When Money Doesn’t Matter
This Moonchat blog is going to talk about my experience with money making events vs. events where you might not make as much money, but gain a lot of valuable experience.
First up, let us be honest. Many of us cannot always justify doing an event if it does not mean we will get any sort of financial gain from it. I recognize that and at this point in my career, it is still tough for me too.
Events like this can be scary, but they can also be incredibly worth it. Like classes and workshops, events like these can be thought of as an investment into ourselves. Obviously if I choose to go to One Fantastic Workshop again, I am not going to be doing it to get a bunch of money from those running or attending it, that is not even the point! The point is to enrich and educate myself so as to have a more stable and successful career overall. Seems logical, right?
My travel journal which I like to write about show experiences, takeaways and special moments in.
But how on earth can we think of conventions in the same way? How do we know which ones are going to be enriching life experiences and which ones are just going to leave us with empty pockets and empty hearts (a little dramatic but we have all done those discouraging events!)
The truth is, we cannot always know. For instance, I did a convention that had very low sales and a pretty tough crowd, however, it remains to be one of my all time favourite memories because it brought me close to a particularly amazing group of people that have gone on to share many successes together. Sometimes you just do not know and that is why it is important to go into each event with a clear and open mind and be willing to look for the good you can make of it, even when things get rough.
When it comes to events, however, that we do have a little more insight in, shows like Illuxcon (which I have yet to attend) and Spectrum Fantastic Arts Live (which I just returned from) come to mind. Both of these amazing shows connect some of the biggest talents in the artistic industry by bringing them together under one roof. Both of these events also, are known to many artists, to not be huge money makers (though exceptions do apply of course)
Pre-Con Meditation at Mud Pie in Kansas City. Highly recommend this coffee house and bakery for its cozy atmosphere.
Here are a few tips I would recommend when attending shows you want to do a lot of networking at and gain some experience outside of sales.
Save Up: If you know you are going to be doing a show that might be tough to justify financially, save up for it. It is hard to make the most out of a show when you are panicking about paying your bills so try to give yourself a bit of a cushion.
Do Not Go Alone if You Have a Booth: So one of my few regrets for this show was that I did not have a booth assistant. Had I had one, I could have walked around and interacted a lot more. If you do plan to go to an event like this alone, I recommend doing so as an attendee and not an exhibitor so that you have the freedom to walk around without having to babysit a booth.
Do Have a Booth if You Can: This is really just my perspective and others might have a different view but I wonder if having a booth (preferably with an assistant as mentioned above) is actually useful at these events because it gives you your own “gallery” Of course you could also bring a portfolio, but if you are hoping to catch the eye of a passing art director, having a booth with professionally displayed work seems like a wise idea. I know a few people who had some big names drop by their tables. Sometimes catching people “off guard” with your work is a really great way to help them take notice of it because they get to discover it on their own time. Humans, as a species, tend to enjoy pleasant surprises and discoveries, from digging through a bin of prints to find that perfect piece or being stopped on a show floor by your amazing artwork!
Overcome Your Fears: I realize that meeting with so many amazing artists can be intimidating. I am pretty shy by nature but the best things that have happened in my life, have literally come from overcoming my fear of approaching people. And that is no exaggeration. I would very likely not have gotten my career to this point, met my partner, or made any of the incredible friendships and connections I have within my industry had I just continued to hide. It is okay to be shy, it is okay to be honest about it. In fact, it is downright touching when someone admits that they are nervous to meet you so never feel bad about being who you are. You probably have a lot more to give than you realize and if you do meet the rare person who will not give you the time of day, just realize that they might be dealing with things too. One of my good friends was a bit disappointed by another artist they finally got to meet at an event but we both later learned that that person had been in the midst of an anxiety attack. You never know what someone is dealing with so try not to take it too personally if they are not who you expect.
Terribly candid picture taken after the Spectrum awards with Timothy and Ki. How do my friends manage to look so adorable in these moments??
So what did I gain by attending such a show?
I still do not know how to put into words all the warm feelings I came home with. I have this silly fear that expressing my joy is going to look like bragging, or that it will annoy people so I often try to hold back a bit. As Patreon is our little safe haven moon, I will be as honest as I can with you.
My biggest takeaways were that I am on the right track with my art. This is something I know deep down, but finding people who recognize and appreciate the direction my art is going in is incredibly encouraging. It helps me realize that though I am doing this for me, I can still share it with the world.
I am deeply humbled by all the talent in my industry. I have so much to strive for but I do feel that I have the ability to get there. If you saw one of my recent Instagram posts, you will know that my amazing friend Ki won the Spectrum Rising Star Award and my friend Tim and I were also nominated for it. That was truly a surreal experience I could not event comprehend when it happened. Thank goodness I had friends screaming at me and pushing me to get on stage because I was literally stuck in my chair in shock when my name was called and I thought “There must be a mistake.” I do struggle a lot with confidence in my work. It is something I am trying very hard to work on so this was something that for a moment, my brain could not even comprehend. I am just really inspired and honored to have been nominated and I am so proud of my friend Ki who won! Their art is seriously inspiring and they are a true master of their craft. Every time I see them draw, I get motivated to work harder and I think that is one of the biggest takeaways I had overall, my motivation to work harder. I know I have workaholic tendencies, but I also tend to get disorganized and lose structure a lot. Keeping firm goals is foremost on my mind as I proceed from here.
These were just my experiences but I witnessed so much during the weekend that also inspired me. I do not want to name names in case the people involved wish to keep any of this private but I can say that one of my very good friends, who is newer to cons seriously rocked it this show with a well thought-out setup and an incredible attitude and it truly paid off for them! Another friend was seriously brave with all the networking they did and I am super proud of them because I know anxiety is an issue for both of us and it is amazing how much they accomplished despite that. I know another friend settled a pretty great deal with one of my favourite groups as well which I cannot talk about but am excited to share in the future. Overall, I just saw a lot of great people accomplishing a lot of great things and it once more showed me how much benefit their is to putting yourself out there no matter your confidence or experience level. We got this. We just have to prove it to ourselves from time to time.
Huge Group Photo of some of the most talented artists I have ever met!
Artist share/shoutout to some of my favorites from the show!
Colin and Kristine Poole (They made the incredible Rising Star Award that my friend Ki won! Their sculptures were so inspiring)
Cory Godbey (This guy actually inspired me to start creating booths with more atmosphere and context and every time I see his art I get the urge to draw!)
JAW Cooper (A big personal hero. They inspired me to take animal anatomy more seriously when I first found their work a few years ago. Meeting them was such a treat!)
My friends of course!
Daniel (hemlockvale)
Nicole Grosjean (Paper Fauna)
Pui (Puillustrated) (I have to insist on what a mentor this guy has been to me. And his art is just mind-blowing!)
Ki (Gaw.Ki)
Timothy (Vonnart)
