Yellow Conference will host its second gathering on Aug. 26 and 27 in downtown Los Angeles. Founded in 2014 by graphic designer and branding expert Joanna Waterfall, Yellow is an annual conference aimed at equipping creative women to effect positive change in the world.
"I didn't want this to be just another women's business conference," Waterfall said. "I have a background in art and graphic design, so I've seen the desire a lot of creatives have to do something more with their work and with their art."
With this in mind, she created Yellow's programming to include a series of workshops and mentoring sessions designed to provide attendees with the practical skills and knowledge needed to transform their art into meaningful businesses and nonprofits.
The gathering also features a lineup of mission-driven speakers who demonstrate Waterfall's vision of what an inspired life looks like. Yellow Conference 2015 speakers will include Lauren Paul and Molly Thompson of Kind Campaign, Vik Harrison of charity: water and Jessie Simonson of 31 Bits, among several others.
Put together, the conference's programming teaches the women to become like bees, the inspiration behind the Yellow's name and tagline ("Spread goodness and bloom"), as Waterfall explained: "Bees are living in community, they're working hard and they're just doing what they're made to do -- and in doing so, they make flowers bloom, help plants grow and give us food to eat."
Though Yellow has had just one conference since its founding in 2014, Waterfall has already witnessed a plethora of tangible results "bloom" from her vision. From online magazines to nonprofits and events, inspired attendees have created numerous ventures since the first event last August.
Two Yellow Conference 2014 attendees, Avery Johnson and Sarah Furman, met at the event and proceeded to create Founded Magazine, an online women's magazine that serves as a "a guide to living an authentic and fulfilled post-grad life."
Another prior attendee, Jamie Delaine Watson, was inspired at Yellow to create the School Sessions, a movement of photographers dedicated to raising funds through their work to build a school in Haiti.
"In an afternoon brainstorm session in a small group, we were encouraged to think of one specific area we wanted to help in... sex trafficking, orphans, widows, the elderly, babies, education, etc.," she said. "It was the first time I had stopped to think about honing in on one specific area. 'Education' came to mind and we never looked back."
Other projects to come out of Yellow include the Bloomerie, an apparel line that supports "female do-good entrepreneurs" and their businesses through its sales, and the White Buffalo Project, a movement that gathers women together to foster genuine connection, conversation and community through its events.
At this year's conference, Waterfall looks forward to igniting more positive passion and empowering a new set of women.
"I just want Yellow to spread good in this world," she said. "The world can be a really hard place to be and I just want to make it better for all of us, and to have Yellow be a place where other women can learn how to do that, too."