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First time
a year ago
Now that one week has passed and I'm not as jet-lagged as I was a few days ago, I felt it was time to write some thoughts about my first furry convention experience.
I decided to name this journal first time, but honestly, a better title would have been first times, plural. Because it was a lot more than just my first convention, it was many first things.
Starting with the journey, traveling internationally for slightly less than one week was a fresh experience, and considering that my last time in the US was over a decade ago, everything felt very foreign to me.
With a considerable dose of luck, and a bit of timezone shenanigans I managed to complete the over 4000 miles trip across the ocean with no issues and most surprisingly, with no delays. Arriving at the destination the same day I left, rather than the usual two days you can expect for international travel.
Before getting to speak to the agent at the border control, I was rehearsing what to say and trying to have my papers in order should they decide to inquire further on my plans.
However none of that was necessary as in the moment I received the rather blunt question of "what are you doing here?", my immediate response was to say "I'm here to visit my friends", and that was probably the best answer I could have given as no further questions were asked, and I was allowed to go.
Little did I know that minutes later my answer would come true, as I messaged one of my friends and learn he just arrived at the same airport and was waiting for his baggage. I asked where he was and ran to meet him for the first time face-to-face.
Together we took a taxi to the convention hotel where for brief moments I got to feel the Florida heat for the first time, it was intense, almost overwhelming.
The hotel was massive to an extent I never thought possible for a hotel to be. I've never seen anything like it. We spent some time at the check-in desk that looked relatively humble in comparison to the sheer size of the whole place and soon we both had our room keys and the chance to finally drop our luggage and roam more freely.
Since we arrived before the official start of the event, there was little movement at the time, but here and there we could see signs of what was to come.
The next day was a recovery day for me, after the marathon that is international air travel, and without much to see, me and my friend just spent time exploring the hotel, talking and eating at the hotel's diner.
During the evening another friend joined us, so yet another first time meeting, and after getting over the initial awkwardness that first time meetings bring, we talked till late in the night.
The registration queue that day was massive, so we refrained from trying to venture into it, but much to our surprise, the next day it was far shorter and although we had to do some camping at the line, once the registration desk opened, everything was done very fast.
With badges and schedule at hand, we were ready to go. So we walked back to the convention hall where I met more people for the first time. The jolly atmosphere was invigorating, and made me want to see everything I could.
After the opening ceremony we checked the dealer's den, and experienced some good dose of sensory overload. At that time nothing caught my interest, but later as I explored that place again and again I started to find things here and there that I liked.
While it was amazing to see furry businesses blooming I felt slightly disappointed that artist tables were not as common as I imagined. A lot of clothing articles and wearables were available, all artistic in their own ways, but not a lot of plain good old art.
Another slightly disappointing thing was the lack of art books, I was hoping to return with a lot of artist "sketchbook" style books but there weren't a lot of them. Which made me think that this might be what I have to do as a next big project. It is the whole "be the change you want to see" kind of deal.
The convention floor was now seeing the movement it was well prepared to handle, and all the display of creativity in the forms of hundreds of fursuits that came in all shapes and sizes provided a near endless stream of things to look at.
My favorite suits, surprisingly, were not raccoons as one might think but the opossums, I believe I counted 5 or 6 of them wandering the convention, and they were the most creative and fun in my opinion.
Late that evening, we met more friends and for the first time, went on a short drive outside the hotel for dinner and some chatter. The size of American portions were doing a number on me, so that time I ate very little, but it was great to go out for a bit.
The following days were a mix of exploring the dealer's den, talking to the friends I finally got to meet, attending some panels, eating, more talking and watching the movement of attendees and suiters.
On the final evening, we banded together to a nicer restaurant as per my pestering and persuasion, and it was a great way to close a great trip. I got my friends addicted to my country's national drink, guaraná, and we all ate a lot more than we probably should have.
Most the goodbyes were given after the dinner, but there was one left for the following day. The friend I met at the airport was also the friend I would say goodbye in the airport, and once we parted ways, the long waiting for my trip home started.
If everything I wrote so far didn't paint a clear picture of my experience, I hope the following lines will do the trick. All the first times I spoke about are rather obvious, but there is more to them than it meets the eye.
For instance, this event was the first time I felt like I could be myself in a public space, the first time I could present myself as an artist without feeling weird about it, and also, the first time I felt like I belonged to a group, the group of friends I had the pleasure to get to know a bit better throughout the event.
These first times were instrumental, and without them, this journal would probably have been written in a different tone.
Returning home to my routine and obligations felt discouraging to say the least, there is this yearning for more, but that is maybe a good thing. Means the event did what it was supposed to do, which is get people together and instill in them the desire to do it again.
This desire is with me now, and I hope that circumstances will allow new opportunities to realize it. But for now, all I can say is a heartfelt thank you, to everyone who made my first time an unforgettable one.
I decided to name this journal first time, but honestly, a better title would have been first times, plural. Because it was a lot more than just my first convention, it was many first things.
Starting with the journey, traveling internationally for slightly less than one week was a fresh experience, and considering that my last time in the US was over a decade ago, everything felt very foreign to me.
With a considerable dose of luck, and a bit of timezone shenanigans I managed to complete the over 4000 miles trip across the ocean with no issues and most surprisingly, with no delays. Arriving at the destination the same day I left, rather than the usual two days you can expect for international travel.
Before getting to speak to the agent at the border control, I was rehearsing what to say and trying to have my papers in order should they decide to inquire further on my plans.
However none of that was necessary as in the moment I received the rather blunt question of "what are you doing here?", my immediate response was to say "I'm here to visit my friends", and that was probably the best answer I could have given as no further questions were asked, and I was allowed to go.
Little did I know that minutes later my answer would come true, as I messaged one of my friends and learn he just arrived at the same airport and was waiting for his baggage. I asked where he was and ran to meet him for the first time face-to-face.
Together we took a taxi to the convention hotel where for brief moments I got to feel the Florida heat for the first time, it was intense, almost overwhelming.
The hotel was massive to an extent I never thought possible for a hotel to be. I've never seen anything like it. We spent some time at the check-in desk that looked relatively humble in comparison to the sheer size of the whole place and soon we both had our room keys and the chance to finally drop our luggage and roam more freely.
Since we arrived before the official start of the event, there was little movement at the time, but here and there we could see signs of what was to come.
The next day was a recovery day for me, after the marathon that is international air travel, and without much to see, me and my friend just spent time exploring the hotel, talking and eating at the hotel's diner.
During the evening another friend joined us, so yet another first time meeting, and after getting over the initial awkwardness that first time meetings bring, we talked till late in the night.
The registration queue that day was massive, so we refrained from trying to venture into it, but much to our surprise, the next day it was far shorter and although we had to do some camping at the line, once the registration desk opened, everything was done very fast.
With badges and schedule at hand, we were ready to go. So we walked back to the convention hall where I met more people for the first time. The jolly atmosphere was invigorating, and made me want to see everything I could.
After the opening ceremony we checked the dealer's den, and experienced some good dose of sensory overload. At that time nothing caught my interest, but later as I explored that place again and again I started to find things here and there that I liked.
While it was amazing to see furry businesses blooming I felt slightly disappointed that artist tables were not as common as I imagined. A lot of clothing articles and wearables were available, all artistic in their own ways, but not a lot of plain good old art.
Another slightly disappointing thing was the lack of art books, I was hoping to return with a lot of artist "sketchbook" style books but there weren't a lot of them. Which made me think that this might be what I have to do as a next big project. It is the whole "be the change you want to see" kind of deal.
The convention floor was now seeing the movement it was well prepared to handle, and all the display of creativity in the forms of hundreds of fursuits that came in all shapes and sizes provided a near endless stream of things to look at.
My favorite suits, surprisingly, were not raccoons as one might think but the opossums, I believe I counted 5 or 6 of them wandering the convention, and they were the most creative and fun in my opinion.
Late that evening, we met more friends and for the first time, went on a short drive outside the hotel for dinner and some chatter. The size of American portions were doing a number on me, so that time I ate very little, but it was great to go out for a bit.
The following days were a mix of exploring the dealer's den, talking to the friends I finally got to meet, attending some panels, eating, more talking and watching the movement of attendees and suiters.
On the final evening, we banded together to a nicer restaurant as per my pestering and persuasion, and it was a great way to close a great trip. I got my friends addicted to my country's national drink, guaraná, and we all ate a lot more than we probably should have.
Most the goodbyes were given after the dinner, but there was one left for the following day. The friend I met at the airport was also the friend I would say goodbye in the airport, and once we parted ways, the long waiting for my trip home started.
If everything I wrote so far didn't paint a clear picture of my experience, I hope the following lines will do the trick. All the first times I spoke about are rather obvious, but there is more to them than it meets the eye.
For instance, this event was the first time I felt like I could be myself in a public space, the first time I could present myself as an artist without feeling weird about it, and also, the first time I felt like I belonged to a group, the group of friends I had the pleasure to get to know a bit better throughout the event.
These first times were instrumental, and without them, this journal would probably have been written in a different tone.
Returning home to my routine and obligations felt discouraging to say the least, there is this yearning for more, but that is maybe a good thing. Means the event did what it was supposed to do, which is get people together and instill in them the desire to do it again.
This desire is with me now, and I hope that circumstances will allow new opportunities to realize it. But for now, all I can say is a heartfelt thank you, to everyone who made my first time an unforgettable one.
Vix
I'm a bit surprised to hear that there seemed to be a dearth of artists compared with general merch there. My local con, (FC) sounds like it has a better balance. Seeing and meeting artists has been one of my favorite aspects of that con. And a couple of the furry art book publishers had booths where I've bought books. I've also bought some from the artists themselves.
I popped into FC this year, but did not stick around much at the con since I did not know anyone (or know any friends were attending).
I ran into one artist who lived locally and hung out with them a bit the first time I went, but she's moved back East since.
I missed last year because my truck was having some issues. I should be there next year.
Maybe this was just the case of this year having more merch than artists, hopefully things will get more balanced moving forward. I might have to try getting a hold of some of these book publishers, I would love to learn what is required to get an art book done with them. I'm seriously considering drawing one ^^
I've also seen artists without the market that some of the larger artists have crowdfund more limited editions.
First time is magical, but it is always magical, furry is magical like that. I am glad it captivated you and it let you feel your self. I would not change it for the world. Heres to conventions to follow and keeping the magic.
Post-con doldrums can be tough sometimes, but just focus on the good memories. It made me happy that our circle of friends could all be in the same place and time.
Here's hoping for more! Maybe one day we'll have the opportunity to meet =)
I would love to meet one day Saz =3
8 or 9 years ago I made my first serious international trip (aside from crossing the border more-or-less by accident) almost 40 years before. Everyone had warned me not to answer 'that question' with the word 'work'. I said, "My employer has a division in Toronto. I'm here for a week of training." They asked who I worked for and when I told them, they seemed bored with the whole thing and said, "Scan your passport over there."