I had the great privilege of being the event photographer for the first ever “The Common Table” event. This is the brain child of the oh-so-talented Kim Rico, owner and stylist extraordinaire of Drops of Honey Designs. The soft opening of the event was held out at Seven Sycamores Historic Ranch which is a gorgeous wedding venue in Ivanhoe. The Common Table according to Kim is, “A place where our creativity unites us and comparison and strife are checked at the door. Vulnerability is a place setting along side honesty and encouragement.”
Please pull up a chair at the grand opening of the event which is at Seven Sycamores Glass Barn on May 21, 2014 with Mike Larson as the speaker!
I am so incredibly proud of my beautiful friend who has a heart to bring humans from all sorts of walks of life together at one table. The Common Table. Let’s celebrate!
Scroll to bottom of post to purchase your tickets today.
How did you come up with the idea of The Common Table?
“The idea of The Common Table came about after 2 specific experiences. One was a conversation with a local creative who expressed a desire to do life with and be inspired by like-minded individuals, but was having a difficult time getting plugged in to that community. The other was attending a workshop in which I was surrounded by creative entrepreneurs who greatly inspired me. Together these experiences sprouted a desire to create something back home (Visalia.) I didn’t just want it to consist of close creative friends, but to invite the wider local community to share a meal together and do life around the table. The goal is to build a community that thrives on building one another up in a genuine & intentional way.”
What is the vision for the gathering?
“The Common Table has a two part vision. Part one is to unite local creatives by sharing a meal around the table. Part two is to pour into creatives by inviting different speakers who are well known entrepreneurs / community leaders to speak at each event. The table is a place where we get nourished by the food and conversation that gets served there, and my desire is to see people walk away inspired, encouraged, and ready to pour back into their creative gifts whether that’s a business, a new project, or new skill they’re learning.”
What type of speakers are you hoping to host in the future?
I would LOVE to host speakers like Dale Partridge, founder of Sevenly who is a social entrepreneur and have him speak on the importance of giving + business. Another dream speaker would be Sarah Dubbeldam, the editor in chief of Darling Magazine, a magazine committed to encourage and empower women and be a voice of love. I would also love to bring in local community leaders! The idea is to bring in speakers from different industries and break the barriers of the typical labels of what a creative is. I believe there is something to learn from anyone we come in contact with, whether it’s your local accountant or founder of a successful company.
Anything else to add?
“I would love for you to get to know a little more about our first speaker, Mike Larson. Mike is a photographer who specializes in vineyard and private estate weddings. His work has been published in People Magazine, The Knot Magazine, Style My Pretty, Inspired By This, INSIDE Weddings Magazine, Style Unveiled & many others.
He hosts photography workshop internationally and has been a speaker for the European Wedding Congress as well as a WPPI Presenter with a panel that included Jose Villa & Summer Watkins from Grey Likes.
Mike is married to his lovely wife Rachel and they’re based out of San Luis Obispo, CA. They are passionate about creating culinary feasts and hosting dinners because they believe it brings together friends to discover delicious new tastes & parings. They also believe the best part of a home are the family & friends that gather there to break bread and drink wine together…and well after reading this it was set that we just had to invite Mike & Rachel to come spend time with us around The Common Table.”
The first gathering is May 21st, 2014 at Historic Seven Sycamores Ranch beginning at 5:30pm with Mike speaking at 6:30pm. All tickets must be purchased by May 7th, 2014. Any questions/concerns can be directed to Kim@Sevensycamores.com Get your tickets here!
Check out the rest of Kim’s work over at Drops of Honey Designs.