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Week 41 Post con thoughts
11 months ago
General
So this past weekend I attended my second con! Anthro New England to be precise since there were cons going on on each coast apparently. The con portal thing was pretty cool. I got to share some quacks with folks on the other side of the country.
The experience this time was better than last time. I did some things that I hadnt thought to do/had time to do my first time around. I got the names and as much contact info as I could from people I took the time to talk to! It was such a common sense thing I could have done the first time around but I am terrible at social media and chat stuff so I simply didn’t think about it despite having been to multiple artist/similar interest events. This time though, I have a list of names of people to reach out to, as well as some additional telegram contacts more from last time.
I made some posts with pictures talking a little bit about my days. If you’re reading this then you’re probably curious about the more in depth accounting of things so here goes!
Day 1:
Friday for me. I arrived late because thursday had been a work day and it took me time to get into the car and hit the road. Then I hit every bit of construction, detours, and traffic I could find despite thinking I had left early enough to get there by 2:00 I arrived shortly before 4.
I was thankful that purchased my parking ahead of time. It made the parking experience in boston so much easier just knowing where I had to go, and let me get into the con quickly. Registration was a breeze, and then I was off to see things! The first of which was heading down to see the vendors and their wares.
I spent time hemming and hawing over a short tail that was the correct coloration for me, but finally came to feel was too fluffy for my feathered self. Made note of someone selling Foxes in Love comics, and some beautiful art/items. Of course now that I’m thinking about it, I didn’t pick up business cards from the places I was looking at. Maybe next time that will be the thing I remember to do.
After the vendors, I went to the board gaming space and took a look around. There were plenty of people playing board games, though they were mostly doing magic which isn’t something I play. Over the course of the day I checked back periodically to see what people were up to and got a game of everdell in.
I went to a sketchbook swap! But I arrived slightly late. Because of that there were no tables, and a bunch of people standing around. I caught one of these folks and did actually swap sketchbooks. By dumb luck they happened to be a bird, and both of us got bird related art in our books. The room was still full though, and I thought I’d head out and wander a bit more. I had contemplated setting up in a jam space, but they closed off the escalator down to the dealer area friday night which is where one of the two jam spaces were. The other one on the mezannine had an awesome DJ that I sat and listened to for a bit in between panels. I went to a transformation fans meet and greet and ran into
Khaze who said hello to me and really made my social night before I went to bed.
Day 2:
I had a full day to look forward to finally! Breakfast at my hotel, then the drive to the parking garage near the con, packed my cart, and made my way to the artist’s speed train which I had been flip flopping on going to because I had a marching rehearsal at 10:00 on the opposite side of the con on another floor. What made me finally decide to go was I arrived early enough to drop my cart in the rehearsal space which was a closed room and safe. If I had to carry my cart I would have just sat and waited and missed out on talking to a bunch of cool artists. I still had to leave it early, but I met a few people. From then until after the fursuit parade, I was in my musician mindset and in what is normally my professional element. Music went great! Marching was awesome! And I had a great time doing that.
Then after the parade I quickly packed up and tried getting to that bloody jam space by the vendors only to discover that there was no path I could take to get there that didn’t involve cutting through the parade route. So I stood and watched the rest of the parade. Little did I know that I was being stalked. Cutting through the crowd was a sneaky tiger
Theonelump cutting through the crowd waiting to pounce. And pounce he did. I finally got to meet someone I’d been talking to online face to face. We parted ways so I could go lead a jam session under the escalator for about 45 minutes before I went to the bird meetup. There were so many awesome bird suiters at the con! I didn’t stay until the picture becuase I wanted to get my cart back to my van, and realized I might have needed to get some food. So Bob and I went to an early dinner to beat the crowds that might disperse from the convention at regular dinner time.
The rest of the evening was spent playing a game of spearhead, chickening out of another crowded sketchbook swap… I will get my anxiety under control eventually but that night was not the night as I saw the line forming. I went to go stake out a space for the evening drawing panel with live models doing poses. It was one where I just got to sit and not interact directly with people and draw. Very much what I needed. While waiting for the panel, some other artists in the hall invited me to do another sketchbook swap rigt there in the hall, and I drew in one other person’s book. So that made for 2 sketchbook trades this con. 2 more than the last time! Improvements! That panel ended at 1:00Am though, so hotel time and bed.
Day 3: My initial plan had been to stay through closing ceremonies and some of the after parties, BUT there was snow on the horizon and I did not want to risk getting stuck if it turned out to be some crazy storm. I went to a shanty singing group in the morning and had a great time there, then went to a jam space to play and sing with a violinist named batty doing jigs, reels, the devil went down to georgia, some banana boat song, and general fun. Then I hit the vendors and picked up four volumes of foxes in love before getting in my car and making it home just as the snow began really coming down. Then I watched the bird chat and was jealous of all the hangouts I was missing, while also wondering if I would have had the energy to go and do those things.
Overall, this con was better than the last one in that I did more socializing. It’s the thing I’ve been trying to work on. Today is back to work, and wishing those who are traveling from the con today a safe drive/flight/trainride home.
Trellian Duck
The experience this time was better than last time. I did some things that I hadnt thought to do/had time to do my first time around. I got the names and as much contact info as I could from people I took the time to talk to! It was such a common sense thing I could have done the first time around but I am terrible at social media and chat stuff so I simply didn’t think about it despite having been to multiple artist/similar interest events. This time though, I have a list of names of people to reach out to, as well as some additional telegram contacts more from last time.
I made some posts with pictures talking a little bit about my days. If you’re reading this then you’re probably curious about the more in depth accounting of things so here goes!
Day 1:
Friday for me. I arrived late because thursday had been a work day and it took me time to get into the car and hit the road. Then I hit every bit of construction, detours, and traffic I could find despite thinking I had left early enough to get there by 2:00 I arrived shortly before 4.
I was thankful that purchased my parking ahead of time. It made the parking experience in boston so much easier just knowing where I had to go, and let me get into the con quickly. Registration was a breeze, and then I was off to see things! The first of which was heading down to see the vendors and their wares.
I spent time hemming and hawing over a short tail that was the correct coloration for me, but finally came to feel was too fluffy for my feathered self. Made note of someone selling Foxes in Love comics, and some beautiful art/items. Of course now that I’m thinking about it, I didn’t pick up business cards from the places I was looking at. Maybe next time that will be the thing I remember to do.
After the vendors, I went to the board gaming space and took a look around. There were plenty of people playing board games, though they were mostly doing magic which isn’t something I play. Over the course of the day I checked back periodically to see what people were up to and got a game of everdell in.
I went to a sketchbook swap! But I arrived slightly late. Because of that there were no tables, and a bunch of people standing around. I caught one of these folks and did actually swap sketchbooks. By dumb luck they happened to be a bird, and both of us got bird related art in our books. The room was still full though, and I thought I’d head out and wander a bit more. I had contemplated setting up in a jam space, but they closed off the escalator down to the dealer area friday night which is where one of the two jam spaces were. The other one on the mezannine had an awesome DJ that I sat and listened to for a bit in between panels. I went to a transformation fans meet and greet and ran into
Khaze who said hello to me and really made my social night before I went to bed.Day 2:
I had a full day to look forward to finally! Breakfast at my hotel, then the drive to the parking garage near the con, packed my cart, and made my way to the artist’s speed train which I had been flip flopping on going to because I had a marching rehearsal at 10:00 on the opposite side of the con on another floor. What made me finally decide to go was I arrived early enough to drop my cart in the rehearsal space which was a closed room and safe. If I had to carry my cart I would have just sat and waited and missed out on talking to a bunch of cool artists. I still had to leave it early, but I met a few people. From then until after the fursuit parade, I was in my musician mindset and in what is normally my professional element. Music went great! Marching was awesome! And I had a great time doing that.
Then after the parade I quickly packed up and tried getting to that bloody jam space by the vendors only to discover that there was no path I could take to get there that didn’t involve cutting through the parade route. So I stood and watched the rest of the parade. Little did I know that I was being stalked. Cutting through the crowd was a sneaky tiger
Theonelump cutting through the crowd waiting to pounce. And pounce he did. I finally got to meet someone I’d been talking to online face to face. We parted ways so I could go lead a jam session under the escalator for about 45 minutes before I went to the bird meetup. There were so many awesome bird suiters at the con! I didn’t stay until the picture becuase I wanted to get my cart back to my van, and realized I might have needed to get some food. So Bob and I went to an early dinner to beat the crowds that might disperse from the convention at regular dinner time. The rest of the evening was spent playing a game of spearhead, chickening out of another crowded sketchbook swap… I will get my anxiety under control eventually but that night was not the night as I saw the line forming. I went to go stake out a space for the evening drawing panel with live models doing poses. It was one where I just got to sit and not interact directly with people and draw. Very much what I needed. While waiting for the panel, some other artists in the hall invited me to do another sketchbook swap rigt there in the hall, and I drew in one other person’s book. So that made for 2 sketchbook trades this con. 2 more than the last time! Improvements! That panel ended at 1:00Am though, so hotel time and bed.
Day 3: My initial plan had been to stay through closing ceremonies and some of the after parties, BUT there was snow on the horizon and I did not want to risk getting stuck if it turned out to be some crazy storm. I went to a shanty singing group in the morning and had a great time there, then went to a jam space to play and sing with a violinist named batty doing jigs, reels, the devil went down to georgia, some banana boat song, and general fun. Then I hit the vendors and picked up four volumes of foxes in love before getting in my car and making it home just as the snow began really coming down. Then I watched the bird chat and was jealous of all the hangouts I was missing, while also wondering if I would have had the energy to go and do those things.
Overall, this con was better than the last one in that I did more socializing. It’s the thing I’ve been trying to work on. Today is back to work, and wishing those who are traveling from the con today a safe drive/flight/trainride home.
Trellian Duck
Glad you had a fun con.
It was a good time. The community and everyone I talked to was great even if I feel awkward in it. Part of my brain just thinks, there all these people in these gorgeous suits and I’m wearing a carneval mask and a hood! Makes me feel like an odd duck.
