A New York Minute or Squarespace Circle Day: You Choose.
September feels forever ago and just a few sleeps back.
When invited to last year’s Squarespace Circle Day, I made swift reservations and booked a hotel before any imposter syndrome or nervousness could set in. And I’m so glad I did.
Circle Day is a conference for web designers and creative professionals in the Squarespace community. It was my first time attending. What I didn’t know at the time, or what wasn’t registering yet, was that it is also a room full of people who have chosen, deliberately, to build things. Build websites, build client relationships, build community and maybe most importantly, creative practices.
I remember walking through the space thinking I didn’t belong. And then suddenly feeling like it was exactly where I was supposed to be. The friendships I built, the community we created, the laughter that was shared made it one of those conferences I can’t wait to return to.
When booking I scheduled a wee bit of time around the conference so I could take pictures, explore and catch a show. Always catch a show.
New York doesn’t need you to be interested in its greatness. The city knows itself. Its flaws and its favors.
Saxophones and centuries of architecture stacked against each other while someone hails a cab. Newsstand vendors who have been at their corner longer than some of the passing tourists have been alive. Table tennis forgetting to go to bed. Heatherwick Studio’s remarkable mushroom-column supports rising up from the Hudson with the whole thing draped in trees. The unmistakable skyline, shimmering a nod toward Jersey, reminding you exactly where you are.
Returning home I always think about craft. About passion. About choosing difficult even when easy would be simpler. Choosing grit, energy, beauty and presence against all odds. And remembering that most things are possible, at any hour in New York. It’s the kind of inspiration that gets you through the thicket.
Shannon Kelli is a commercial photographer and small business growth strategist based in Berkeley, California. She is a Squarespace Circle member and has been building digital systems for creative and institutional clients since 2009.
All photographs © Shannon Kelli Pictures 2025. New York, September 2025.
