Venturing to San Francisco last week was like finding that missing piece of a jigsaw that's been hiding under your couch. A peculiar kind of wholeness. Let me paint you a picture...
For the past 4 months, my world had been my family, trips to the gym, church, or grocery store. Little social doses followed by my favorite pastime – recharging my batteries in my fortress of solitude. But why, you ask, did I sign up for an IRL event? To connect with my fellow Bravehearts, my kindred spirits. Builders ready to bend reality to match the dreams in their heads.
Sounds like a superhero gathering, right? Well, it was exactly that. San Francisco, with its persistent wind and perpetual clouds, served as the perfect backdrop, challenging and teaching me. A huge shoutout to the @_buildspace team for setting this stage. Incredible!
Day 1 was like jumping into the deep end. I met Tejas, the co-founder of @starteryLLP, and Deepraj - he’s building a maker network and an AI hub that helps employees find documents in the ever increasing repositories of information.
I mingled a bit, snapped photos, learned about crazy projects, secured Farza's approval on my demo day goal, then... hit a wall.
Not just any wall. A wall I would blame on @alec_diLanchian’s scrumptious Chai, but it was just my brain having a petty squabble with caffeine.
Suddenly, socializing was like swimming upstream. Fixing bugs on @pathtotheosis felt like solving a cryptic puzzle. The buzzing activities melted into an overwhelming hum. Exhausted and overwhelmed by 6, I was fleeing the scene, and the event ran till 10.
Back at my Airbnb, a cozy sanctuary 35 minutes from the buzzing Gallery, a nap was all it took to refill my energy meter. I squashed bugs in minutes!
Day 2: I forgot my headphones, was stuck in a cycle of work, and lunch with Naan, mango milk and butter chicken all screamed at my lactose-intolerant tract.
I was a run-away train of introversion, leaving Buildspace at 6 again. But this time, @FarzaTV caught my escape, his eyes following me to the door with his gaze etching a "you're gonna miss everything" reminder in my head. Sorry @FarzaTV, I had to pick my Uber.
Just before this, Jamison, another builder who's working on an agency of his, roasted my landing pages. He wouldn’t believe this but I think he was sent to me. Although my designs were nice, it seemed I was trying too hard, my designs lacked clarity.
I loved his advice and took them to heart. (BTW, here are the sites: https://the-radar.net & https://theosis.onrender.com - brutal honesty appreciated).
Back at my Airbnb, I confided in a friend about feeling inadequate compared to other cool builders at the event. His wisdom? "Do it your way. I can join you tomorrow if you want."
Day 3 was the turning point. I arrived at Gallery 308 at 1, a bit down about missing Spectreseek’s showcases, but determined to make the most of it. I dove into exploring projects from the other houses, and wow, you guys - all 200+ of you at the event, are spectacular.
From YouTube channels, AI applications, crypto apps, music, teleportation domes, manga, games, business advising, public speaking, artificial girlfriends – you folks had it all! It was a euphoric feast for my creative soul.
Something changed. Was it because I saved my energy? Maybe. But I also got to showcase Theosis, with @dsey20 as my energy lifeline, and it was magic. I got immediate sign-ups and great feedback for Theosis.
I Spent the rest of the time exploring other projects, enjoyed a waterfront walk, and made new friends in Jason and @0xPigeonZ - they’re building NexusPay - an app for easy worldwide crypto payments.
As the sun set on Buildspace, we gathered for a Hogwarts-style graduation. The team said amazing things to close out the ceremony and @FarzaTV’s epic mic-drop moment, choreographed to Kanye’s Runaway, still plays on repeat in my mind, and boy, was it a spectacle!
So, here's what my @_buildspace saga taught me: Knowing yourself is half the battle won. Managing energy is crucial. Having a friend, even if just in your ears can make a world of difference, and interacting with other people isn't the enemy; it's all about energy management.
At the end, I gained new connections, life-altering advice, collaboration prospects, and unforgettable experiences. For someone who spent months in solitary, trying to build a business, this was a win!
Also, can't forget the event maestro, @seemcat - she was stellar!
Bring on S4. I’m a sophomore now.
