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.
We could all use extra jolts of creativity. Especially in the mornings. Enter Tess O’Connor (@Tess_OConnor), the fearless host of Creative Mornings Minneapolis.
Creative Mornings is a (free!) monthly breakfast/lecture/discussion to jumpstart your creative mind. Find a chapter in your city here. As the host of the Minneapolis chapter, O'Connor rallies the Twin Cities creative economy to roll out of bed and into inspiration.
But where does she find her own creativity, and how does she find the energy to herd Mpls’ creative cats into a collective community? Read on for your morning dose of coffee, creativity, and O’Connor.
Q: How did you discover your passion for enriching the creative energy of Minneapolis?
A: When I first came to the Minneapolis for art school I spent much of my early years stressed out about how good all the other creatives here were. The whole “everyone was the top of their high school art classes” was very apparent. The idea of competing against these other creatives in design competitions was exhausting. Instead my energy and inspiration came from ideating and collaborating with them.
I subconsciously see the potential in other people and want to help them make their ideas shine. That’s a trait that’s followed me all these years. Because the Twin Cities is such a design and creative hub of the midwest there’s a bit of a gap between those with name recognition and those who are making an impact unnoticed. And we’re all caught in the middle without a map or a compass to help us navigate it. The creative community is hungry for authenticity and peer support. Portfolio lectures from the cream of the crop are great, but let’s have a transparent conversation about the lessons learned that created that work and all those moments they weren’t sure they were going to succeed.
Being supportive makes so much more sense than being competitive. That’s why when I discovered a friend of mine, Karl Knolle, was starting the local CreativeMornings chapter I knew this was something that I wanted to be a part of. A year and a half later we’re going strong and I’m humbled to find myself running this chapter with such an awesome team and community.
Q: Where do you find inspiration in life?
A: This is always a hard question for me because I see how everything influences so many different aspects of my life. I’ll try to pick a few of the best, but I know I’ll be missing some.
My CreativeMornings/Minneapolis volunteers and organizers. They’re really what makes our chapter amazing. I don’t think they have any idea how much they impact me every time we put on an event. Leadership doesn’t mean I have controll, it means I’m leaning heavily on those around me to help them thrive.
My husband. Everyone needs a devilish redhead in their life.
My friends who are awesome enough to embrace sports like log rolling and winter camping. I know it sounds crazy but I LOVE it! Some of my most inspired moments have come to me from hearing the ice boom underneath my tent on a -20F night, or competing against friends on a log when I thought I’d never be competitive in sports again.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Dr. Who of course! We’ll have to try a drink from every time and every planet. Best bar crawl ever! Then, maybe he can drop me off to hang out with Ron Swanson. He’s my spirit animal.
What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Stop worrying about doing the right thing. As long as you make a decision based on who you are and not the people around you things will turn out fine. It’s ok to make mistakes. You’ll become better for it and maybe even enjoy it if you let yourself.
Also, you’re about to meet your future husband. You have no idea what awesome adventure are around the bend!
Q: What’s the title of your memoir?
A: Roll with it: learning life by continuously falling.
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
Why should adults have all the geeky fashion fun? Meet Jessica Trebing (@nerdywithkids), a mom who asked herself that very thing, and launched Nerdy with Children with the goal of helping kids “let their nerd flags fly.”
Nerdy with Children is an online retailer focused on kid fashion with a nerdy and nostalgic twist. Think: Hans Solo baby onesie, a tape deck tee, or a feature chemist baby romper. Just adorable.
But launching her own business hasn’t always been an easy path. By the sweat of her brow and a killer work ethic, Trebing has turned a blog into a profitable business, and she’s got some tips to share. So without further ado, read on for her insightful interview with Being Geek Chic.
Q: What was your inspiration for launching Nerdy with Children?
A: The short and sweet answer is that my baby girl was the biggest inspiration.
Before we made clothes, Nerdy with Children was a blog that provided a community for geeky and alternative parents. My current business partner Nick hired me to write for the site, and when both of us became new parents within a few months of each other, we decided to work together to evolve the company into a clothing brand.
I really liked the idea of my little girl growing up with the sense of fun, empowerment, and connection to the community that the right clothing can give.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish with the Nerdy with Children brand? What do you hope to instill within parents and their kids that wear your clothing?
A: Just as nerd culture is growing each year, I hope our shop and community grows with it. I’d like to keep building our line to include more unique designs and offer other products besides clothing, but I also want to be more than just a shop.
We really like the idea of parents sharing their favorite childhood memories and personal interests with kids through fun clothes that fuel imagination. We want parents to bond with their kids as they watch them write their own stories.
We are also looking into more designs that feature themes like board games and space exploration, because we want to help kids let their nerd flags fly.
Besides that, having someone take a picture of their kid in one of our outfits at a con next to Tom Hiddleston or Benedict Cumberbatch would be a bit of a personal win, just sayin’.
Q: What advice would you give your fellow lady geeks who are considering launching their own business?
A: You’re good at things you never knew you were! Find out what they are and combine them with the things you love, and chances are you’ll have yourself a successful and passionate enterprise soon enough.
You may not be able to work full time on your new business, but give it all you’ve got and things will start happening. Be dedicated, be on time and be professional (especially in social media). Keep your promises. Be organized. Be patient.
Surround yourself with people who have complementary skills. Use your connections and make new ones.
The best advice, however, is to start now. Never be afraid.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
If I could take a character out for a drink, it would definitely be Starbuck (Katee Sackhoff) from Battlestar Galactica. Girl knows how to party. I normally drink wine, but if I were with her, I’d probably drink a gin and tonic.
For the record, my second choice is Liz Lemon. I miss her all the time.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Read more books! Play more video games! Pay more attention in math class! Travel! Stop worrying!
The most important and most difficult thing to learn will be to enjoy the present.
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 Eleanor Lutz (@eleanor_lutz). She’s a biology nerd and graphic design rockstar. With a degree in molecular biology from the University of Washington and a passion for design, she makes ridiculously cool infographics explaining and glorifying the natural world. She’s also our Lady Geek of the Week.
Lutz is taking a year off between college and real life to devote herself to her designs, which you can find over at Tabletop Whale. She’s pulling back the world, layer by layer, and showing us what it’s made of. Check out her designs yourself! You’ll be fascinated. We’ve posted one of our favorites, tracking the flight of various creatures, below.
Read on for Lutz’s interview with BGC to find out where her passions all started and where she finds inspiration.
Q: How did you discover your passion for design and biology?
A: Growing up I always loved drawing and making things, and I guess I never grew out of it. As for biology, it was my favorite class in middle and high school so I picked that as my major for college.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration in life?
A: I love reading books and browsing the internet! I think most of my inspiration comes from photos and articles I see online.
Q: Your taking a year off after college to devote yourself to Tabletop Whale. What do you hope to accomplish in this year?
A: With the year off, I was mostly hoping to try a lot of new projects and really see what it would be like to work as a freelance designer for a year.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose?
A: The Hobbit was my favorite book growing up, so I would probably choose Bilbo Baggins. I love to cook, so I feel like we would get along pretty well.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: To not worry too much about what other people think and just enjoy being a teenager.
Image via, of course, the formidable Eleanor Lutz.
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 Andrea McNett (@andreamcnett). She’s a spunky coder, designer, and developer (designeloper) living in Minneapolis, MN. She spends her working days as an Associate Designer at Pixel Farm, a full-service creative agency making brands like Target, General Mills, and the NHL glow. Check out some of the company’s latest work here.
Off the clock, you’ll find McNett nibbling on some dark chocolate, day-dreaming about her semester abroad in Scotland, and snuggling up with a cat or two.
With both her right and left brain firing on all cylinders, McNett bubbles with creativity and passion for her work, which blends math, design, psychology, and art. But we’ll let her tell you more…
Q: How did you discover your passion for digital design?
A: Growing up, I loved art and math equally. In high school, I joined the school newspaper. As nerdy as it sounds, page layout was a lot of fun for me, so I researched graphic design as a career option and ultimately ended up going to college for it. In college, I had trouble completely letting go of my left-brain skills, so I ended up learning how to code. Being a designer/developer at Pixel Farm (or designeloper as my creative director calls me) strikes the perfect balance between technical know-how and creativity. I love coming up with ideas as much as I love making them.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration when working?
A: It’s cliché, but I find music inspirational, particularly when coding. The right music helps me work through a problem and makes me more productive. Professionally, I think the best inspiration can be found browsing the Internet and soaking it all in. Everyone at Pixel Farm is really good at this so we’re always sending links to each other. I’m forever amazed by how the Internet can bring people together–it’s an honor to be able to wake up each day and help make that happen.
Q: If you could have any superhero power, what would it be?
A: Is there a superhero that never needs to sleep? That would be awesome.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: This is the hardest question yet! Renée in the Elegance of the Hedgehog (it’s okay–nobody has read this book) is one of my all-time favorite characters. She’s French, I suppose we’d drink wine.
Q: What would you tell your 13 year old self?
A: At some point, you’ll figure out that you don’t have to know everything. The sooner you get there, the better.
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
She has an eye for design, flair for digital communication strategy, and an intense fondness for her hometown: Minneapolis, MN. Meet Jennie Eukel (@jennieeukel), our Lady Geek of the Week.
Eukel’s background is rooted firmly in arts and design. She holds a BA in Studio Art and Art History and founded Twin Cities Design Scene, a blog devoted to the design inspiration, news, and resources of Minnesota’s metro. The job market has snatched up Eukel for her talent in marketing, interior design, content management, and more. Ready to be amazed? Connect with her on LinkedIn to browse her full resume.
But these days, Eukel has channeled her passion into Greenspring Media, an award-winning, multi-platform publishing company producing magazines such as Minnesota Monthly and Midwest Home. Eukel works behind-the-scenes as the Digital Media Manager, where she takes the lead creating robust strategic digital communications for the company’s publications.
Curious how Eukel found her way to Greenspring Media? Dying to know her favorite True Blood character? Read on!
Q: Your career has taken you many places, from art history, to design blogging and consultation, to online marketing. How did you discover your passion and arrive at Greenspring Media?
A: I love creating experiences for others. It is the common thread throughout my career. I started out working in art and interior design, creating experiences that people could enjoy in their homes. At the time in 2009, there wasn’t a lot of online resources that connected people to cool design news, shops and individuals, so I created a website called, Twin Cities Design Scene. I wanted to create an experience online where people could discover and support local businesses. From there I pursued my interest for being that connector and creating online experiences through storytelling and social media, and digital content…and here I am today!
Q: Where do you find inspiration in life?
A: From family, friends, and from the awesome Twin Cities culture and scenery. I love exploring and discovering new places around town.
Q: Superhero power?
A: Is being super blunt a superpower? Because I’m awesome at that. :) For real though? I’d love to be able to teleport. I hate long commutes, so it’d be perfect.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Eric Northman from True Blood. Who wouldn’t want to hear stories from a 1,000 year old Swedish Viking Vampire? I suppose he’d be drinking blood (or Tru Blood). I’d be drinking a St. Germain with champagne.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: The zits will go away, oh, and stand up straight!
Image credit: Noelle Bakken Photography
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
