as I started wearing glasses, I updated my photograph to reflect that. And I was really uncomfortable using the photo from my Fresh Quilting taping episode because I never, ever wear makeup (I only own lip gloss).
Yvonne @Quilting Jetgirl February 2018
This year, I’ll be co-running the workshops in Pasadena for QuiltCon. The workshops are in a separate building from the two that hold the quilts and vendors, so if you happen to be in the workshop area and see a frizzy haired, glasses wearing woman running around, it might be me (see above). My eyes might be bloodshot, I might have food between my teeth, my feet are probably going to be sore, and I will most certainly have armpit stains on my Crew T-Shirt… but I’m going to be having a blast, and I hope you will, too.
Social media isn’t real life. Real life is much better. I look forward to connecting with many of you over the next week, even if it is just a fleeting greeting.
Oh dear, I am hoping that she didn’t mean it unkindly! Most of us who are appearing in pictures take the time to make ourselves up to look our best! After all those hours of volunteering, no one should be expected to look like their best pictures. Your large heart in giving of your time and enthusiasm is what shines through Yvonne!
And I’m sure you responded to her comment with your usual grace and gentleness. All of the photos of you look great, Yvonne. It’s your gentle and kind spirit that shines through. Enjoy QuiltCon!
Amen, sister! Have a terrific time!
What fun seeing all of your different looks. Course, we always post our best for our selfies. Luckily, I don’t make personal appearances so I can be the old gal pushing 60 that plays with fabric and posts her thrift shop finds.
I would love to go to QuiltCon one day. Quilting going on 4 years now and I still feel like a novice!
Thanks for all you do to make QC happen!
You are a beautiful woman and a gracious person. Thank you for making QuiltCon a great event. I wish I was going so I could meet you and all of the other wonderful artists I follow.
It’s good to know you’re not pretentious or vain, and are natural and genuine. Brains and talent, kindness and a giving spirit= true beauty in my book. Have a great time at Quiltcon! I hope I run into you.
Oh Yvonne, what a fun post! My favorite picture of you is the last one! Thank you for all the wonderful visual quilty treats you present for your followers and also the thought provoking ones as well.
Every photo is a beaut, your eyes shine through, and show your true spirit. Generous, loving, kind, thoughtful, honest and so talented. The last one, my pick too, truly lovely.
In every one of your photos you look friendly and approachable. And that is beautiful!! We need more of that in this world.
Like you, I don’t wear make up. I used to wear mascara but as my vision got worse I couldn’t see to put it on so I don’t even wear that anymore.
You’re beautiful, and even if you’re tired, I’m sure your smile and spirit will still shine through. I really hope I get to meet you in a week! I didn’t know that much work went into volunteering, but thank you for donating your time and services to make QuiltCon an amazing experience for the rest of us!
I do enjoy reading your blog and this one it the best ever terrific it’s not easy to be comfortable with ones self and image you are my hero
Enjoy the quiltcon !!!
You go (jet) girl!
Great post! We all like to looks our best when a picture is taken, but I’d still prefer to see people as they really are 🙂 For me, that will definitely mean my hair in a ponytail, which is probably starting to look like it’s falling down by the middle of the day, and never make up. I used to wear it in high school, but I gradually gave it up during my first year of university. Then I met my now-husband my second year and he doesn’t like make up at all, so it all worked nicely. I hope you get to enjoy some of the fun of QuiltCon during all of that work. If ever I get to go, I hope to be able to volunteer. It sounds like a great way to get to participate in a different capacity.
Great post! I so much enjoyed meeting you last year when I got to volunteer at registration. Hope to volunteer again in Nashville. Enjoy your time there!
You’re my hero! I can’t wait to hug you, sweat stains, bloodshot eyes, and all! <3
This is a very sweet post Yvonne. Love all of the pictures – have a wonderful time and I hope you wear some sort of FitBit because I suspect you are going to walk a billion and three steps while volunteering!! Looking forward to hearing about the show. Enjoy!
Thank you in advance for all you’ll be putting into QuiltCon next week! Hoping to cross paths with the real you. 😉
A very thought provoking post Yvonne, wether you meant it to be or not. When I look at your pics I see a girl with bright eyes, a clear skin, and a lovely smile, a girl who is comfortable in her own skin. You don’t need make up and don’t try to hide behind it, always smiling, happy in her life. We all try to portray who we want the world to see, readers of my blog don’t know the real me, the unconfident person who gets nervous at events and freezes inside, always trying so hard to fit in. We don’t change with age, not much anyway, not who we are inside, we just get better at putting on a front. I used to wear make up all the time, it’s not called ‘putting your face on’ for nothing, now I have retired from work I have got out of the habit and don’t think about it, unless I have to go somewhere or meet someone, even to my quilt group who have all known me for ten years, except when I couldn’t, when I had my cataracts removed, you know they didn’t even notice? That’s when I realised people do see me, when they look, when they want to, when I mean something to them. Keep doing what you are doing Yvonne, your personality shines through. Have a wonderful time volunteering, it tells a story of who you are, kind, hardworking and giving, the kind of person we need in this world, you rock.
Another great, honest post, Yvonne. I love the sentiment here – and it was fun to see all your photos gathered together. Have a great time at QuiltCon.
Oh goodness, I get told the same thing. For my photo that appears on my blog and other social media, we had just had a family photo taken so I was already wearing makeup (a rarity). ‘Took like 50 selfies to get that one. Wishing you the best at QuiltCon.
This reflection is quite interesting. I don’t have any headshots and have always used casual pictures, but for the Batik Ambassador I had to find something that looked a little more polished. It is hard to know where to be natural and not…and pictures are “flat”…so even the best picture is never an accurate portrayal of who we are. We are more multidimensional than that.
I’ll see you there!!! super volunteering again this year!
Love your honesty and wish I could be there to see you in person, have a great time
What a very nice person you are! I love your point that social media is a starting point, but IRL friends are the best. Fortunately, in the quilting community anyway, IG or other friends often become our real-life friends- lucky us!!
I think we are twins 🙂 Much love from another frizzy haired, no makeup lady – just keep being you!
I think your selfies top my (hideous) selfies any day. I enjoyed this post, with all your photo permutations. I’ll look forward to seeing you in the class building!
Frizzy hair FTW! Coming from a fellow frizzy-haired quilter who doesn’t bother taming it every day. 😉 Have a great time!!
I think you are a very lovely lady! Lovely and Creative??!! Wow!
I’ll tell you same thing I told Kitty… Enjoy, but try to get some rest this year if you can didn’t you get sick last year after quilt con? And I never look my best when the camera comes out that’s why I’m usually on the other side of it! lol glasses? I’ve been wearing them since I was 4 you get used to them pretty quickly
I think you are Fantastic!! I wish I was going to be there. The Volunteers are to the QuiltCon as the legs to the table!! YOU ROCK!! Enjoy
Enjoy all the madness!
Have a great time, Yvonne!!!
HA I am totally with you on the frizzy hair and pit stains. Have fun volunteering! I hope to make it to Quilt Con one day.
Gosh, I hate to miss that! Have fun!
No matter the photo, you can always see the smile in your eyes.
I don’t know Yvonne: I recognized you when I saw you! Have a great time.
I think it is perfectly okay to get “dolled up” before taking photos for posting online. I totally recognized you when I met you in real life. 😉
Have fun! It’s very comon. People also appear more suble in real, I’m sure she didn’t mean it in wrong way 😉
have fun and enjoy Quiltcon. It sounds great. As for your photos, I would recognise you in any of them! Gosh does that sound stalkerish? I don’t mean it to!
I actually had an accidental encounter with you on the last day of Quiltcon. I was speaking to one of your class volunteers about ideas for a flannel sheet for displaying blocks. And you so graciously told me what you used and gave me one of your cards! Your generous spirit shone through and I so appreciated you taking time during what may have been a break to give me your opinion. And when I saw your card – A-mazing! I was talking to a quilting rock star!
I can’t get this post out of my head, for two reasons. First, I admire your bravery at just putting yourself out there. (I’m too self conscious in photos and/or have spent years hiding to be truly comfortable sharing my image). Two, Some of these pics could be of me. I might have done a double take at one or two. 8)