Being Geek Chic is a blog about one woman navigating the male-dominated industries of production and tech. It's written by Elizabeth Giorgi, Founder, CEO and Director of Mighteor - one of the world's first internet video production companies. Learn more about Mighteor here.
When we started this feature, we knew one thing: there were a lot of amazing lady nerds out there that we wanted to talk about. Imagine us figuratively standing atop an 8-bit mountaintop and screaming: HEY WORLD, THERE ARE SOME PRETTY AWESOME LADY GEEKS OUT THERE. Yeah, it felt pretty victorious. But like any great 8-bit adventure, it must end. The time has come to hang up our hats on the Lady Geek of the Week feature. At least for now. We might pick the feature up again, we might not. It might morph into something new. The world is our oyster.
As we reflect on over five years of profiling lady geeks each week, we’d like to share what you—the fearless, bold, and amazing lady geeks—have taught us:
So long for now! And remember, always read on.
And a special, virtual hug to Emma, who was the shepherd and caretaker of this lovely feature for five years. We wish her all the best in the future as she takes on the digital world. (And the physical one.) You can follow her as she does just that on her Twitter, @emmalynnbauer.
In the meantime, if you have a grand idea for a new recurring post series on Being Geek Chic and want to become a contributor - let us know. We would love to hear your ideas!
Alicia Gibb is an artist, an engineer, a rule breaker and a hardware hacker. She’s also the founder of Lunchbox Electronics, a company that creates innovative and playful products with imagination and a hardcore passion for open source hardware. It’s R&D plus art and a healthy dose of geekiness.
And get this: Gibb created Build Upons—LEGO-compatible, light-up bricks. Put us on that pre-order list asap.
In the meantime, check out this stellar lady geek’s Q&A with us!
Q: What was your inspiration for launching Lunchbox Electronics?
A: I decided to start a company to fund my R&D habits and enable me to mass manufacture products. Lunchbox Electronics is an R&D Lab inspired by art and engineering—my two backgrounds. I mostly just wanted to invent things, sometimes artsy, sometimes engineery, and sometimes just plain silly. Having my own company seemed to be the easiest way to accomplish that.
Q: What’s your current favorite Lunchbox Electronics toy?
A: My favorite toy that we manufacture would be our Stop and Go Soldering Kit. It’s a DIY soldering kit that you can keep playing with by integrating it into your existing LEGO sets once you build it.
My favorite “toy” as in favorite piece of equipment at Lunchbox Electronics is definitely the Lulzbot 3D printer.
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky”?
A: When I was 5, I dressed up as an engineer for Halloween, when I was 6 I went as a robot. I think I knew at a pretty early age.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: I would take out a minion for a job interview, because I have a lot of manufacturing to do! I would probably order a banana shake for solidarity since minions are into that whole banana thing.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: I would tell my 13-year-old self not to get deterred by a few bad apples out there and trust my gut to go into science - but if I had done that, I might have been too busy being a research scientist at NASA to start my own R&D company. So I guess I would just tell my 13-year-old self that she is awesome!
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Meet Sam Skyler. She’s an artist, creator, geek, and huge fan of kaleidoscopes. She’s currently creating an art book filled with vibrant kaleidoscope deceptions of your favorite geeky characters.
That’s right—you’re favorite geeky characters. The first half of her art book is designed by Skyler; the second half is filled with art chosen by the supporters of her Kickstarter campaign. So go fund a fellow lady geek and see your favorite characters and worlds through the Skyler’s kaleidoscope eye.
Read on to discover how Skyler discovered her passion, her geekiness, and at the same time, her courage.
And be sure to follow her on social! Like her on Facebook, follow her on Instagram, and remember: she’s got that Kickstarter campaign going until November 3.
Q: How did you discover your passion for art?
A: Ever since I was a child, I always wanted to create art. Being able to see colors evolve and transform always captured and held my attention. When I saw my first movie in theaters, which was Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, seeing the characters move around and how the backgrounds were painted is what got me hooked on illustration and animation. It was from that moment on that I’ve always wanted to understand and study color, movement and design, and how could I capture those same feelings in all of my artwork.
Q: Where did you find the inspiration to create your Kaleidoscope geeky art book?
A: The inspiration to create my Kaleidoscope art book evolved when I was creating designs for my Star Wars 365 art a day series. It’s a project that I started last year on December 18th that will end the day that episode VII come out! I created a few Kaleidoscope designs and people really enjoyed them and asked if I could create new designs of different characters or universes. I loved that idea and realized that it would be wonderful to showcase these designs in a book. I decided to take my dream over to Kickstarter so it could become a collaboration with other people willing to contribute. I’ll be designing the first half of the book, and the second half of the book will be designs voted on by every Kickstarter supporter! It will be fun to see how the book evolves!
And I’m also looking forward to making a few of the designs into a coloring book. Every backer will receive one and I’ll also donate one to a children’s hospital or school to help keep geek culture and the arts alive!
Q: When did you first discover you were geeky?
A: When I was younger, I never really felt like I fit in because I loved different things than all the other girls and was obsessed with animation, Star Wars, and other sci-fi and nerdy fandoms. When it came time to enter high school, I ended up switching schools so I could be in the airbrushing, art and animation classes. It was there that I received an amazing foundation of the arts and animation. Many of my peers had these same passions and it was wonderful to be in a community that was positive and supported one another.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Good question! I think it would be really fun to take Buzz Lightyear and go to the Mad Hatter’s tea part from Alice in Wonderland and celebrate everyone’s unbirthdays! And then go dancing! Who knew Buzz had such amazing dance moves until Toy Story 3!
Q: What would you tell your 13 year old self?
A: I would tell my 13 year old self that following your dreams is one of the hardest and most difficult things you will ever go through. But it will also be the most rewarding because of the lessons you will learn and the people you will meet along the way. Create the work that makes your heart happy and never let others tell you that you can’t love something, be something, or achieve your dreams. When you put time, energy and love, into anything that you create, and you find the courage to share that with the world, that is when you’ll connect with people who want to be connected to you. And also brace yourself, you will see multiple new Star Wars movies in your lifetime! So be proud of the things you love.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Lady Geek of the Week Christina Clawson’s Geekyloot.com fuels our most nerdy shopping habits. And we love her for it.
As you can read in her interview with us, she launched Geekyloot.com, a blog and online shop, out of a passion to contribute to geeky culture with a feminine focus. Geekyloot.com is in its early stages, so if you have opinions, thoughts, or would like to share your geeky shopping wish list, get in touch with Clawson! You can find her on Twitter @geeky_loot or Facebook.
Read on; shop on, lady geeks! Because you know that Baymax keychain is already in our shopping cart…
Q: What was your inspiration for launching Geekyloot.com?
A: My inspiration came a few years ago when I was looking for geeky items on some popular websites and dismayed by the lack of items that were created for women and girls. It seemed like geek culture catered more to men, and as a geeky girl that disturbed me. I made a vow that when I was able to I’d found a store that catered specifically to other geeky girls and I do my best to curate and offer items that celebrate the women that inspire me, and the woman that I am. Everything I buy or put on my site is something that I would want if I saw it at another shop. The more that geek culture grows, the more widespread it becomes, and it is my hope that stores and websites will offer just as much female merchandise as they do male.
Q: When did you discover you were “geeky”?
A: At a very young age I was made fun of by my siblings and my peers at school because I’d rather sit and read a book or comic than play a sport (although I later played sports, also). I enjoyed things like Star Trek and Star Wars, science experiments, collecting rocks, and creating art. I loved to dress up as my favorite characters and act out scenes from my favorite TV shows. I was invested in the things I loved, and in our society that illustrates being labeled as geeky. I’m proud to be geeky.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: What a difficult question this is! If I had to choose, I would pick Xena from Xena Warrior Princess. She is one of the strongest women I’ve ever seen on TV. She has had an incredible life, and faced daunting adversity from so many angles and yet managed to overcome every situation using her mind, her body, and her formidable skills. Her story is one of redemption and I find that inspirational. She is the embodiment of girl power and is loyal to her friends. I know I’d hear amazing stories if we shared a cask of temple wine!
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: I’d tell her to be courageous, to study hard but to learn about things outside of school because life itself is a great teacher. I’d tell her to follow her true passion, and not just what other people want her to do. I’d also tell her to wait on dating because its not as important as she thinks it is. Also, to love herself and to keep playing tennis.
Q: What’s the title of your memoir?
A: Overcoming Adversity: Beating Fibromyalgia One Day At A Time
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
Samantha Pennington has one of the best day jobs we’ve come across—she spends her days reading. As the Community Engagement Specialist at Wattpad, she reads through fanfiction submissions. Pennington first joined the Wattpad team in 2013 as a content intern, and she’s been the resident fanfiction guru since June 2014.
Aside from being a voracious reader, Pennington is an enthusiastic eater and an intersectional feminist. She is fascinated by fandom, modernist literature, popular culture, and emojis. When she’s not scouring the internet, you can find her daydreaming, binge-watching television shows, and petting other people’s dogs.
Follow Pennington on Wattpad @samantha, Tumblr, and Twitter at @sammietutu and read on—we asked her about the most unexpected fanfic story she’s read to date, and trust us, it’s worth diving in.
Q: How did you discover your passion and arrive at Wattpad?
A: I’ve been a fangirl for as long as I can remember, and my passion for fandom was always a natural inclination. I was super keen and precocious as a kid, devouring books, TV shows, and movies with unparalleled zeal. I penned tomes of Harry Potter fanfiction with my bookish elementary school friends, joined roleplay forums, and engaged in serious debates about the futures of my favourite fictional characters online. My penchant for literature, pop culture, fandom, and media grew throughout university, and it was actually all of these things that helped me land an internship on the content team at Wattpad. Today, I’m lucky enough to be able to fangirl in a professional capacity as a Community Engagement Specialist for Fanfiction.
Q: If you had to pick, what’s the best part of your job?
A: As Wattpad’s resident fanfic guru, I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in a community that knows no bounds (in the best and most interesting ways) and becoming fandom trash in the process. One of the best parts of my job at Wattpad is interacting with fannish writers and readers every day and seeing the immense power and potential of such a creative and enthusiastic breed with which I so avidly identify. Learning about other fandoms, joining new ones, and getting to know amazing people in the process is so much fun. I love being able to connect with people and the stories they tell, and I think the ways in which they choose to do so is something that continues to fascinate me.
Q: What’s the most unexpected Wattpad fanfic story you’ve read?
A: The most unexpected fanfic I’ve read on Wattpad is called Kim Kardashian: Trapped in Her Own Game by a wonderful, hilarious writer (and friend) named kfan. Basically, the real Kim (who wants to smash the patriarchy) becomes stuck inside the world of the Kim Kardashian Hollywood game and must use her powers as an emoji-casting witch to defeat the forces of evil that threaten to keep her from getting back to the real world. It’s a fun, smart read, rife with celebs, pop culture references, and lots of laughs.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: This is such a difficult question to answer, but the first fictional character that popped into my head was Kat Stratford from the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You. We would drink tequila and dance on tables, obviously.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Hating stuff isn’t cool. Your passions and obsessions are valid. Embrace your geekiness and make it your own.
Emma Bauer is a Being Geek Chic Contributor. Clearly, she’s got great taste. She is a PR enthusiast, dog lover, tea drinker, art appreciator, and of course, aspires to Be Geek Chic. Follow her on Twitter: @emmalynnbauer
