GIRL AT PLAY PRODUCTIONS - by Alex Beauchamp

In 1984 I received my first Apple II computer and coded endlessly with "the turtle." A few years later I begged my parents for a computer (just a blank PC) and they thought I was crazy (a pretty little cute 14 year old girl wanting a what? This was 1987 after all). I began coding games in DOS Basic in between rounds of playing with Barbie and learning how to put on rouge. Then I got into BBS'ing - 300, 1200 oh my word 9600 baud! It was pre-web at that point but I was connecting to people from around the world at a very slow pace and loved every minute of it.

In 1995 I created my first web page using Netscape Navigator and began writing a daily online journal in 1996. My personal site became instantly popular (I assume because at this time, there wasn't much personal stuff on nor was there many females). In 2001 I began my own freelance career which I chronicled on my site, GirlatPlay.com. I ended up creating more sites, branding things, creating a loyal audience, and having 2 SXSW Web award nominations.

I've worked in New Media and technology for a lot of years yet I'm almost never invited to speak on tech subjects (I usually am only asked to speak at writing and "creative" conferences which I mostly pass on). Although I'm 33 with this 20 year solid online history, I look quite young, I'm very blonde, I wear dresses, I laugh whilst speaking, I'm not uber-competitive with others and I still maintain a life outside the web. This, I think, makes it hard to get taken as "serious tech geek who has authority" amongst a whole bunch of men and a few pant wearing women - the same 4 women that seem to get asked over and over again to speak.

I think people often have a perception of what "geek" is, what "authority" is and what "serious" is and if one doesn't fit it, they're out. I know all the "cool kids" who speak at these conferences, I am connected with my peers yet I don't have their "look" nor do I blog 24/7 about it. I think that has a lot to do why I - along with other women like myself - do not get invited to participate at conferences. We can talk about "being creative," our "feelings" and "wearing pink boas" but we don't really get to talk about the meat of things very often. And that's frustrating. Especially since I don't think we have to be one or the other - we can be both. And I think those of us who don't just make a living blogging 24/7 about tech or just going to conferences as a full-time job might be a little more in-touch with the outside world and have a fresher perspective than the people who keep making the same rounds.

It's why I initiated and helped put together a (very well-received) panel at the 2007 SXSWI called "Boss Lady" - showing women can be smart, creative, funny, personable, driven, and geeky. Because I know I have something to offer and I'm not going to wait to be asked to share it anymore.

Mighty Girl has a great little post up about advice she'd give to highschoolers (found via Boss Lady - love that site!). My favourite bit:

I recently wrote a post on how those who are unhappy with their current jobs often want to freelance when perhaps that's not the best fit. The InterChange Desk web site offers lots of ideas and information on how to change careers which might be useful to those who want to work in another field but can't just jump ship right away.

On April 08th, 2001 I made a decision to leave my corporate job to write. Maybe do art as well if I ever got that brave (I had, after all, failed art class 3 times). In the beginning, I had no idea what to write, how to write, where to write so I began online, hand-coding each entry. I had no idea where it'd lead me - I just wanted it to lead me away from an unhappy life.

Six years later, I have a very happy life and career. I have been able to write for a living, I've sold artwork online and in galleries (and even for book covers - take that art teachers) I've also been able to create amazing communities, work in film, work in new media and development. I've been able to travel the world, meet amazing people and make even more amazing friends. And I've made more money as a freelancer than I ever did working for someone else.

Because of that, I have a tendency to want to celebrate the day I decided to leave my corporate job to pursue this wonderful, crazy, challenging, beautiful freelance life. And on many occasions before I've done just that. But the truth is, in order for me to have this creative career, I must celebrate every job I had before because without them, I'm not sure I could really be where I am now.

Here's a great way to sell a book online. It's unique, creative and hasn't been done before. It breaks the rules - so many rules - and I love that. It's not safe, it's not standard, it's not "what's done" for an author site. It's what's done by a creative girl.

I think sometimes creative people (myself included) can be afraid of bursting outside the box. We stick to a formula that works (look at how many blogs look the same) or we want a formula to be successful (#1 question I'm asked - what do I do to be a successful artist? Or just look at the 1-2-3 self-help books). Or sometimes all we look at (out of our own sense of habit or lack of creativity elsewhere) is the same old same old so which can make it hard to become inspired and take a new risk.

That's why I'm loving Miranda July's new site - it's just helped me look at things very differently and to not be afraid to step outside the (3 column) box.