Emily Griffin: In Her Own Words
Emily Griffin is a Seattle-based Engagement Manager and DJ.
Jackson Hole took me by surprise. When I made the choice of where to spend my annual education budget, I knew this is where I wanted to go, but I had no idea how much this place would spark my imagination and capture my heart. The wild, bold beauty of this Wyoming destination was the backdrop for this fall’s Curvejump and it made an impact on me that will resonate for years to come.
Curvejump is a gathering produced by a radiant couple, Alex Hillinger and Megan Beck. Alex and Megan are super-connectors who have the unique gift of listening for people’s greatness. I’ve been blessed over the years to know them, attend and speak at some of their events in Seattle and San Francisco.
Curvejump is an event that’s taken shape over many iterations of gathering artists, athletes, technologists and all kinds of creatives and entrepreneurs together. It’s a community actively shaping ideas into reality, coming to learn from one another, explore and get inspired. The idea behind Curvejump is like an “unconference” in that there is just enough structure to constellate the attendees, with a whole lot of space for organic flow.
"The theme of our weekend together was “Making Space for New Perspectives”. There’s something powerful about getting out of your regular rhythm into a new environment that really allows for the quality time to reflect on the story that is unfolding, look at how you are solving problems and infuse your process with new ideas."
Of course the alchemy of the group is the magic you can’t necessarily predict, but with the right combination of experiences for us to interweave, connections are made and something bigger than the sum of its parts is born.
Over the course of the weekend, both scheduled and impromptu events provided unique avenues for conversations revolving around embracing one’s personal experience as a vehicle for storytelling, building products with an authentic purpose and being a part of a community that is raising standards of how we live and do business.
Inevitably, being in the natural beauty of Wyoming among people who have dedicated their lives to the stewardship of the land also infused a visceral connection with our responsibility to living sustainability. We were treated to a series of Master Classes to explore different artists’ journeys of excellence - on grilling with family ranchers Carter Country Meats, 19th century wet plate photography with Lindsey Ross and the beauty of the perfect cocktail with Death & Co. Different groups of people broke away from the town center for hikes, hot springs, skeet shooting, yoga or fly fishing.
Curvejump reinforced how vital it is to step back and assess my current point of view - especially how my ideas about success and failure are ever-changing concepts. Life is a grand experiment, and I’m sooo lucky to be part of a workplace and an expanding community that supports this exploration.
Learn more about Emily's work with Substantial: www.substantial.com
Listen to Emily's DJ sets: https://soundcloud.com/griffingrrl