Iconic & Orderable content marketers talk creativity, deep work, and inclusivity in tech.
![Genalcia](https://res.cloudinary.com/lwgatsby/f_auto/www/uploads/2023/02/GLuciaTransparent.png)
Coming from a creative family, Gina Lucia built her creativity and business at an early age. She currently lives in Bristol, UK, but grew up in the West Midlands to two artist parents who explore sculpture, photography, painting and video. “They did this as a leisure pursuit and turned it into a job by starting a graphic design business,” she says. But Gina’s artistic mission was more literary. “I grew up around that business and design mindset, and it wasn’t until I got into college and got a degree in creative writing that I started translating it into text.”
Lucia has worked in the technology industry for the past 10 years, starting her family business coding and designing websites for clients. Eventually, she pursued a solo career in freelance web design. “Her websites like Squarespace and her Wix started getting easier with her builders, then switched to content her writing, eventually leveraging her creative writing degree,” she says.
Today, she brings her creative skills to the Liquid Web family as a contracted content marketer for Iconic & Orderable. “I see my role as translating technical stories into something that the average person can understand and understand. I write articles, documentation, emails, product descriptions, etc. for both Iconic and Orderable. I am,” she says.
Passionate about communication, one of the most appealing aspects of working in tech for Lucia is how easy it is to talk to people. “People who work in tech understand what you want and what you mean on a technical level, and they get it much quicker,” she says. “They are also not afraid to experiment with new systems and technologies. People in technology are used to changing with it because technology generally changes quickly. I’m not too afraid to do it.”
Books have played an important role in Lucia’s professional and personal life. “I’m a book lover,” she says. “I owe a lot of my work techniques and changes to them. I attribute my success to persistence and not giving up. When I was younger, I used to give up on things too quickly. violin, flute, bass guitar. As an adult, I realized that things just don’t work out that way. On the internet, things move and happen so fast that it tricks your mind into thinking it must happen to everyone. You have to work hard and keep achieving what you want. ”
Lucia’s way of working is profound. “If you’ve read Cal Newport’s book Deep Work, you know what I’m talking about,” she says. “If not, read on! Deep work essentially means focusing on one task without any distractions. This technique sounds simple, but it’s not easy given all the distractions these days. For Lucia, what that means is batching together like-minded tasks and getting them all done in one deep work session of hers. “Working this way, you can get a lot done in a short amount of time. Give yourself more time to rest.”
For Lucia, progress means balancing rest and growth. “I enjoy continuous improvement. Without it, I think I would be demotivated. This isn’t just about my work life,” she says. “I enjoy making gradual and sustained small 1% improvements in just about anything. I have never been fulfilled.”
On the future of women in tech, Lucia points out that there are still unconscious biases in the tech world. “There has been some progress, but I feel a cultural shift is needed. These biases create institutional barriers that must be torn down. We nudge progress while championing diversity.”
She points out the importance of promoting more transgender women in the tech industry as well. “Many meaningful movements like Women in Tech may advocate for transgender women, but they need to be more explicit on their websites and marketing materials,” she says. “It should be part of the conversation.”
Lucia believes the best way to encourage more women to enter the field is for women in tech to speak up about their experiences. “Young women want to see themselves in these roles.” she says “If all they see are white men, it’s even harder.”
An avid reader, Lucia’s non-fiction picks include:
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Busy World by Cal Newport
Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, Live More Boldly by Reshma Saujani