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.
“Carly Ayres is a person, living and working in Brooklyn, New York.” She specializes in creating, consuming, curating, and distributing content at CreativeMornings, a breakfast lecture series on creativity, branding, and just general living. We’ll let her tell you more about her work there in just a bit.
Ayres is also a regular contributor over at Core77, an industrial design blog for professionals and enthusiasts alike. In her free time, Ayres is “a voracious reader, pie baker, and aspiring indoor-plant horticulturist.”
She tweets: @carlyayres, blogs: over here, Instagrams: carlyayres, and chats with Being Geek Chic…
Q: How did you discover your passion?
A: It was more of a slow burn. There wasn’t an ‘ah-ha’ moment. I was a senior majoring in Industrial Design at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) when I finally came to terms with the fact that I didn’t want to pursue a career in product design. After spending four years welding metal and carving wood, I realized that my favorite part of product design was the initial process‚ speaking with users, digging into their needs, and synthesizing those experiences.
I took a step back from my work and saw that I had already been doing the work I cared about, molding the curriculum to satisfy the projects that I wanted to be doing. I was doing independent studies that involved lots of research, interviewing and speaking with people, and telling stories, but that didn’t result in physical, functional products. One of these projects was why-we-make, which cataloged the stories of RISD alumni and their own circuitous paths to creative fulfillment.
That project made me take another look at my own path to what I was doing and what I wanted to be doing moving forward. That summer, I turned down an internship in product design to work for CreativeMornings, a lecture series for creative communities, and joined them full time after I graduated.
At CreativeMornings, I head up all things content as Chief Content Officer, overseeing the consumption, creation, and distribution of content in all of its myriad forms across its 85+ chapters around the world. From blog posts to press releases, I look for ways to tell the stories of our community.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration in life?
A: Everything comes back to people. With CreativeMornings, the stories are about people and the audience is people. The stories of these people, the steps they take, and what that leads to always excites me and I love talking to them and connecting those dots.
I recently highlighted the work of Vasco Mourao, who is an amazingly talented illustrator in addition to organizing the CreativeMornings chapter in Barcelona. In the interview, he shares a quote that really resonates with me: “If you fail at your work, it is not failure at all, but if you fail at your relationships, that’s really failure.”
Everything comes down to the people you meet and the relationships you have with them. With Vasco’s story, I was excited to hear that quote because it resonated with the work I am doing and kept me thinking long after the interview was over. My hope in sharing these stories is that others will have similar experiences, taking away bits and pieces and incorporating them into their own lives in an impactful way.
Q: What makes a good storyteller?
A: Curiosity. I always remember a story my dad told me from his dating days when he was complaining to a friend about how a girl he had met was 'so boring.’ His friend told him that it wasn’t the girl who was boring, but that the fault was on my father who failed to discover what was interesting about her.
I think being genuinely interested in what someone is saying and asking thoughtful questions are the most valuable traits to making a good storyteller. 'Non-judgmental listening’ is term I picked up from culture analyst Sharon Ann Lee, who describes it as the way Jane Goodall worked with the apes, sitting and observing, reserving all judgement.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
This is a hard question. I just finished Meg Wolitzer’s “The Interestings,” so am wishing I could grab a drink with Jules Jacobson and have a deep conversation on life and growing up, which is something I think a lot about these days.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: Speaking of growing up.. Once you get those braces off, things are going to start looking way up for you. You don’t know it yet because you really don’t know a lot at this point. You can’t know what you don’t know, but if you know that you don’t know anything, at least you’ll know something.
When you know better, you do better, so start doing as many things as possible and experiencing as many things as you can because the quickest way to discovering what you do like is by doing all the things you don’t like first.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, but straight lines are boring, so make sure you do everything the long, hard, stupid way and carve for yourself an expansive winding route. And while you are on that long, winding, circuitous path, stop judging yourself and love everything, unabashedly.
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
Looking to break into the realm of literature? Itching to get your short stories into the world without the red tape of publishing companies? Fancy yourself a poet and need to create a portfolio of work? Meet Cat Noone (@imcatnoone).
She’s a designer, tech aficionado, and enabler of self-publishing. She’s the co-founder and Chief Design Officer of Liberio, a tool that allows you to design and publish eBooks. Simply upload your witty and engaging prose to Google docs, import to Liberio, and publish your eBook! Liberio strives to “make the publishing of eBooks easy for everyone. No matter if you are a teacher, student, designer, artist, engineer or tinkerer, creating and publishing your own books is now only a push of a button away.”
And there’s even more to Noone. She’s also the co-maker of Designer Relationships and official proofer and bufferer of Typoguide with her partner in crime, Benedikt Lehnert.
In her free time, Noone travels, eats s'mores, and chats with Being Geek Chic…
Q: How did you discover your passion?
A: I was raised surrounded with coloring books, paints, pencils, canvas and more, and it was a rare occasion when you’d see me without at least one of them. Characters and coloring pages donned the refrigerator and walls like wrapping paper, and the “pieces” I created were celebrated. I had always been a fan of art, and was always quite particular about how I feel things should work in the world — from the perfect circle, to dancing properly. So maybe it was meant to be from the beginning…
Q: Where do you find your inspiration in life?
A: Everywhere honestly. I try not to turn to the computer too much to search for “inspiration.” I love reading, looking through furniture books, traveling and discovering new places in the city that I’m in. I also enjoy really good conversation with someone, that usually gives a nice inspiration boost depending on the topic of conversation.
Designers seem to have a tendency to automatically default to looking at other work (which is also good to look at) when they hear “inspiration,” but it’s so much more than that, that can actually end up shaping what you work on.
Q: Proudest accomplishment thus far?
A: Keeping my sanity? *laughs* Kidding (but not at the same time). I’m not sure. I guess it depends on what I’m comparing to. For the average individual my age, I’ve come far and am doing very well, which is something I’m extremely happy about. When it comes to just looking at where I currently am in my life, and the goals I’m tackling, I’m “content”.
Overall, I couldn’t be happier. I live a comfortable life, in a cozy home, and have a fantastic support system. I’ve built up a great (small) group of friends, have the cutest dog and the most loving partner-in-crime. In my professional life, I have so many people I’m learning from on a daily basis, and so many people who seem to enjoy learning from me. To me, I’m most humbled and proud to say I have all of that. It’s something I need to cherish and think about more often, because there’s no guarantee that it will be the same tomorrow.
Q: If you could take any fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Dr. Seuss, duh. And I would drink purple orange juice of course. Because, why not? All jokes aside, every adult should read “Oh, the places you’ll go”.
Q: What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
A: This is a deep one. I guess a few things. For one, mistakes happen and it’s important to see them as lessons learned, rather than regret, because that’s what will eat you up in the quiet moments, when you should be most at peace. That life is messy and there’s no changing it. But just like the world, it continues on, and you’re either going to mope and let the mess define you, or you’re going to learn from it and just let it become a part of your story.
And I’d say that it’s important to believe there is a such thing as unconditional and endless love, because there is and you will know it when you find it, and while sometimes difficult, it’s worth it. In the end, it’s always worth it.
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
Meet Laura Bohill. She’s a UK-based designer and illustrator who freelances with a wide variety of projects, ranging from UI work to digital illustration. She's sought after around the globe for her playful, quirky designs, charming personality, and killer work ethic. She describes our society as a “world of wonder” and is continuously “dreaming bigger and better.”
Currently, she’s a proud collaborator with the uber-hip NYC-based web design, branding and illustration studio Ghostly Ferns. The company designs for “small businesses, startups and anyone looking to cheer up.” It’s a perfect fit for Bohill.
So, need some cheering up? Check out Bohill’s delightful interview with Being Geek Chic and follow this Lady Geek on Twitter: @LauRARbee.
Q: How did you discover your passion?
A: I’ve always been creative, and wouldn’t say I ‘discovered’ my passion at any particular point. I grew up with it. There was really no other career path that sparked as much enthusiasm for me. As a kid I’d draw endless amounts of pictures and often said, “When I grow up I want to be an artist, but I don’t know how that makes money."
We had floral patterned wallpaper when I was young (cringe), and one day my Mam noticed that I had extended the pattern by adding extra flowers with a blue biro pen. When she asked me what I had done, my reply was, "That? I drew it months ago. The wall needed more flowers!” She simply couldn’t bring herself to be mad at me. And now I’m lucky enough that some of my clients actually ask me to draw on walls and windows for them. It’s funny how things play out.
Q: Where do you find your inspiration in life?
A: I’m a big kid who enjoys watching animated films, reading picture books, and being fascinated by amazing fictional characters. With anything created for kids, the sky’s the limit in terms of creativity and imagination. In this world of wonder, it’s the mentality of 'anything is possible’ that inspires me to keep on dreaming bigger and better.
Q: If you could take one fictional character out for a drink, whom would you choose and what would you drink?
A: Robin Williams as Peter Pan from Hook. We would most definitely drink those milky bubbly imaginary beverages they have in the food fight scene. Bangerang!
Q: You can choose one super power, what is it?
A: This is the hardest question. To be able to breathe under water maybe? I’ve always wanted to be a mermaid, which is ironic because I’m scared of swimming in the sea. But maybe I’m only scared because I’m not actually a mermaid? Can being a mermaid be a superpower please?
Q: What would you tell your 13 year old self?
A: To keep on, keepin’ on. Be 100% true to yourself, and do whatever you want to do, that’s what you’re going to be best at. Everything will fall into place if you follow your heart, and chase something you truly believe in. And like, stop being so moody all the dang time.
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
Friends, time for an upgrade. My logo is fun and funny, but not very profesh. So I’ve asked a designer friend to help me create a new logo look.
Which is your favorite? Click Read More to comment!
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.
