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Ac an junk
15 years ago
It's weird. Ac is in just two days, and I'm only marginally excited about it. Why? Mostly due to the stress I think. The Hub has been a major point of stress, and with that on top of my already tight schedule I feel like I'm drowning. Additionally the outlay for the room and stuff for the con makes AC my poorest con. I got to looking back and it has been 3 years since I got any art at AC. I know it's not the end of the world, but still it does suck some of the fun out of the con for me. Worse still is seeing all the awesomeness that other people get done and show off. I'm happy for them and all that, I'm not petty, but it still kinda makes me want to just say screw it to doing the Hub and events when I see what I'm missing out on. Time alone is a huge factor, instead of cons being free form and bouncing from one thing to another I am tied to events and making time to entertain other furs.
As it stands, just for me alone, not counting Felix, Scritchwolf, Teddy, or the generous benefactors that have helped cover the last minute flakes that left us down half our roommates, I have spent about 2 grand out of pocket in the last 3 years. That a whole helluva lot of art, or a new fursuit even I could have had. Even with the room alone, I throw in about 500 bucks, and I live less than a mile form the con! I could walk if I so chose to. Even that right there is enough for a pretty banging con.
I'm not really sure where this is going, or even why I've bothered to type it. I guess I'm just kinda burned out and depressed over AC; and it hasn't even started yet.
As it stands, just for me alone, not counting Felix, Scritchwolf, Teddy, or the generous benefactors that have helped cover the last minute flakes that left us down half our roommates, I have spent about 2 grand out of pocket in the last 3 years. That a whole helluva lot of art, or a new fursuit even I could have had. Even with the room alone, I throw in about 500 bucks, and I live less than a mile form the con! I could walk if I so chose to. Even that right there is enough for a pretty banging con.
I'm not really sure where this is going, or even why I've bothered to type it. I guess I'm just kinda burned out and depressed over AC; and it hasn't even started yet.
I know we're not very close, but perhaps it'll help to know that I understand completely where you're coming from on many levels.
I may not have agreed with it at it's inception, but you guys have done a lot of good with the Hub for the little group we belong to. By the donations and support you all got, that's testament enough that people have noticed.
You're entitled to make time for yourself at a con...in fact I whole heartedly encourage it...for all of you taking care of the room. If money is an issue, set up a cover-charge to get in. $5 a head is less than a drink over at Tonic. Give 'em a wrist band or stamp the back of their hand so you know they paid, or give 'em 3 drink tickets for the night. Do you think you get 100 folks to cycle through the Hub over a weekend?
You guys do a great thing with the Hub and Free is great; until it feels like you're being taken advantage of by a bunch of "free-loaders" But if it's between "Free" and "Not at all"...well, you guys'll have to put your heads together and make that decision and determine the future of the Hub.
Thanks for the reply. I look back at the last few years and have to laugh at the course things have taken. Three years ago I would have never fathomed that you and I would share so many similarities. I must say, I find it ironic how our paths diverged so many years ago but yet aligned to run parallel to each other.
For what the Hub has become I am thrilled. I could not be more proud of the efforts and achievements that everyone has made along the way to put the Hub where it is now. For that I am overwhelmed. The support that we have received in this last week has enabled us to actually put the room on this year. Whats really surprising is that the donations have come from only 5 people, better still our largest gift of roughly $500 was made by an individual that has never been to the Hub at AC, and has requested to remain anonymous. Without him and the others we would have surely not been able to make this happen.
We've considered the idea of a cover charge, but the need has never come up with regards to the mixer. There is usually enough to cover the bar or only run a slight loss, which we're fine with. Additionally the open mixer is intended to be just that, open. We have worked very hard to show the community that we are just the same as them, just a different kind of weird really. I don't want to create any additional hurdles outside of the necessary legal ones.
The kicker is that it comes at the end of the con basically. My "con budget" gets spent before the con ever happens essentially.