Being Geek Chic is a blog for stylish geeks, sophisticated nerds and people who enjoy the musings of a complete dork. Join us as we dream of driving the TARDIS, cuddle with our eBooks and test out an iPad sleeve. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi and a team of brilliant lady nerds. Meet the team.
The week’s Lady Geek of the Week is the lovely Leigh Luna (@ourobora on Twitter). She’s a spunky and quirky artist whose strongest passion is creating comics. She’s currently a student at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, studying comic art, illustration and graphic design.
Head to Luna’s personal website to snag a sampling of her work. My personal favorite comics of hers are the poetic and personal “New Mexico” and the tragic and simple tale of love, loss and regret in “Boats and Ghosts.”
Click a little deeper into Luna’s website to see some of her fine art or browse her whimsical illustrations. Fall a bit further into the rabbit hole of Luna’s mind when you scroll through her Tumblr of art, musings and mischief.
Check out Being Geek Chic’s interview with Luna to discover her one chosen superpower, the genesis of her comic book passion, and her message to her 13-year-old self that will surely make you say, “aww!” Read on!
Q: What has led you to your passion?
A: For as long as I can remember I’ve been drawing and making comics. My mom likes to tell people that I came out of the womb with a crayon in my hand. My parents have both been really great in guiding me into making comics. They gave me a lot of the Calvin and Hobbes and Betty and Veronica comics as a kid. They have always encouraged me to read comics and to make art. I’ve been drawing basically my whole life but didn’t start getting very serious about making comics as a profession until four or so years ago. That was when I “seriously” started making comics.
Q: When did you first realize you were “geeky?”
A: I had some realization that I was geeky as a child when I read all of the Red Wall books and watched Star Trek with my dad. I also got called a geek a lot in middle school due to my Manga obsession and Deviant Art addiction. However, I didn’t actually start calling myself a geek until I was in high school rocking my Batman t-shirt and attending comic conventions.
Q: You can choose one superpower. What is it?
A: I would really like to be a mermaid. Hands down. I have a bit of an obsession with mermaids, and really the ocean in general. I have been a swimmer most of my life, and have always felt at home in the water.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Honestly, I think I would just want to go grab some chocolate milk with all of Miyazaki’s lady characters and ask them to teach me the ways of their adorable spunk.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Take off that damn eyeliner and learn to play the banjo. When you’re older, you’re still going to want to know how to play the banjo! In about a year when you decide comics are lame, don’t do that, stick with your gut. And guess what? You’re going to be real proud of me because I’m still making comics.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, history scholar, tea drinker, fashion devotee, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic.
Follow her on twitter: @emmalynnbauer
According to her website, the mind of Ashley Hay (@HeyKannaya) is filled with Harry Potter, ice cream comes, Star Wars, the state of Minnesota, film, Pokemon, Disney, Batman, unicorns, etc. And when you take a look at her art, it’s clear that this wonderful brain mixture is creating some truly awesome pieces.
Thriving in Saint Paul, Hay is a graphic designer extraordinaire, costume designer, artist and geek to the core. She’s rocking the freelance designer lifestyle, with a client list that hosts some seriously big names, like Legacy Productions, Best Buy and 3M.
Check out Hay’s interview with Being Geek Chic! You’ll discover what fictional character she’d take out for a drink and how she wound up as a freelance designer.
Read on!
Q: What has led you to your passion?
A: Designing geeky stuff was something I always did. I grew up drawing, painting, air brushing, you name it. I got into things like fantasy/sci-fi stories, videogames, anime and comics at a young age and that is a majority of what I was drawing other than dolphins and unicorns. I remember I had a comic set from the 1950’s about a dog detective named Max and he had a poodle girlfriend. I thought it was awesome.
Then, in college honed my craft of design. I worked on my style and after college just did a bunch of designs of things I loved. I found shirt sites like Ript and Teefury and saw I could make some money off them. At conventions I was blown away when people told me how much they enjoyed the designs. It made me want to keep going and it still does. When someone has something nice to say about my work, it drives get better and continue working. It always makes my day.
Chic geeks, meet Katherine Lamb (@_misslamb) - a talented photographer, crafty blogger, witty writer for the official blog of the International Geek Girls Pen Pal Club, full-time dreamer, and devoted fashionista.
Take a look at her photography website to find unflinchingly personal and honest portraits of Lamb and others, as well as beautiful photographs of the world through Lamb’s eyes. Hop over to her blog, Miss Lamb, to peek inside her home, whip up some Thai food, or craft a Golden Snitch necklace.
Before you go, though, check out Lamb’s interview with Being Geek Chic! You’ll discover how her photography has changed over the years, which fictional character she’d share a drink with, and her sassy advice to 13-year-old Lamb.
Q: What has led you to your passion?
A: I think my inclination towards the arts has always been a defining characteristic about me. As a child I was more interested in glitter glue than dolls and it’s been a pretty linear path since then. As an introvert who struggled with social anxiety throughout my childhood and teenage years, it’s always been easier for me to express myself in a visual way.
Q: How has your process as an artist evolved over time?
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what makes me “happiest” in life. Is it writing? Or directing? Or manicures? Or a stocked Kindle full of unread books? Or lazy Sundays? These things should fill up your life. And together it reminds me of the wise words of Abe Lincoln:
Of course, it seems cliché and yet it isn’t at all. They are words to live by. Here’s five other totally cliché phrases that are totally true:
5. It’s What’s Inside That Counts.
You can buy that incredibly true print from The Calm Gallery, a fun UK store with more screen-printed goodness than you can imagine. Take a lesson from these dolls: a pimple isn’t the end of the world, you are still you. Because deep down, if you are a rotten, burning lump of coal - you need to work on that. But if you are a gallivanting fox baby sharing your refreshing water with the neighborhood squirrels - then you are certainly a good person and let’s be friends.
Reality is tough. To pretend like this has been a week of gratefulness and positive thinking would be a real joke and the most disingenuous thing I could do right now. The fact is that the world is really bumming me out. And I wish I could be like Wonder Woman.
So instead of pretending like the world is just business as usual, I leave you with this thought:
At times like these, we can not escape into our fictional worlds. I admit that a brilliant movie or enthralling book are a great source of solace for me in times of fear and trauma and exhaustion. But right now, we must do our best to be brave. This is what heroes do. And right now, without the benefit of capes or CG-animated powers, there are heroes out there trying to unravel the mess that bad guys and terrible circumstances have created. If even one of us can be the little guy or gal in the corner comic panel that says, “over there!” then we need to try. We all need to be brave.
Have a good weekend, my friends. And be safe.
Here are some of my scribblings across the interwebs this week:
P.S. that lovely Wonder Woman art comes from the amazingly talented Melissa Ballesteros. If you like it, here’s her shop.
Broody bad attitudes abound in my house this week. It’s kind of like this:
Oh Sherlock, you get me. The snow isn’t just falling. It’s accumulating. This is an important distinction for Minnesotans. Fine if it wants to fall, as long as it melts. But I’m trying to be in a good mood. I’m trying to be thankful. Here’s some things that help:
PwnLove is the coolest instagram account out there. It’s run by the super chic Kaitlin Stewart who is on a quest to wear a gaming inspired outfit every single day for a year. That’s right: 365 days straight. Check out her cool interview with the Geeky Hostess. I honestly don’t think I could do it, so mad props to K. Stew. (Obviously, she’s the cooler one.)
