How FanX Went

Well, believe it or not, FanX is already over and done. I was so tired the last few days that I pretty much went straight to bed when I got home, after getting a quick bite and a hot shower first. 

And how did it go for me? 

It was a bust. 

Not a bad experience by any means. There was plenty to see; it was essentially an indoor carnival. Had I not been so strapped for cash, there were quite a few things I would have liked to buy, there were some absolutely amazing artists that turned my face green, and some people really went to town with their costumes. It was pretty much Halloween without the trick-or-treat bit. One of the most creative costumes I ever saw was "Steamboat Willie." The girl had painted her face white (and her nose black) and made her own "steamboat" costume, the only downside being the sheer girth, so it was a bit awkward for her to move about in narrow spots. But she was quite pleased when I called out, "Hey, it's Steamboat Willie!" 

I got a few compliments for my own costumes of Mario and Luigi. Apparently it's a rarity for the exhibitors themselves to dress up, and at least a few people wanted a picture with me, including a little boy who was a huge Mario fan, and a woman dressed up as Wario. 

For the most part, everyone there knew how to behave, which was nice. There were no bullies, no thugs, no "entitled customers," at least for me. The only downside was the sheer enormity of the crowd; you had to practically elbow your way to the bathroom and you had to wait quite a while in lines for food and celebrity meets. If you ever go to a convention, be prepared for a lot of standing. At least I, as an exhibitor, got the privilege of a chair. 

I've dubbed this place a "wallet-eater." You could hear wallets everywhere positively screaming for mercy, and there was no lack of laments over how much somebody (or their companion) had squandered already. It was a bit amusing to see a person force themselves to walk away from an enticing booth, or to see a person shove another person away from an enticing booth. Like I said, if I weren't so broke, I could see myself nabbing a few goods here and there. 

The biggest highlight was meeting my celebrities face-to-face. Admittedly, that was a bit of a disappointment, too, because you could only take a picture with them and then you had to go. Which was fair, given the number of people in line, so it was a basic, "Hi," snap a photo, and, "Bye." They didn't have time to just stand around and chitchat.

At least you got a free print of your picture, and the celebrities themselves were very friendly. Only a real fan will wait in line for half an hour to meet their idol for three seconds. 

I got a photo with Jodi Benson, Cary Elwes, AJ McLean, and Steve Burns. None of those came cheap, either; I was lucky my "neighbors" were nice enough to keep an eye on my booth for me while I was gone, but it was quite a walk because the "photo ops" (as they called them) were way at the other end of the arena.

As for me, sales for my own work were terrible. Absolutely abysmal. 

Barely made back a mere fraction of what I paid for in the first place. Only sold one poster. Sold a handful of postcards. And sold a handful of pins and magnets. By far, the Jack Skellington pins and the cute foods were the most successful, and people got the most excited about my Spirit pictures (because, apparently, you can't find much "hand-drawn Spirit" stuff these days) and gushed over the cuteness of my Pooh group hug. There were some people who would have bought something, or so they said, but they either didn't have the money or didn't have the space (or both). Which I can't resent them for, because as I said, this place is a wallet-eater. 

Got plenty of verbal praise for my style and color...but verbal praise isn't the same as actual profit. People liked me, but not enough liked me enough to buy me. Ended up with quite a few leftovers at the very end. FanX was nice enough to accept any leftovers as donations, so I left my posters and cards behind, but I didn't want to stay up all night counting out my pins and magnets (I should have been more organized) so I took those home and I'm donating them to a thrift store later. At least I didn't have to lug as much stuff home, which was nice. 

But getting home was also tricky, because neither Mom nor I know our way around Salt Lake very well (least of all at night) and traffic was brutal. On our last night, we narrowly avoided hitting a pedestrian crossing the street in a very poorly lit area. I felt like a mouse in the middle of a cornfield.

Overall, on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate my experience a 4 at best. 

Don't worry, this doesn't mean I'm giving up on my art. I'll still draw, but I'm most definitely taking a break and I think I better stick to digital images for a while. It's highly unlikely I'll be doing another convention next year, or any time soon. 

I'll tell you one thing for sure: making art is heaps easier (and more fun) than selling it.