Interview with Jenn Creighton

Jenn is a Senior Staff OSS Engineer at Apollo and organizer of useReactNYC and Women of React Conf. In this interview, she talks about working in opensource and organizing meetups. You can find her on Twitter as @gurlcode.

What got you into OSS? React?

React was the first framework I felt I understood. It aligned with how I wanted to build UI so it feels natural to me. I started paying more attention to the OSS side of things a bit late but I became fascinated with how React is built. One of my goals for the next year is to start contributing as well.

What drew you to this community?

I watch the well-known people in different tech community and take my cues about safety and belonging from them. I don’t think I would be this involved in the community if it wasn’t for how open the React Core team is. I see a lot of their interactions (mostly Twitter) to help people understand the framework better and that draws me in.

Why did you start organizing useReactNYC?

I started co-organizing useReactNYC because me and some fellow people (Harry Wolff, Matthew Gerstman and Donavon West) thought it was a need in the community. We’re trying to create a different, more open and welcoming React community.

How do you make time for this work if it’s not a part of your job?

We’ve organized monthly meetups since June, plus I will have spoken at 11 conferences this year. A big part of being able to do this much work outside of a full-time job is a flexible employer. I travel often but I’m able to work remotely when I do. Days I speak, I take off.

I also strategize which conferences I can speak at and which talks I can write. I block off large sections of the calendar to devote to “traveling to X conference or “writing X talk” so I don’t bite off more than I can chew.

How do you balance what you do with having a life?

Blocking off the calendar is super helpful for me. But even more helpful is listening to what I feel like doing (“I want to be social tonight!”) and giving myself permission to do so. I feel strongly that if you listen to your needs, you produce better work. I can take time to do whatever I want, even if it’s slacking off all day and that’s ok. When I do that, I find I can be more present and connected when I need to do work.

What do you like to do when you aren’t hacking?

Ok, so, most of the time, I’m preparing for a conference. I refer to conference speaking as my “hobby” and I genuinely do love the art of it. It’s the intersection of teaching + performance + design. But outside of that, I love to sew. I’ve got 2 gorgeous vintage 1960s sewing machines that are a dream to work with. Plus, a special sewing area in my apartment that feels super cozy.

Describe your workspace.

On my desk, you’ll find useReactNYC stickers (made in-house by our design team!) and dog treats. This might be all you need to know about me as a person.

What’s the biggest challenge you’ve overcome?

Imposter syndrome! I’m finding that these days I know if I don’t know something, it means I’m about to learn something new and that feels… joyous?

Coolest thing that’s happened because of your work with useReactNYC?

This is silly but… we have cool stickers. I never thought I’d organize a meetup with legit beautiful stickers that people put on their laptops.

This interview appeared in a condensed format in the 2019 Women at the Heart of React Zine. It is part of a series of interviews with women who contribute to React Core and organize the React Community. Portrait by Xyra Brittney.

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