A little of St. Louis at the Columbia Micro Con

This was one of the more cool locations to hold a micro con. So many thanks to the Bur Oak Brewing Company that hosted the event! If you are in the area, they are located at 8250 Trade Center Dr, Columbia, Missouri 

So remember when I went on and on earlier this year about not doing more shows for the rest of 2018? I have completely and pleasantly failed at doing so. My good friend Ben, of Brass Engine Productions, had let me know about this micro convention happening in Columbia, Missouri, taking place, in a brewery.

No blog entry would be complete without my round of photos of the wonderful attendees that picked up some of my works!

The best part about having friends that do shows, is that I end up finding out about shows that aren't on my radar. More often than not that means that I get a chance to get people outside of my normal range to see my artwork.

Familiar faces were in attendance from Buster Moody to Kyle Strahm (both extremely skilled and prolific comic artists), as well as some new creators and vendors I don't usually see around the KC area.

I can say it's been nice to see the last few bit of older works, and current art reproductions find good homes. I've had many discussions with fellow creators on things like having backstock of items, artwork and the like, that sometimes, no matter what you do, just don't always sell like you think they will.

The last two Tank Girl mini art reproductions left for homes in Columbia.

But for anyone in this sort of rut with your work, I can't say it enough, break the cycle of what shows you may currently be doing, and go out and try some new ones. You may just be pleasantly surprised by the reception your work gets, and what connections you make.

Thanks so much to everyone that picked up issues of Pagan Zoetrope and Ardor!

So since this was a one day show, it went pretty quickly. Aside from Freestate, I don't normally do one day shows very often. But everyone that came out to the show seemed to be having a great time. In fact, many were either brand new to the whole comic/pop culture scene, or in some instances, had no real knowledge of what this show was about, yet were super excited to see what it was about.

It's shows like this, that make me feel better about the future of comics and maybe even pop culture based events in general. It's easy to get burned out and even numb to attending shows, especially the larger ones that are not so well put together.

But when you have those shows that you can slow down and talk to people at? Man, nothing beats that. Sure, sales are important, but I genuinely had a lot of fun doing the show, not the least of which was because I was next to my friends in Brass Engines, booth wise, but because of the positive and engaging atmosphere.

I don't know who was more chill, Baldemar Rivas. or the wonderfully crabby resident brewery black cat, Clyde, that decided to express the universal truth of cats walking across artwork, no matter who is doing what.

I am looking forward to doing more of these mini cons, especially if St. Louis Comics is doing them. The show had a good vibe, and pretty decent attendance. I'm pleasantly out of my wheelhouse of knowledge on what shows may be around the Columbia area, but I think this one is a welcome addition!

Until next time, support your local artists and businesses. Be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue
Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist

www.theartisanrogue.com