Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Fan Fusion - a convention celebrating women in film and TV. This was my first time vendor-ing at a con, and my first con as an adult (since meeting my favourites in my teens/early 20s! (Buffy, Roswell High, The L Word... you get the idea!)
I didn't really know what to expect, and when I first walked into that vendor room, I have to admit I was a little bit nervous about selling my art face to face, as I'd only ever done it online before.
I needn't have worried though - convention staff, volunteers and my new vendor buddies made me feel SO welcome, and I ended up having the best time meeting SO MANY lovely people - meeting online friends in person for the first time (!!!), and making new ones! Such a special experience.
After flapping about a bit on Friday whilst I found my feet (and the WiFi password), Saturday and Sunday were a lot more relaxed - though thoroughly caffeinated. I just want to thank everyone that came and said hello and/or bought something - I appreciate you all. It was so great to meet some of my patrons, too! So grateful for you all! Special mention to those that reminded me to eat and hydrate! (best convention tip, yet!)
Across the weekend, I sold a bunch of prints and stickers, handmade patches, quite a few original pieces, and every single one of my upcycled Earper shirts! I even managed to sell my Dom PC painting to benefit their initiative, Start the Wave. AWESOME!
Being a vendor I had to skip the panels (boo!), but I did manage to squeeze in some extras. Finally meeting Emily Andras was a dream I can't put into workds, and Kyana Teresa was just the sweetest human - she even came by my booth and said hello!
Having my first photo op patting down Charlotte Sullivan against a police car was a risk - was I was peaking too soon?! I mean, that's a pretty high bar to set.. Somehow though, I managed to coax Jolene out of the wonderful being and excellent sport that is Zoie Palmer... (Is this real life?!)
After a pretty tiring but thoroughly exciting weekend, I managed to pack everything up in time to be able to attend the closing ceremony, and I'm so glad I did. There were a couple of guests that I wasn't familiar with (I mean, I knew who they were, but I haven't yet seen their shows...) - but it really was a pleasure seeing everyone together at the end of the convention. The love, emotion and support shared both on stage by the guests, and amongst the attendees could be felt in the air.
So yeah, the con thing? I get it now.
I have already booked my vendor spot for Earp Fusion next year, and I just bought tickets for Witchbomb (a Motherland Fort Salem con happening in London next year - as an attendee though, not a vendor.) - I guess I have the bug now?!
On to the next adventure!