BarCampCLT: Signs of Creative Life in the Queen City?

I had a great time on Saturday attending the first-ever BarCamp in Charlotte, organized by Phillip Dodds and faithfully executed (in Phillip’s absence due to chicken pox!) by Justin Ruckman (among others).

One of the best parts about BarCamp—which, for the uninitiated, is an Internet/tech “un-conference”—is just getting to meet a lot of interesting people who are doing creative things on the Web. The event was attended by a strong Charlotte contingency, as well as folks from Raleigh, Atlanta, and Columbia.

 

I enjoyed spending the day with my wife, of course, and friends Magenta and Eric.

As a hip, young urban planner, Eric is both a part of Charlotte’s “creative class” as well as one of its biggest proponents. Reflecting on Saturday’s BarCamp, he writes:

“It was not only the first real indication in my four-year experience living in the Queen City that creative industries actually do exist in this starchy town, but that there even exists a ray of possibility that this city actually has some (laughable at the moment) traction to become a ‘Creative City.’ …

“Can we *gasp* become the SE hub of venture capital? The Infotech hub, Social Web research hub, and financial software/webware development hub? Hmmmm … Depends on the nimbleness of our banks and the true caliber of their leadership, assuming they survive the winter, but who knows. Who knows.”

While I loved Eric’s assessment—and I hope a lot of others are reading and paying attention to what he has to say—Magenta had a more personal response to BarCamp, which she shared on her newly launched Between The Boxes blog:

“Hear that? That was the sound of my life changing drastically—again. I’m beginning another season of major change, which in fact began on MLK Day, appropriately, when my husband and I decided to split. This is divorce number 2 for me …

“It seemed a good time to give blogging another try—attempt four, I think this is. I think I may be off to a better start this time, hopefully with a little help from some folks with expertise that I connected with at the recent Charlotte BarCamp. I’m trying to get my social media skills up to par, and the BarCamp was the kick in the pants I needed, well-timed as it was with my current life change.

“I named my blog ‘between the boxes’ because i’ve realized that a key component of my journey is the continual navigation of that space between the paradigms that people try to confine you to, for the sake of their own security and sense of control. I understand that need in people, even myself; but I am compelled to rebel against it in all of its forms.”

There are already several other Web/tech events being planned for the coming months—a Social Media Breakfast, a TwitterWithUs tweetup (late April), a Social Fresh conference (late August), a Podcamp, and more. So here’s hoping that this is just the early stages of a creative renaissance in the city of Charlotte.

The CLT Blog livestreamed BarCampCLT, and you can still watch the archived video, if you’re interested. See loads of photos from the event on Flickr. Special thanks to Neil Cowley of MakeLoveReal.net for taking all the great avatar photos!

Posted on: 26.01.2009