Post-FaerieCon Report

My FaerieCon table all ready to go!

Conventions are often crazy whirlwinds of excitement, art sharing, inspiration and connection making. This year's FaerieCon was no different. There were so many fantastic costumes, down-to-earth vendors and wonderful people it's hard to recount it all!

Here are some highlights:

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This anonymous masquerader gave away the little lights that were attached to his costume.

Hands down one of my favorite moments this year was at the Faerie Masquerades when this guy gave out these little magnetic lights. Sadly, I only got this very blurry photo of him (right), and I never caught his name, but his little act of kindness truly made the Masquerades magical for me. It was one of those FaerieCon moments that I will remember for years to come.

The masquerades were, as always, fantastic! Not just because of all the live music (including the performance by Omnia which literally brought the  ceiling down!) or because of all the fantastic costumes, but because yet again my crew stole away to do mini photo shoots. FaerieCon is such a wealth of inspiration for me (what with all the masks, costumes, music, artwork and like-minded people) that I've found a few of my most popular images are the ones I took literally during the convention. Both Friday and Saturday I was able to capture some great shots of my assistants in their costumes. Plus, I also shot some amazing light painting--including some of a dancer using a lit-hula hoop. I can't wait to use them!

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As for the convention itself, it went pretty well. Financially speaking, I did better than I have at any other convention to date--I sold a few copies of The Ringleader as well as a print and several notecards (I was quite pleased with the reception of the notecards. I'm planning on adding the remaining cards to my Etsy so stay tuned for that if you'd like one). Despite some sales, I did not make back the cost of my table and I have to admit that this made me quite frustrated at times. However, each event I attend is a lesson. What I learned from this year's FaerieCon was that I need to start viewing conventions as a way to showcase my artwork to my target audience. They are connection makers, not money makers.

If I measure my success at FaerieCon by the conversations I had, the connections I made with artisans, writers and con-goers, then it was fantastic! I met several people who were interested in modeling for me or getting commissioned portraits. I also met this fantastic metal mask maker, Kest Schwartzman. I wanted all of her masks--they were beautiful! Check out her work here. The booth across from us had these awesome sculpted dragons and the lady who made them, Mindy Safire Morea was wonderful! She had so much energy and was so bubbly.

Plus, I met a couple of authors (including Patrick Thomas) who were down the hall from me. They were awesomely chatty and offered plenty of helpful advice. Even more excitingly, I got them interested in helping with my next art book project, which I will feature flash fiction and poetry by a variety of writers.

It's hard to think about getting another book started when The Ringleader has only been out for a few weeks, but that's the life of an artist! There will always be a new projects, new artwork, new shows. Speaking of new shows, I've already started lining up events for 2015, including RyuCon, IthaCon and more. As always, stay tuned for updates--especially on my facebook page (and now I have a twitter account, too. Follow me @kendramatott). 'Til next time!