Last Thursday I had the chance to see an event that’s been 6 + months in the making finally come to fruition, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life to date. I’ve definitely collaborated with other creatives in the past, but never quite on this level. It certainly goes to show that even though we may be small in number in this area, on occasion, we are mighty.
Here’s some background on the event: I teamed up with the Kentucky Department of Travel and Tourism for this Travel KY Nash Bash to showcase that Kentucky is more than meets the eye, and to do that we rounded up some of the best folks Kentucky has to offer to throw one night Nashville was sure to not soon forget. We did this by first off securing the backyard at imogene + willie for our event space (both of the owners are actually Kentucky natives), then we rounded up Ben Sollee + The Watson Twins for our musical guests of the evening, and to top it all off Bulleit joined us as the official bourbon of the night. Needless to say when this much Kentucky pride is in one room (or backyard) success is guaranteed to follow.
The night definitely required bending the rules for all parties involved, and for me that meant hosting my first out of state event. For others it meant stepping outside their comfort zones, or driving 3 hours to be part of this event. Sometimes it’s necessary to bend the rules in order for us to create something that we never before thought possible. Besides this event (cause duh, Kentucky Kicks Ass) one shining example of that is HP’s #BendTheRules campaign, and their latest video project (which you can get a behind the scenes look here or by watching the video below) is all about bending the rules while collaborating with like minded creatives to push the envelope while creating some magic. I’m constantly inspired by the sense of camaraderie that is ever-present in the creative community, and this video proves that that spirit is definitely alive and well.
Venue: imogene + willie, Musical Acts: The Watson Twins & Ben Sollee, Beverages: Bulleit & Ale8One, Mixologist: Nic Christiansen, Food: Hickory Bones, T-Shirt + Logo Design: Shop Local Kentucky
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by HP via Collectively, but as always all thoughts, opinions, and photos are my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make this blog possible!
All photos c/o Josh Johnson