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A Chapter ends, and a New one Begins...
10 years ago
Since I have wrote my official letter to my programming lead and have informed my staff... it's time to let the cat (or wuff in this case?) out of the bag.
After nine years of being Gaming staff at Midwest Furfest, six of those being the head of the gaming department I am stepping down. It has been an amazing ride... I helped shape something that was fledgling and nearly dead and turn it into a miniature convention within a convention of sorts. I'm very proud to have been a part of that... and the praise I got the last few years didn't make my decision to step down easy. At All.
A lot of what I do for various conventions and non-profit organizations is very thankless work. It takes a LOT of hard work to gain respect of your fellow staff members say nothing about the Attendees of an event. MFF I have the respect of both. I have three wooden plaques that hang on my computer room wall which prove this, one coming from my last year. Now I'm letting it go. Why?
Let's first rewind to the start of this story. To a much younger Yarrick. Who lived a sheltered little life inside his own bubble. Who had a very hard time making friends and talking to anyone outside of the internet. Gaming became an icebreaker for him. MFF was my very first convention for well anything back in 2003.
As I was very big into gaming, much more then I am right now... I naturally gravitated towards that area. I ran games as a GM for the first couple of years and then in 2005 the gaming department hit a major snag. The gaming head quit right before the convention and it seemed that it was going to disappear altogether. After talking with the programming head at the time, who also left that very same year, I decided I wanted to break out of my shell and start giving back to a convention; a Fandom; a community that had transformed my social life.
It was not an easy path. I had to prove myself over the next three years that I was capable and reliable. At the same time I had to prove that gaming was a valuable thing to have at a Furry convention. There were fights, there were battles. Maybe small ones, all things considered but for me they were a big deal. This was my one chance a year of being something more then a quiet awkward gaming nerd who was fighting to keep a stable job in IT. This was the time I could be the Captain and take command of something. Without Midwest Furfest I would not have any ambition to staff other conventions such as
furrymigration or help out other non-profit organizations that I continue to support even if my roles are changing. MFF is no exception to this.
I'm still an introvert... that part will never change. I have a hard time making true friends that are more than just acquaintances; though I've certainly got better at it. I'm horrible at small talk and tend to be quiet a lot unless I have a means to break out of my shell such as gaming or my Photography.
The last few years have been very draining on me, as I suppose its fairly common for any Convention staff member who does the same job for Nine years. It really started towards the end of the 2013 convention. I was really getting involved with building up MNFurs and this became an obvious conflict. It became even more of a conflict when I became a Board of Directors member shortly after.
I came very close to throwing the towel in after the 2014 con, and I had created some panic amongst the ranks of the staff that I was leaving even though I was only thinking about it. I won't go into what happened that one Saturday night last year as many people have their own memories of what happened. But it did fill me with some conviction not to leave MFF hanging. I came back strong that I was going to do another year as the Gaming Head at MFF.
I expected to have a Jubilee of sorts this year. That I would come back and everything would be great. And I did have my moments. Gaming overall ran very smoothly. We had a few issues, one of which, not surprisingly was with the same group we've had issues with in the past. But they were all very MINOR compared to previous years. We also proved once again that Video Games were a popular thing to a few skeptics ten fold over.
I started to fight over the way some things were handled with my Second at the convention... which is something that had never happened before. In previous years he and I were always on the same page... and I was never "questioned". This told me two things: One I was starting to let it get to me.. and Two... that he had a point and well... Maybe he'd do things better or at-least differently then I would have.
I'm stepping aside to hopefully let someone else, who I have FULL confidence in bring some fresh ideas and give him the chance to steal the spotlight. Someone who has been my Wingman from day one... and while I can't simply "Assign" him as my replacement I gave the best recommendation possible to the programming director on his behalf.
I'm stepping aside, NOT down. I still plan on being Staff for Midwest Furfest and I have a possible opportunity arise that I am jumping at. I can't fully disclose what that is yet as nothing has offically been set into motion... but let's just say its something else that plays into my talents that I very much enjoy doing for other conventions *weak smile* I don't need a "Break" persay.. but a change is well deserved.
While I was in Tears at closing ceremonies and as I left the Hotel this year... looking back at what I was letting go... I'm very excited for next year... in fact I haven't had this level of excitement or conviction for next year's MFF since I started as staff back in 2006. The year I decided to drive to Chicago and Back by myself in the same day to attend a staff meeting and prove "hey yes I want to do this"
If the cards land where I'm hoping they will fall it will mean proving myself all over again. Starting from scratch with a new department, a new team to hopefully help another part of the convention grow and evolve. Its a new challenge, but with that new challenge will be Earning that respect all over again... just as I had to back in 2006. Sure... People know me and it may not be as much of an uphill battle but it'd still be a new challenge.
I'll miss working for Gaming, but I will still be helping them out next year. Helping to train my replacements as I get ready for the next adventure, the next challenge at the same time. I may be pulling double shifts next year... but that will fill me with knowing a change is coming,
Bring it on.
After nine years of being Gaming staff at Midwest Furfest, six of those being the head of the gaming department I am stepping down. It has been an amazing ride... I helped shape something that was fledgling and nearly dead and turn it into a miniature convention within a convention of sorts. I'm very proud to have been a part of that... and the praise I got the last few years didn't make my decision to step down easy. At All.
A lot of what I do for various conventions and non-profit organizations is very thankless work. It takes a LOT of hard work to gain respect of your fellow staff members say nothing about the Attendees of an event. MFF I have the respect of both. I have three wooden plaques that hang on my computer room wall which prove this, one coming from my last year. Now I'm letting it go. Why?
Let's first rewind to the start of this story. To a much younger Yarrick. Who lived a sheltered little life inside his own bubble. Who had a very hard time making friends and talking to anyone outside of the internet. Gaming became an icebreaker for him. MFF was my very first convention for well anything back in 2003.
As I was very big into gaming, much more then I am right now... I naturally gravitated towards that area. I ran games as a GM for the first couple of years and then in 2005 the gaming department hit a major snag. The gaming head quit right before the convention and it seemed that it was going to disappear altogether. After talking with the programming head at the time, who also left that very same year, I decided I wanted to break out of my shell and start giving back to a convention; a Fandom; a community that had transformed my social life.
It was not an easy path. I had to prove myself over the next three years that I was capable and reliable. At the same time I had to prove that gaming was a valuable thing to have at a Furry convention. There were fights, there were battles. Maybe small ones, all things considered but for me they were a big deal. This was my one chance a year of being something more then a quiet awkward gaming nerd who was fighting to keep a stable job in IT. This was the time I could be the Captain and take command of something. Without Midwest Furfest I would not have any ambition to staff other conventions such as
furrymigration or help out other non-profit organizations that I continue to support even if my roles are changing. MFF is no exception to this.I'm still an introvert... that part will never change. I have a hard time making true friends that are more than just acquaintances; though I've certainly got better at it. I'm horrible at small talk and tend to be quiet a lot unless I have a means to break out of my shell such as gaming or my Photography.
The last few years have been very draining on me, as I suppose its fairly common for any Convention staff member who does the same job for Nine years. It really started towards the end of the 2013 convention. I was really getting involved with building up MNFurs and this became an obvious conflict. It became even more of a conflict when I became a Board of Directors member shortly after.
I came very close to throwing the towel in after the 2014 con, and I had created some panic amongst the ranks of the staff that I was leaving even though I was only thinking about it. I won't go into what happened that one Saturday night last year as many people have their own memories of what happened. But it did fill me with some conviction not to leave MFF hanging. I came back strong that I was going to do another year as the Gaming Head at MFF.
I expected to have a Jubilee of sorts this year. That I would come back and everything would be great. And I did have my moments. Gaming overall ran very smoothly. We had a few issues, one of which, not surprisingly was with the same group we've had issues with in the past. But they were all very MINOR compared to previous years. We also proved once again that Video Games were a popular thing to a few skeptics ten fold over.
I started to fight over the way some things were handled with my Second at the convention... which is something that had never happened before. In previous years he and I were always on the same page... and I was never "questioned". This told me two things: One I was starting to let it get to me.. and Two... that he had a point and well... Maybe he'd do things better or at-least differently then I would have.
I'm stepping aside to hopefully let someone else, who I have FULL confidence in bring some fresh ideas and give him the chance to steal the spotlight. Someone who has been my Wingman from day one... and while I can't simply "Assign" him as my replacement I gave the best recommendation possible to the programming director on his behalf.
I'm stepping aside, NOT down. I still plan on being Staff for Midwest Furfest and I have a possible opportunity arise that I am jumping at. I can't fully disclose what that is yet as nothing has offically been set into motion... but let's just say its something else that plays into my talents that I very much enjoy doing for other conventions *weak smile* I don't need a "Break" persay.. but a change is well deserved.
While I was in Tears at closing ceremonies and as I left the Hotel this year... looking back at what I was letting go... I'm very excited for next year... in fact I haven't had this level of excitement or conviction for next year's MFF since I started as staff back in 2006. The year I decided to drive to Chicago and Back by myself in the same day to attend a staff meeting and prove "hey yes I want to do this"
If the cards land where I'm hoping they will fall it will mean proving myself all over again. Starting from scratch with a new department, a new team to hopefully help another part of the convention grow and evolve. Its a new challenge, but with that new challenge will be Earning that respect all over again... just as I had to back in 2006. Sure... People know me and it may not be as much of an uphill battle but it'd still be a new challenge.
I'll miss working for Gaming, but I will still be helping them out next year. Helping to train my replacements as I get ready for the next adventure, the next challenge at the same time. I may be pulling double shifts next year... but that will fill me with knowing a change is coming,
Bring it on.
I miss RPing with you, space dog. I hope you'll have the time again sometime soon.
~ Drake M.