Name of the Fangirl: Samantha
Fangirl’s Occupation: Illustrator
What is her fangirl interest?
Star Trek
Why did you decide to shine the spotlight on this fangirl?
I wanted to shine a light on myself as a sort of coming out. I will admit that only months ago I had no idea what fangirls were or what the term entailed.
About 6 months ago I was working day in and day out in my little cubicle designing for a magazine. I loved the company, but working in a cube was never a great fit for me. I stopped working in an office and began freelancing from home, where I found I had so much extra time on my hands. I finally saw the great city I was living in, met new people, and of course reunited with a childhood love: Star Trek- Next Gen.
I had forgotten what an impact this show had on my life as a child. Maybe it was the strong women, or positive outlook on the future that got me hooked, maybe it was Will Riker’s beard! Either way some of my greatest memories as a kid were just sitting in my PJs watching TNG with my dad.
After becoming a full time freelancer I spent the next 3 months catching up on ALL THINGS Trek: The Original Series, Next Gen., DS9, Voyager, Enterprise and the JJ Abrams films. This binge watching soon turned into a love not only for the Trek characters, but for the actors as well. And what do we do when we love somebody? We follow them on Twitter of course!
Following these actors was, like being a tiny part of their world. I knew when Wil Wheaton was eating a burrito, what National Food Day Shatner was celebrating. I learned new hashtags like #bydhttmwfi and #LLAP. And so armed with my love of Star Trek, Twitter, hours of extra time, and some illustration skills, I turned to Tumblr and began Tweets From Space: “A Profusely Illustrated Blog Dedicated to the “Greatest” Tweets of Star Trek Cast Members.”
It was on Tumblr that I discovered the FANGIRL! Trek fans began liking my work and then following. When I followed back I discovered that many of my followers were young girls in their teens. They loved Trek. They loved Sherlock. They loved Doctor Who. But most importantly they just LOVED. These fangirls were completely themselves in a way that I was never strong enough to be at their age.
Young girls and women alike have created a place where we can all be ourselves, and just love what we love the most that we can. So I am proud to be a part of this community, I am proud to be a Fangirl!
How does this fangirl express her fandom?
Illustrating for Tweets From Space! …I illustrate Star Trek actor’s tweets as their Trek character.
What is her favorite quote or personal motto?
Boldly Go Where No One Has Gone Before! (of course)
What is her favorite fangirl item that she cannot live without?
Does Netflix and Twitter count? I need them to keep up with all things Trek!
Where can we follow her online?