The masters program that I just completed has lured me into many things. Blogging, tweeting, an addiction to TED Talks to name a few. This September, it opened my eyes to one more thing: E-Town Festival.

This was the inaugural year of the event and, unbeknownst to me, the intention of the festival was to bring together entrepreneurs and allow them to exchange ideas on a larger scale. I was lucky to attend on a student rate and one look at the list of speakers was all the convincing I needed to go. The event was put together within a six month period and I have to say that they really went above and beyond.

Keynote speakers for the first year of what I hope will continue to be an annual occurrence for a long time to come included Bruce Croxon, David Usher, Chris Hadfield, John Herdman, Guy Kawasaki and Tiffany Shlain. All six of these guests were engaging, interesting, inspiring people who, most of all, seemed very down-to-earth.

What I would like to share here are 10 things I learned as an attendee of E-Town Festival. There were many more, but I could probably fill a book.

#1 – Chris Hadfield – Take care of your body, learn all the time and set a goal. In this YouTube video he addresses an attendee’s 10-year-old son.

These three pieces of advice from Colonel Chris Hadfield are things we are all likely aware of already. However, when a bonafide astronaut tells you that these are the things you need to do to succeed in life, you listen harder.

It’s true that if you don’t have a healthy body, you probably won’t live long enough to fulfill all your dreams. I want to experience a long life well lived where I will be able to achieve my goals. So, now I’m reminding myself to take care of my body and I’ll pass this on to you as well.

The second piece of advice was to learn all the time. Chris Hadfield said that if someone is willing to teach you something for free, learn it. He also said that everyone you meet knows something you don’t, even a three-year-old. Be open to reading a book, watching a documentary, going to a lecture, viewing art at the gallery; whatever you’re interested in, aim to learn all you can about it.

The third piece of advice is important, but personally I’ve always found it to be a difficult task to set a goal, especially long term ones. I feel like it is very hard for me to define what it is I’m aiming for. I think it is because I don’t really know what I want yet. Mainly that applies to my career. I’ve worked in advertising as a coordinator, researcher, sales planner and online administrator over the last six years. It has provided me with a lot of experience. Coupled with the Masters of Arts in Communications and Technology degree I’ve just finished, I’m looking to change my path. But where do I want to go? I enjoy blogging and the more I learn about and use various social media I’m inclined to look for something that fits in there.

#2 – Guy Kawasaki – Say what you need to in 10 points – people know how long it’s going to take. Hence the title of this post.

Guy Kawasaki once worked for Steve Jobs as chief evangelist at Apple. He could have run Yahoo!. And he is now the special advisor to the Motorola unit of Google. He is also a bestselling author. Needless to say, he has accomplished many things in his life.

Unlike Guy, the fact that I’m using 10 points in this post does not guarantee that I will be very succinct. However, as he stated, if you have 10 points and it’s interesting and entertaining, it’s okay. If you have 10 points, but it’s boring, it’s not okay. Hopefully I fall within the former category.

#3 – Tiffany Shlain – Being online all the time isn’t good for you, so take a break from the Internet and electronics once a week.

Tiffany Shlain is an inspiring cloud filmmaker and it was very interesting to hear her speak about what was important to her. Every week she takes one full day off from all things digital.

I think we are starting to see the tide turn and people are more inclined to step back from the world of the virtual and the screen. We’re too invested in this vast expanse of code that is emitted through our LCD or LED monitors and it’s starting to take its toll on us. Our eyes and brains literally hurt from staring at computers, phones and TVs constantly. It’s not healthy. This thought also ties back to Chris Hadfield’s advice. I wholeheartedly agree that we need to rediscover the world around us. Whether you play a board game, go for a walk outside, read a book, work on a DIY project or meet with friends, everyone needs to separate themselves from technology once in a while.

#4 – David Usher – Everyone is creative, but in different ways. Creative vision is important, but execution will deliver you.

I’ve been a David Usher fan for a long time. In fact, since I was in elementary school and he was still in the band Moist (they’ve reunited for a tour and perhaps new music!). His presentation blew me away because not only is he a musician, but he runs a company called CloudID Creativity Labs that pulls collaborators together to develop new ideas and projects. Additionally, David sits on the Institute for the Public Life of Art and Ideas advisory board at McGill University and is a co-founder of the Connexion Creativity Conference. From time-to-time the Huffington Post also utilizes his writing skills for a column on innovation. This tells me that David Usher follows what he says because, in order to do all of this, he must have excellent execution when it comes to his work.

His creativity was impressive. He and his guitarist John demonstrated their new musical experiment at the festival. They took a heart monitor and hooked it up to an audience member’s finger. Her heartbeat acted as percussion for their music. It was incredible. They showed us that our bodies truly can be used as instruments.

While I’m not a musically creative person, I’ve been an artist of sorts since I was a little girl. I loved to draw, paint, design and sew. I still enjoy those activities, but the time I spend on those things is few and far between, so I feel like I have to rediscover that passion in the arts again. At the end of August I exclaimed on Facebook that I was graduating from my Masters program and I asked my friends what I should do with my new found free time. My cousin suggested I help him write a screenplay. About what I do not know, but I’m inclined to say yes. Maybe that will be where my creativity lies.

#5 – John Herdman – Passion will take you places. Also, the lines of the Canadian National anthem are a great way to live your life by.

John Herdman is the coach that took the Canadian Women’s Soccer Team to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.  Under his leadership the team rose to the occasion, representing Canada very well by showcasing an unbeatable spirit that took the country by storm. His passion is what pulled the players from the negativity that they had wallowed in prior to him taking over as their coach. He iterated that our national anthem was their model for success. “The True North strong and free” meant knowing what your true north is and letting it guide you in the right direction. Whether that be literal or figurative, it’s important to recognize where you’re heading. “We stand on guard for thee” for the team was their promise to our nation. On a personal level this should be a promise to yourself to live life by your values and morals.

#6 – Bruce Croxon – Success comes from organizational development, values and vision. Don’t compromise on your core values and don’t get stuck in the day-to-day muck because you’ll lose the overall vision.

Working for a company that has seen many ups and downs over the last several years, I can certainly see why Bruce Croxon, co-founder of Lavalife and current dragon on CBC’s The Dragons’ Den, thinks that organizational development is so important. Just because the company is experiencing hardships, it should not mean that the development of employees and the organization, as a whole, should be forgotten. Employers need to demonstrate that there is a reason why the employees they have are still here and show them that their skills are important to where the organization is intending to go. When a company doesn’t provide a nurturing culture that is when staff get stuck in the day-to-day muck that Bruce Croxon talks about and that’s when everyone loses the overall vision and they start to jump ship. People have a tendency to focus on the negatives in life, but we have to look past the little nuisances and keep the positive picture of the future in view.

#7 – Bruce Croxon – Don’t work with arrogant people. You need someone who’s willing to accept other people’s ideas and sometimes admit that their idea might not be the best one.

We’ve all met arrogant people at some point in our lives. They’re usually the loudest ones in the room, which often means their ideas are the ones used, but it might not be because they’re the best or right, it’s simply because no one wants to deal with listening to them anymore. So, if you can avoid them, do yourself a favour and choose not to surround yourself with those kinds of people. This is similar advice to something else Guy Kawasaki said about avoiding bozos.

#8 – I’m not an entrepreneur, but I felt like I learned so much going to this festival. It was inspiring and thought provoking. I’m glad I took a chance. Attendees were welcoming and ready to meet, mingle and discuss.

#9 – No idea is too silly or stupid.

I lean towards creative thinkers, so more people like David Usher or Tiffany Shlain would be great to see at future events. Chris Hadfield as the man of the moment was such a fantastic get. To me, the theme I think I saw running through the E-Town Festival this year was “dreamers.” Entrepreneurs have to be dreamers because they have to picture what their vision is and bring it to life. And you cannot be a dreamer by putting down ideas that others may deem to be silly or stupid. Sometimes those ideas are actually brilliant.

#10 – There’s probably someone out there who is wondering or thinking the same thing as you.

All of the sponsors were given a chance to pose one question each to the attendees of the festival. The questions were posted and we were tasked with providing answers. I always tried to answer first and then read what others said and, surprisingly enough, many people came up with similar responses. It’s not to say that we didn’t have original thoughts because what we added may be something the sponsor never considered before, but it was interesting to see how many others could see the same potential.

All-in-all, I had a fantastic time at E-Town Festival this year. Kudos to everyone who played a part in putting this wonderful event together. I think this wrap up video sums it up well (yours truly at the 15 second mark).

I look forward to next year. The bar was set very high in 2013, so bring on the speakers, networking, music and food trucks again!

If you are interested in participating or volunteering, E-Town Festival will take place from September 11-13, 2014 in Edmonton, Alberta.

http://www.e-town.ca/