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.
Meet Jamie Millard! She’s a geeky, techy, spunky, literary whirlwind who’s got a ton of different projects up her sleeve. For starters, she holds a day job as a Client Relationship Manager for Fast Horse, an über-hip Minneapolis-based marketing agency.
But that’s just the beginning. She also serves as the vice chair on the board of directors for the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network – Twin Cities; she’s the Editor in Chief of Pollen, a publication/community “composed of civic-minded connectors who share ideas, career and civic engagement opportunities and peer-to-peer recognition;” and to top it off, she’s the co-founder and Executive Director of Paper Darts, a literary magazine, publisher, and creative agency that’s driving the Minneapolis lit scene.
I know, right?! When does this girl sleep?
In hindsight, I should have asked this for her interview. Alas! Read on, and follow Millard on Twitter @jjmillard.
Q: Could you tell us a bit about the inspiration for launching Paper Darts?
A: Paper Darts was partly birthed out of unemployment – the need to keep myself busy, inspired, and active. But also, me and my fellow co-founders felt there was an open space for a platform to tell irreverent, but resonating stories and do so in a way that embraced design like no other publishing model. To this day we are inspired by the combinations of art and lit and the new story that is created when these genres mix.
Q: What is your favorite aspect of working at Fast Horse?
A: I absolutely love the variety in projects and the core value of creativity. Everything Fast Horse touches pushes boundaries of boldness. It’s an environment where big thinking and fresh ideas thrive. Within my specific work, I’m fortunate to have the opportunity to work on accounts with mission-driven organizations—a space where I have extensive experience and passion. Plus, I get to list the “five video game combat moves I wish I could do IRL” in my official bio—that’s awesome.
Q: Got a 5-year plan?
A: I’m totally a 5-year plan type of gal. Actually, I used to have a 10-year plan—I even signed and dated it. Before Fast Horse, I had been previously entrenched in the nonprofit sector, and once I accepted the position, I kind of threw my 10-year plan out the window. I’ll probably sit down and recreate another 10-year plan, and then who knows, in 3 years from now I’ll probably end up throwing it out the window again.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: I’d buy Luigi a whiskey ginger and ask him about his brother issues.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: When you get to high school and college, don’t beat yourself up so much for hiding inside and playing so many video games. You’ll turn out just fine.
(Photo Credit: Minneapolis Institute of Arts)
Post by Emma Bauer, who works as BGC’s official intern. 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
Thanksgiving day is a great time to remind myself of the small things that have made a difference in my life. This year, female heroines in literature have changed me in a real and meaningful way.
Female characters in literature have inspired me since childhood. Amelia Bedelia may have worn an apron, but she was a doctor, an artist and a savvy friend who wasn’t afraid of anything.
This year, Lisbeth Salander and Katniss Everdeen became a very real part of my life. These fearless women have inspired me to live more bravely, to speak out even when it’s hard and to stay true to my instincts. I can’t help but think that in the light of the Penn State scandal, the daily news about child abductions and countless examples of bullied children taking their own lives that if more attention were paid in our media to individuals who had these honorable qualities, we may have a more optimistic outlook on all these fronts. And that we would all be braver when we see injustice.
When recently watching The Women of Harry Potter Special Feature on the Deathly Hallows Part 2 BluRay, Jo Rowling said she wrote Hermione because she was looking for a character like herself in books as a girl, but never found someone she quite related to. I acknowledge that I was often doing the same thing and while I loved Little House on the Prairie and desperately wanted to BE Amelia Bedelia, my teenage years were riddled with insecurities about being smart. I stress this, because it’s so terribly sad to me now: I hated myself for my brains, because others chose me as a target for having them.
I’m thankful everyday for Jo Rowling, Suzanne Collins, Steig Larrson and their incredible characters. May you know that you impacted my life and the lives of countless other women and girls.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
I’ve been posting Geeky at Work outfits for nearly three months and I thought I’d diverge from the usual today and talk about the key things you need to do to integrate geek into your wardrobe. In other words: “A Guide to Getting Geeky at Work.”
So what separates a successful integration of geek into an outfit from a failure? The most important thing is confidence. Every part of fashion and pulling off any look is all about having the confidence to believe that you really look good in it. If you believe it, others will too and that’s what matters.
In more tangible terms, there are some small trends I’ve noticed to help guide you on your way.
First, accessories are ALWAYS the easiest thing to integrate, but can often verge into the world of camp. To avoid this, pick items that have the same traits as other accessories you also like. For example, no cheap plastic beads or adjustable ring bands. Necklaces like this Edgar Allen Poe piece are made of high quality materials with delicate cutouts that create a sophisticated silhouette.
Second, if you’re going to choose a clothing item, then try to choose things that have a simple color scheme. One or two colors at most seem to make for the most successful choices. That’s why I love this Harry Potter themed 9 and 3/4 tee so very much. It’s a subtle nod to the films and books with a simple design and one very basic color on a fitted black tee. I can’t imagine a more perfect item.
And last, don’t try to hide your geek pride! There’s no point in sporting this huge 8-bit Barret if you aren’t going to let it shine. This goes back to the confidence piece, but sometimes subtlety is the enemy. Let your inner geek come through and have some fun.
If you’ve got a geeky item that you’d like us to style for work, please send it to us at beinggeekchic@gmail.com.
It may be stereotypical of me, but October and Halloween just put me in the mood for some Edgar Allen Poe. That’s why it should be no surprise that I was really take with this Poe Cameo necklace ($26) on Etsy.
I will always, always love a wrap dress. The Tracy Reese here is way out of my price range ($298), but I bet you could find similar patterns that give the same idea. To me, the pattern really makes the dress. I know a lot of people would shy away from orange and black, but I say embrace it. This Foley + Corrina clutch is spendy ($250), but it illustrates the idea. Leather, Suede and jersey can harmoniously work together in one outfit. The Dolce Vita boots ($129) may be a bit tough for some, but I think that mix between an elegant vintage bracelet, a cameo and suede boots provide a subtle balance for the office that a keen sartorial eye will appreciate.
For option 2, I say: “Embrace your inner goth!”
Even though I think every goth should have a lot of black options in their closet, I think it’s important to look for patterns with black and gray to keep things interesting. This Old Navy Sweater ($54) is great for work and weekends, so it’s a versatile pick. Black floor length skirts are popping up everywhere, from $9 at Forever 21 to hundreds at Barneys, so try on a few until you find a flattering fit. When you have an all black outfit, it’s important to break things up with your accessories. Ever since I wrote about the Cambridge Satchel Company last week, I’ve been longing to build an outfit around one of their Classic bags ($150). Green and black are lovers. Forever and always. That’s why the handmade glass earrings ($21) are a great choice too.
If you’ve got a geeky item that you’d like us to style for work, please send it to us at beinggeekchic@gmail.com.
When we read, we decide when, where, how long, and about what. One of the few places on earth that it is still possible to experience an instant sense of freedom and privacy is anywhere you open up a good book and begin to read. When we read silently, we are alone with our own thoughts and one other voice. We can take our time, consider, evaluate, and digest what we read—with no commercial interruptions, no emotional music or special effects manipulation. And in spite of the advances in electronic information exchange, the book is still the most important medium for presenting ideas of substance and value, still the only real home of literature.
(via mugglenet)
In the BBC’s clever new reboot of the Sherlock Holmes stories, the great detective plies his trade in the present day. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s creation is so utterly identified with late Victorian London as to make this seem almost unimaginable, but the miniseries’ creators have imagined it — specifically which aspects of 21st-century life Holmes would wholeheartedly embrace. He likes to text. … Of course, an Emma (Jane Austen’s Woodhouse) transposed to 2010 would have a field day with Facebook, nudging acquaintances to friend each other and forming little groups like “People Who Have Heard Quite Enough in Praise of Jane Fairfax,” to the dismay of Mr. Knightley.
