I have a trick for when I meet new people in order to get more quickly into a substantiative conversation. I resist, for the entire meeting if possible, asking the person that I’ve just met what they do for a living. I’m not always able to swerve clear of what’s considered small talk—I still tend to talk about the weather more than is advisable—but I try to be honest and ask open questions that leave room for the conversation to develop in many possible ways. The artist David Choe, in his 45-minute session on stage at the Unexpected Connections conference, said that he would begin by telling the 450 people in the audience the thing he least wanted to share. Think what our interactions with each other would look like if we adopted that practice in our daily lives. That’s what happened, in a scaled-back way, throughout the day in Long Beach during the conference hosted by Imprint and ourselves in early November. People in attendance were open with each other immediately, in the kind of way that typically takes being on a third date or having had a second pint. Conversations started where you’d typically get to 30 minutes in rather than at square one. Long Beach wound up being important as a location, more so than just being the neighborhood Imprint and InterTrend are located in (InterTrend and Imprint Venture Lab are both managed by Julia Huang, the mastermind behind the conference) though it was important to us that we show support for local culture. What wound up making Long Beach appropriate was its removal from downtown LA—the people present really thought about being there and made a commitment to stay at the conference for an extended period of time. Rather than people floating in for the specific talk they were interested in and then coasting out again, there was a dedicated group of people prepared for deep engagement. People would recognize each other and conversations that were started in the morning continued on to the afternoon and then flowed into drinks at the Long Beach Museum of Art. Speakers being present for more than just their appointed slot of time also demonstrated commitment to availability and the sharing of knowledge. Text by Charis Poon Photos by Christina Choi See the full recap here: https://www.maekan.com/article/celebrating-and-evaluating-a-recap-of-unexpected-connections What is MAEKAN? MAEKAN is a membership-based publication and community focused on the sights and sounds of creative culture. We're about learning, participating, and connecting with a global community on a deeper level that social media just doesn't provide. We’re defining the future of creative culture. We don't have all the answers, but our curiosity ensures we never stop looking. Sign-Up Today If you've enjoyed this story from the archives and want to see what else MAEKAN has to offer, sign-up for your membership at MAEKAN.com. You'll unlock all of our stories, be given exclusive member-only-access to our Slack community, and have the opportunity to participate in our monthly digital panel discussions. MAEKAN.com Follow Us instagram.com/maekan facebook.com/storiesforthecurious twitter.com/maekan stories@maekan.com