conzzzzzzz!!!!
Omg, so much is going on!....
Had a great Acen, broke our record of $1500, but just by $100, so we did $1600, lol. But it was awesome considering that many vendors weren't doing so well, I heard lots of complaints that there weren't that many attendees and those who were there didn't have much to spend. So I feel pretty lucky. Staack and Jer were great salesmen, so that helped significantly, I guess Jer's sales training came in handy! We sold a ton of my long kitty scarves, I made 45 of them and we sold 35, sweet! Also I tried having a strategy of less expensive items like cel phone charms, keychains, and smaller prints. Also I focused less on hats and offered my older items for sale prices. I think the plan worked really well!
Every Acen or con I go to I always want to go out with Jer and have some fun Saturday night and we never manage to, but this year we did, so yay! We crammed so much into just 3 hours, watched an electronic duo in the courtyard, played Battletech, went to the dance, played some games in the game room, etc. It was hellah fun! Also for the weekend, we got to stay with Rei and her bro, Marc, who were awesome and kewl, lol! We ate soooo much good foods, I felt so fat afterward, but it was worth it!
There were no fat nekkid lesbian sex out our window like last year, or nazi cat boy parties with strobe lights, but there was some nympho getting it on like a few times each day, lol! She was loud and took too long......whoever she was with was either really bad or really good! XD We really liked staying at the Doubletree rather than the Hyatt, it was waaaay easier to get down to the artist alley each day, which was our main reason for being there. Also we almost never had to wait for an elevator even though there were still a ton of con people there. Rooms were just as nice, bigger actually, they had regular TV channels rather than being stuck with HBO and weather all day like at the Hyatt, and free cookies when you check in! So we'll totally stay again next year, fuck the Hyatt! Jer mentioned the only thing he liked better about the Hyatt was the ambiance, like he liked being able to poke his head out the door and hear people running around doing con stuff. But he didn't think that was worth it when Doubletree is so much better, lol. Only other advantages Hyatt had was cheaper parking for con folks and they have a web checkin for Gold Passport members, but still, not really worth all the trouble of the crowded elevators, long hikes to AA, and even longer hikes to the parking garage where we often had to resort to taking stairs. @_@
Other news, I have a ton of other convention stuff going on! I got invited to help plan for a Tennessee convention! Apparently a plushie customer of mine is a friend of the guy running this con and she just raved about how nice I am and what great service and work I do. He said he only wants 'really cool' vendors for his con, so he contacted me, sweet! It's mostly a con for comics and sci-fi, but he wants to include anime programming and needed some help. So I got recruited and it's pretty kickass! The head coordinator, Joe, is really cool and is also an artist looking out for other artists and he has put a ton of planning, getting advertising, guests, sponsors, etc. He is getting me and some other artists on the news when they go to promote the show! I'm excited! I have soooo much to do, lol
Since the Tennessee con wants to promote me so much, I figure this is great timing to promote my art more rather than my sewing. Although I enjoy the sewing, its way more work than drawing, due to all the materials shopping for every custom order I take on. Sounds like it was good timing for that decision, because now I am suddenly getting all these art requests! And a long time customer of mine, BBG, who is a serious musician that has been working hellah hard to make it big for years now, may have finally got his lucky break! He always said when he got big, he was taking all his friends with him, which includes me, lol! So he has alot of art planned for me.
This prompted me to try out my hand at Wizard World this year. They have an AA but it's way more serious than for Acen or anime cons. Lots of professionals from the industry show their work there, and some people even get discovered and picked up there. It's 4 days, and has 5 times the attendence of Acen.....more expensive con, but well worth it. Tables are still available, and they said they don't sell out until late July, so I'm going for it!
Jer and I are finally starting to roll on a manga idea. It's mostly my story and I just needed his input and help me tie together my loose strings, so even if he gets too busy too help me, it's not going to slow me down. He is doing the haunt again this year, been babysitting his baby nephew alot, and he may have finally got a new fulltime job (we'll see after Monday, second interview, fingers crossed!!!) so he may not have alot of time. But then again, looks like I may not have alot of time either, so no biggie. We'll find time for each other though!
I already booked my rooms for Anime Iowa and Youmacon, so now I'm just waiting for AA signups for Youma. I'm totally gung ho about getting my work out there this year! Next summer I'm hoping to do Expo too. Iowa I know is hellah small, but it's such a fun and laid back con, easy to get to too, and people there are always so nice and excited! Youma has gotten pretty big so I am totally looking forward to that, if I'm reading it right, it's now 4 days! And the new hotel is gigantic and has a mall and movie theatre attached??? I would love to go there even without the con!
So the next 6 months I'm going to be swamped, but at least I am also planning to do fun stuff on the weekends as often as I can. This way even though I will be working my ass off, I will have things to look forward to, then I won't feel so bad being stuck in the house all week or get too burned out. :P I'm gonna miss Jer alot, but I will be happy if he's busy with a new job. He hasn't really been himself since he's been unemployed and broke for over a year, so I am looking forward to him being happy again. He's been a trooper trying to be as upbeat as possible, but it did get to him now and then and he's been grumpy and moody off and on.....and would make us fight alot, so I pray he gets this job on Monday. It's a second interview and they asked what his availability is, so that's a pretty good sign right there!
Had a great Acen, broke our record of $1500, but just by $100, so we did $1600, lol. But it was awesome considering that many vendors weren't doing so well, I heard lots of complaints that there weren't that many attendees and those who were there didn't have much to spend. So I feel pretty lucky. Staack and Jer were great salesmen, so that helped significantly, I guess Jer's sales training came in handy! We sold a ton of my long kitty scarves, I made 45 of them and we sold 35, sweet! Also I tried having a strategy of less expensive items like cel phone charms, keychains, and smaller prints. Also I focused less on hats and offered my older items for sale prices. I think the plan worked really well!
Every Acen or con I go to I always want to go out with Jer and have some fun Saturday night and we never manage to, but this year we did, so yay! We crammed so much into just 3 hours, watched an electronic duo in the courtyard, played Battletech, went to the dance, played some games in the game room, etc. It was hellah fun! Also for the weekend, we got to stay with Rei and her bro, Marc, who were awesome and kewl, lol! We ate soooo much good foods, I felt so fat afterward, but it was worth it!
There were no fat nekkid lesbian sex out our window like last year, or nazi cat boy parties with strobe lights, but there was some nympho getting it on like a few times each day, lol! She was loud and took too long......whoever she was with was either really bad or really good! XD We really liked staying at the Doubletree rather than the Hyatt, it was waaaay easier to get down to the artist alley each day, which was our main reason for being there. Also we almost never had to wait for an elevator even though there were still a ton of con people there. Rooms were just as nice, bigger actually, they had regular TV channels rather than being stuck with HBO and weather all day like at the Hyatt, and free cookies when you check in! So we'll totally stay again next year, fuck the Hyatt! Jer mentioned the only thing he liked better about the Hyatt was the ambiance, like he liked being able to poke his head out the door and hear people running around doing con stuff. But he didn't think that was worth it when Doubletree is so much better, lol. Only other advantages Hyatt had was cheaper parking for con folks and they have a web checkin for Gold Passport members, but still, not really worth all the trouble of the crowded elevators, long hikes to AA, and even longer hikes to the parking garage where we often had to resort to taking stairs. @_@
Other news, I have a ton of other convention stuff going on! I got invited to help plan for a Tennessee convention! Apparently a plushie customer of mine is a friend of the guy running this con and she just raved about how nice I am and what great service and work I do. He said he only wants 'really cool' vendors for his con, so he contacted me, sweet! It's mostly a con for comics and sci-fi, but he wants to include anime programming and needed some help. So I got recruited and it's pretty kickass! The head coordinator, Joe, is really cool and is also an artist looking out for other artists and he has put a ton of planning, getting advertising, guests, sponsors, etc. He is getting me and some other artists on the news when they go to promote the show! I'm excited! I have soooo much to do, lol
Since the Tennessee con wants to promote me so much, I figure this is great timing to promote my art more rather than my sewing. Although I enjoy the sewing, its way more work than drawing, due to all the materials shopping for every custom order I take on. Sounds like it was good timing for that decision, because now I am suddenly getting all these art requests! And a long time customer of mine, BBG, who is a serious musician that has been working hellah hard to make it big for years now, may have finally got his lucky break! He always said when he got big, he was taking all his friends with him, which includes me, lol! So he has alot of art planned for me.
This prompted me to try out my hand at Wizard World this year. They have an AA but it's way more serious than for Acen or anime cons. Lots of professionals from the industry show their work there, and some people even get discovered and picked up there. It's 4 days, and has 5 times the attendence of Acen.....more expensive con, but well worth it. Tables are still available, and they said they don't sell out until late July, so I'm going for it!
Jer and I are finally starting to roll on a manga idea. It's mostly my story and I just needed his input and help me tie together my loose strings, so even if he gets too busy too help me, it's not going to slow me down. He is doing the haunt again this year, been babysitting his baby nephew alot, and he may have finally got a new fulltime job (we'll see after Monday, second interview, fingers crossed!!!) so he may not have alot of time. But then again, looks like I may not have alot of time either, so no biggie. We'll find time for each other though!
I already booked my rooms for Anime Iowa and Youmacon, so now I'm just waiting for AA signups for Youma. I'm totally gung ho about getting my work out there this year! Next summer I'm hoping to do Expo too. Iowa I know is hellah small, but it's such a fun and laid back con, easy to get to too, and people there are always so nice and excited! Youma has gotten pretty big so I am totally looking forward to that, if I'm reading it right, it's now 4 days! And the new hotel is gigantic and has a mall and movie theatre attached??? I would love to go there even without the con!
So the next 6 months I'm going to be swamped, but at least I am also planning to do fun stuff on the weekends as often as I can. This way even though I will be working my ass off, I will have things to look forward to, then I won't feel so bad being stuck in the house all week or get too burned out. :P I'm gonna miss Jer alot, but I will be happy if he's busy with a new job. He hasn't really been himself since he's been unemployed and broke for over a year, so I am looking forward to him being happy again. He's been a trooper trying to be as upbeat as possible, but it did get to him now and then and he's been grumpy and moody off and on.....and would make us fight alot, so I pray he gets this job on Monday. It's a second interview and they asked what his availability is, so that's a pretty good sign right there!