NakaKon 2022 - Almost back to "normal"

It's Thursday evening, I've got my badge, and found my table, so now it's time to get set up!

Thursday Set-Up

I am a sucker for that feeling before a show, especially if it's for a longer three day show, that I'll get during set up. That feeling of mixed anticipation, hope, and excitement. Some of it, because of course, there's the whole, "I'm here to show off my artwork and make some money", but also because, at least for me, it's always been the whole, I'm working for myself aspect.

Before you get too far into reading, here's the roughly ten minute podcast episode I did if you're interested in a quick listen. It's a condensed overview of my thoughts about the show.

Last year I had just started really utilizing TikTok [@theartisanrogue] for promotion, and this year, I was recording media content for TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, this blog post, and Twitter, which, was by far the most challenging thing I had to do. I know that sounds a bit silly, but to try and create content that isn't just replayed across the various platforms is very time consuming, and requires me to be able to also edit video and photos when I have time at the show, so the content is put out in a timely fashion. 

It isn't easy, but it has proven to be challenging fun to pull off. I also feel a bit like a news reporter. But without the microphone.

Setup almost always ends up the same in the end, but I added some new things to the display this year.

It took about two hours, of my slowly assembling my setup together, which was fine. It gives me time to think, to go over things and make sure I'd not forgotten anything. And quite to the contrary, I'd brought TOO much to set up. I think things looked pretty visible and orderly, but like any show, and every crowd, you just never know until the crowd comes in, how well it will work.

There were only a handful of people left about 10:25pm or so. I just sat for a while and took in the moment.

Friday - Day One

Friday morning, I got there about an hour early. The showroom floor opens to VIP access thirty minutes before the main crowd gets in, which is around 3:30pm, and then the show is open until 8pm. 

I spent a lot of time before the attendees got in, just walking around, and thinking, looking at displays for ideas, and visiting with a few people I knew. I wanted to approach this year with a more relaxed mentality, and as I mentioned earlier, to allot time for me to be able to get photos and footage as I wanted them.

I was on a tight budget this year, but there is ALWAYS something I end up buying when I do shows...

I play a kind of game every single year I've ever done NakaKon, or for that matter any larger show with vendors in it. I always wonder what the new trend, collectible, or "hot new thing" will be, that grabs everyone's attention and desires. In years past, I've seen it be cute squids, which is the one that really sticks out in my mind, but this year I ended up not really noticing that happening.

Some new things I debuted at the show, the Epic Battle Vest Relics Button Pack 2, and Ardor Issue #1

I have a lot of admiration for anyone that comes to shows in cosplay, and every single time I've done this show, I can count on seeing some incredibly cool creations walking around.

I have no idea who any of these characters are, but I really want to know!

It did really seem like there were far more cosplays of complex and intricate natures this year, and I've heard in passing and seen on some online posts, that during the downtime of no shows, many people really refined cosplays they had been working on to finish levels they may not have normally.

Love all three, but UP's Carl is such a great effort!

Even though I got here early, Friday really seemed to fly by. I made a few sales, but was a bit worried on how the rest of the weekend was going to go. That's a normal thing for me, and I'm sure anyone that tables at a show. It also doesn't help that I got very little sleep the days leading up to the show, as comics, printer ink, and a lot of other things were coming together last minute.

Saturday - Day Two

Show startup is at 9:30 for VIP, and then 10am till 6pm, although, I really wish the vendor room stayed open till 8pm on Saturday. It's something I think I've brought up in years past, but I think I may be in the minority on wanting this. It does make it difficult to find dinner easily after 8pm by the time the booth is closed down for the evening.

I used to cover my stuff at my booth, I still do, but I used to as well. That's a Mitch Hedberg reference.

The day went pretty well, attendees seemed to be in good spirits, and sales started picking up. It was nice to have one or two members of the convention staff stop by to see how things were going. It reminded me of when my friend Beth oversaw the vendor room (it's still not the same without you being there Beth!). But from the get go, from setup till the end of the show, the crew working the show did appear to be making every effort to have things run as smoothly as possible.

Tell me these three cosplays aren't just the most awesome works of art! 

I didn't get a chance this year to play in the arcade area, but man was it nice to see it filled up with people playing and some nice Sega Astro City cabinets with various games on them!.

This room always makes me miss Token Joe's Arcade from my younger days...

Once again, the day came to a close, and tired and fairly satisfied, I hurried to get some posts online, run over to look to see what cool import games one of my favorite vendors had on hand, closed down my table, rearranged a few things, and headed home.

Sunday - Day Three

The last day of any three day show is the one where I do all I can to center myself and remind myself to self promote, engage with everyone, and enjoy myself. Sunday, kicked, ASS. I did the best on this day, and finally got enough perkiness mixed back in to my outlook that I had some fantastic conversations about art, game development, archery, teaching, history, language, SO MANY things. It drove home why I love conventions so much.

Naka had a lot of cool stuff back here to help support the show. I forgot to buy a shirt this year.

I had rearranged my display to showcase some of the original sketches I didn't have on display the first two days, and those began selling quickly. Many thanks to those of you that picked up original art, issues of Ardor and Pagan Zoetrope, and some of the limited large art reproductions I had on hand. I really appreciated it!

Twenty five minutes before the show opened Sunday

There were a few lulls where I had a chance to catch cosplayers that didn't pass my booth, but I wanted to get photos of. I also kept window shopping for just the right import game.

I want to say that the one on the left is inspired by Beauty and the Beast, but I'm not sure.

For those of you that asked me about my shirt featuring Kablam that I wore Sunday, it's the rad awesome company that prints up my comic books. I was running super close on getting my latest issue of Ardor in on time before NakaKon, and Kablam got it to me in plenty of time to board and back each issue for this show. If you want to self publish, even in these times when paper shortages are happening, I highly recommend them. You can find out more at the Kablam website!

[Left] Sitting at the booth attempting to look focused, instead looking tired. [Right] I chose this game.

To the staff at NakaKon, thank you for putting on another great show. I'm over the moon happy that your next show is a go and will be May 26th - 28th. Looking forward to it! For anyone wondering if you should attend this show, it's seriously a great show, and every single person I spoke to this weekend was having a great time.

If you want to see some other clips from NakaKon, you can find them on my TikTok account.

I cover a lot of KC art related things as well as showcase my art on here.

Until next time, remember to support artists and local 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

Naka-Kon 2021

The badge, and the new refined booth setup.

There are no words that can really put into perspective how odd it feels for a lot of us doing any sort of conventions this year. Speaking from my own limited moments, it's been so odd, so VERY odd. 

Even this post is ridiculously late in being created, just because it was taking me a while to keep my head in the right space as I wrote this. 

Most of the show, I spent trying to record video, and take in the fact that I was back at a show. I know that sounds crazy, but when 2020 made this show disappear, literally the day it was supposed to begin setup, my mind went to a weird place. 

"Oh great,... what now? What happens next? How long will this affect shows for?"

I know why it happened, and it was for all the right reasons. The same thing for the other shows that happen around here, and for so many of the larger ones all across the nation. The earmarked factor for 2020 will be how Covid was able to bring communities, events, and all sorts of interactions, to a very definitive halt. 

So very much has changed, in how I take a better look at things I do. I know I'm not the only one that faced the reality of job loss, life directions changing, and a more attuned look at the future. The cancellation of shows last year was more than a metaphor, it was frankly, a moment of bitter and scary challenges for myself and so many other people in the convention community. 

Of course I was a bit distressed and worried. I was wondering when, and if things would come back to some level of normal... whatever that could be. I know more than a few shows that didn't survive the year's absence, as well as a good number of creators that either closed up shop and moved onto other endeavors, or in some cases, found other temporary income and simply played the waiting game.

Setting up and early arrival

Very much appreciated that they were forward with the state of the show and it's future.

Being able to come back to the same hotel convention center after two years away, felt like a dream in some ways. Maybe more like a fuzzy memory. There were less people milling about, as the amount of vendors and staffing were reduced, as was the attendance cap that was going to be allowed for the return of the show.

If you want to watch the videos that I did during most of Naka-Kon, you can look them up on TikTok under theartisanrogue. I'll also put them together soon in a video for YouTube.

Set up went pretty smoothly, and I got it all set up and organized pretty quickly. I had to make a few last minute adjustments and additions, and I took the extra time to figure out what changes I wanted to make for presentation this next year.

I added Dungeons and Dragons based player class button pins to my display, and thank goodness there is a place locally here in KC that sells a great display spinner display rack. They didn't have black, but this white one is begging to be customized before my next show.

You can see the new spinner rack in the left hand corner in this photo. It was a last minute expense, but it paid itself off over the weekend thank goodness.

I don't remember exactly how many people the attendance cap was set to, but if memory serves me right, I believe it was right at about 3000. 

This resulted in a more laid back experience for me in general over the weekend, but thankfully not in sales or in interactions. Quite the contrary, I had my best show yet! As I look back over my journal entries and show notes, and even these photos as I upload them onto this blog entry, it still kind of feels as if the show didn't happen. I don't mean that in a negative way at all. I mean it felt like a fleeting bit of happiness that seemed like it was over, before I realized it.

If you go through any of my past posts about shows, any of you familiar with this blog know that I talk about how much I enjoy seeing people interact, play games, socialize, and just have a great time at any convention I do. There's a lot of reasons for that, but probably the top one is that it's being hyper aware of the good vibes, the positivity and fun that is there. Especially considering the ups and downs of both 2020 and 2021.

The weather was phenomenal, and once again, it was nice to see people out and about on the center greens area.

Cosplay on display

Though I am not a cosplayer myself, I am always super happy to see the awesome and creative ones that I will see at conventions. I didn't get to see as many cool ones at Planet this year, seeing as how I didn't have a table to sit at for three days to watch people from. 

This time I did, and here are some of the ones I really loved!

[Left] This fragrant fellow is the unsung hero every convention deserves. [Right] I LOVE the She-Ra Netflix show, so this was so dang cool to see.

Most of the cosplayers came around my table area, but there were a few that I had to run from my booth to chase down because I was worried they would not come back by.

[Left] Kamen Rider! [Right] Lady Dimitrescu from Resident Evil!

By the way, for anyone that wasn't at the show, the areas do look pretty open, and that's because they were. There was a LOT of space in between the vendors. Aisle widths were epic.

Not even going to lie, I don't know any of these characters. Well except for the Five Nights at Freddy's purple guy. I think that's right.

This was also the first time I was able to walk around and talk to a lot of the other vendors more than I'd ever been able to prior. The vendor room crowd would come in waves that were more apparent because of the smaller number of attendee, so that certainly made for a more relaxed atmosphere.

I also don't know these character cosplays either... I feel like a pop culture failure. :D

Time to say so long, farewell...

Gaze in wonder at the amazingly packed and organized booth loaded onto my tiny dolly. And yes, I do bring my own chair now to multi day shows.

The show came to a quiet end for this year, with a few groups of people still in the vendor room as the time wound down.

Saturday and Sunday both, I had some great conversations, caught up with some old friends, and met some new people - fellow artists, collectors, and old school anime enthusiasts.

I waited until early morning on that Sunday to do my shopping. I picked up a few things I'll show below. 

Final photo I took, just before I headed to the elevator to take the last of my booth equipment to my vehicle. Could already feel the post con blues beginning to set in.

I picked up a few things, including a Revival Run pack from Naka, two of the Aaru Garden figures, and a paper theatre and frame (that I still have yet to assemble). My wallet thankfully didn't take a huge hit as this year because of my own self control.

As I'm still trying to make sense of some of the display stuff I have here in my studio, I've not yet assembled or properly displayed any of the items above.

2022 and beyond...

This year did see some changes, from an honest message of support to help NakaKon move onwards, and a pretty cool virtual vendor hall.

It's not the easiest thing to contemplate when one deals with change. Life has a way of carrying us forward through time both hard and trying, or joyful and exciting.

There was a bittersweet energy in my mind for a good part of the show, as to whether or not Naka could make it through this year and into the next. As it turns out, yes it was able to. But the real challenge has arisen, will the show triumph onwards into 2023 and beyond?

I've never been shy about telling people that this is my favorite multi day show. The incredible high and emotional release I feel just being in the venue, being able to sell artwork to people that really enjoy my work, is all wonderful. But as I've said in years past, it's the incredible community, diversity, social acceptance, artistry, conversations about fandoms,... all of that and so much more, that makes this show something special.

I've met and spoken to many people at this show that feel the same way. I've kept in touch with a few that I've met over the years, and made friends with some vendors whom I am ecstatic to have seen over the years at this show.  

Show ticket advance sales are up now. You can find information on Naka-Kon's Facebook and Instagram about it. If you'd like to help keep NakaKon going, here is a direct link to a page on their website: Donate!

Until next time, remember to support artists and local 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

Naka-Kon 2019

This year's badge. Me standing on chairs for no other reason than I like to stand on chairs.

Rolling into this show, I had a mix of excitement and familiarity wash over me, and it helped quell the anxiety that I had in the video below.

I'd streamlined my set up even more this year, and realized I could add in some lighting for my set up the day I got there. But more on that in future post.

Once again a proud VIP program supporter. The more refined booth setup with just my current digital work and Ardor comic.

So setup went smoothly, I've gotten it down to just a portable luggage dolly, and an overall thirty minute setup.

That said, I still love getting to the show early to walk around, film stuff, and take some photos of the pre-show set up. I know that a lot of you that talked to me this weekend were talking about wanting to do the show as vendors at some point. So I hope that this, and the previous year's worth of blog coverage give you all a glimpse into the behind the scenes.

For me, it's like a weird Christmas feeling, seeing the items covered up at various vendors and wondering what I will end up finding this year to get.

So jumping directly into the show details. Load in was smooth, no issues getting badges, staff was helpful, and I noticed that the floor layout for the vendor room had some great changes readily apparent. There was a large area filled with tables for visiting and eating.

In that area they also had a photo booth set up (shown below on the right). I did see people using it throughout the weekend.

[Left] Amazing Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands cosplays. [Right] The photo booth set up.

As I talk about the show, I'll pepper in some thank you photos of the people that supported me at the show, as well as some cosplays that I really enjoyed.

I had two favorite cosplays from this year, Belle was one of them.

This was the first year I really started to push the world of Ardor heavily. I had more designs and work based on it available. So far, I've had a few people message me and they seem to have liked the story quite a bit. That is at once a relief, as well as a huge help to my attitude on writing. I sincerely appreciate it!

Can anyone tell me what this is a cosplay of on the left above? I kept thinking it was an Evangelion design...

I'm hoping that with some of the extra area that was in the vendor room, that some creative areas for photos, prop building areas, stuff like that, can be put in place. I know that there are panels that cover some of this, but there were people who I think would have loved tables and supplies to be able to work on cosplays during the show.

I've not played Fallout, but this is clearly a Vault suit isn't it? The prop work on the weapon is so awesome!

I had a blast talking about some new fandoms (that seems to happen every year), as well as a bit on other shows that are out of state.

I was pleasantly surprised which works were popular this year.

The overall demographic of attendees skews towards a younger crowd, which is great. Mainly because I get to see some interesting new things. I saw no less than 4 people total that were streaming to Twitch live during the show.

"Hana" (great cosplay from the mobile game Fire Emblem Heroes) picked up one of the last two art repros for the Day City.

It's pretty wild to see something like this happening. I did manage to talk to one lady as she had just completed streaming. She was using it as not only a promotional effort to bring people to the show, but to also share how the show was going, and was offering discounts and freebies for anyone that would show up Saturday and Sunday and mention a code she had told them on her broadcast.

Thanks for stopping by and introducing yourself Jesse!

It's wild how much things have changed in how people promote and connect in just the ten years I've been doing shows.

I mean, it's pretty normal on promoting oneself on Instagram/Twitter for immediate reactions, but taking it to the next level with video on Twitch was pretty cool.

Really dug this Princess Mononoke cosplay.

I didn't hang out super long after the vendor room closed up, although I had initially wanted to, but I have a backlog of freelance work I needed to get work done on.

Just a note, I LOVE when I see parents just as excited to be at a show as their kids.

But I did chat with some of the other vendors and staff members, just about the show in general which was great. There's a couple of shows that I think I may end up trying to do out of state in 2020.

This cosplay of Astrid from How to train your Dragon, was my absolute favorite of the entire weekend!!

One of the interesting conversations I had wished had gone on a bit longer was one I had downstairs near the Konsui Fighter booth. I had a fellow ask me if I had a charging cable that he could borrow for his iPhone. I didn't, but we spoke a bit about diversifying exposure on social media.

Sunday was busy early on as well, with good sales to new people and old friends stopping by.

I think we were both on the same spot with how it's hard to figure out what works for getting people to know and be aware of what you do as creative output.

It gave me some stuff to think about as I left the show and drove home. I know I've covered this in the past in some instances, but there really is a lot to parse.

For those that don't do art shows of any kind, there's a trifecta of things to remember that I think can me summarized like this:

1. Keep your presentation simple, or at least well organized in how people see it. Both in physical show set up, and your branding / information that you share online, no matter the outlet.
2. Try to not post the exact same thing across all the platforms (I have been super guilty of this in the past, but follow some super savvy video game PR people on Twitter that had been helpful on helping me understand this better). - Essentially, remember that it's not about the quantity of posts or hashtags, as much as it is making sure that you are pushing forward something that makes sense for that particular platform.
3. When you are doing a show, YOU are the entertainment. I know that sounds so odd to say, but it's true. The more you invest in the people that are at the show, and HONESTLY so, the more positive reciprocation you will get in return. Take the time to know your own product and how to relate it to possible new readers/collectors/viewers.

I have a feeling I should do a video on the above, because almost every show I get so many questions on set up, how it's like to do art shows, or just to get to where I am at this point.

I'm winding down on the last of these smaller art repros of my older robot art.

I think one of the most profound moments of the show was a young man that spoke to me about finding inspiration to keep going, even when you feel like your creative output is not happening.

The last few weeks had been increasingly difficult for me in a lot of ways, but sometimes, there's only one of two things you can do.

Picked up a Sega Saturn import game, and some Fire Emblem acrylic figures.

You can opt to take a break and step back and breathe, or you can just stand up and keep on going.

I can tell you all what I told him. Everyday can be a challenge if you feel like you are having difficulty focusing on a path to proceed down. But that's normal.

But the good thing that comes out of sometimes having moments of stifling non movement, it can force you to have moments of self reflection. It won't always be comfortable, but if you find a way to work through it, the benefits of figuring it out can be huge.

It's reasons like that, that make me glad that there are conventions like NakaKon, where you can go and be around like minded people. You get a chance to get away from the stressful things in life.

Maybe you don't like your job, or school is tough, or you've got other things going on in life. But when you get a chance to go to a show like this, you can just revel in what makes you happy.

So if you get a chance to attend NakaKon, do it. It's a lot of fun. The staff is really helpful, and there are some great vendors and artists there. Thanks again to everyone that stopped by and said hello and supported me. It made my weekend. Sincerely.

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

NakaKon 2018

This past weekend was filled with a bit of rejuvenating energy and a return of some self reflection in a more positive manner, thanks to my favorite show to vend at, NakaKon.

You know I'm ready for a show to start when I stand arms akimbo.

Thursday night was setup, which went pretty smoothly. Nothing new in the form of what I was setting up this year. I checked out the badge for this year's show to see what the winning art looked like.

There was a competition to submit a character in all 80's style. I think I needed a little more John Hughes and even more Punky Brewster aesthetic in my submission to have had a better chance at winning.

The vendor room had it's mainstay vendors and artists from some of the previous years and a few newcomers in the mix. The aisles passed my "could I drive a 1974 Mercury Colony Park Station Wagon down this?" with ease.

An hour before the first VIP attendees enter.

With the exception of Sunday, which was a little more mild in density of people per square foot of personal space, the vendor room activity was nice and active. I would love to see the return of the lounge back to the middle of the room, as I loved how people were able to shop and sit, and look and talk and compare things they'd bought, then possibly go back for more. Kind of like sitting in between innings in a football game, when it's Par 4 to the 9th frame and your bowling ball needs more Big League Chew.

Is it obvious I do not watch sports? Nor know how to use them as examples in a blog? Someone hand me my inhaler because it's about to get a lot more dorky up in here.

An hour into the show, and the vendor room was pretty full.

It's always a nice feeling to start off a show with some commissions ready to be picked up (see the three wood 4'x4' works below).

Sometimes when I start sketching, things do not end as I think they will. Case in point, the young elven maiden below was supposed to be a beastie of some sort, but that was what I ended up with.

(Left) Warming up, and adding more sketches for a forthcoming sketchbook collection. (Right) Three 4 inch wood block commissions, Mazinger z, Dry Bones, and Naruto. 

I of course got a proliferation of photos of people who bought my art over the weekend, and/or had some cool cosplays!

"Zombie" original with new owners, a very cool Tardis cosplay, and a witch cosplay of some sort.

So for the better part of the time since NakaKon had announced the show would have Steve Blum as a guest, I was all heavy breathing fan boy extraordinaire. So for those that don't know who he is, and probably how much of your childhood animated series are awesome because of him, here is his IMDB page. Go on and open that in another tab and let the awesome overwhelm you.

You see it? You good? Awesome right? Okay, back to my post. :D

New reader and first sale of the newest digital art I debuted at the show.

Something I need to consistently remember is to bring a portable fan to the show. The weather was a bit on the cool side, but once one is set up in a room full of people hustling and bustling, it gets warm.

A requested bit of work of Prince Topaz and Lady Turquoise from Robin.

So I wanted to do a play by day sort of review, but man, I am not kidding, I got so little sleep that weekend. This show is a serious high for me, like a Rocky Mountain High for John Denver (everyone under 25 years of age, go wiki that now).

Every year I attend the show, I love to stay late on Friday nights to people watch. Not in a creepy way. Maybe like in a Batman way.... which COULD be creepy. But I'm not dressed up as a bat.

NakaKon is something of a bizarre experience in all the best ways for me, as every year I see new friends see each other for the first time, friendly gaming experiences from video games to card games to people out on the green just singing, playing, running, and talking.

I don't know if there are other shows that have this sort of energy after the vendor rooms close. I know no Wizard shows do, and every other show I have participated in has some after hours sketching meetups or things like that, but for the general attendees, not so much.

Japan has WAY cooler arcade games, and seeing them here is insane.

My favorite room was the arcade room with all kinds of arcade cabinets set up. I grew up around arcades before they recently started making the whole retro feel good comeback, so seeing a room set up like this is like that old saying of the more things change the more they stay the same. Kind of like Christmas fruitcake.

These arcade games looked like Simon and Dance Dance Revolution had baby on the Borg Cube.

I'm not complaining from lack of sleep, because the fact that people wanted me to do art for them, and that was over each of the nights of the show was a welcome relief and joy, since I didn't know if I was going to have a glorious #fail weekend like I did at the last show I did. Thankfully, I did not.

"Mars Mining" has a new home, and I drew a frog with horns for this young lady.

I was super happy to finally have the first issue of Ardor find an audience. I forget how many people  that attend NakaKon are also into the indie comics aspect.

Dr. Rockso kicking cosplay, and two more new readers of Ardor!

And along that line, the conversations and new people I met, that spoke to me about everything from Pokemon, to Nintendo, to board games, to artwork,... a hearty thank you to each and every one of you all for making my weekend that much more enjoyable!

The compliment of having artwork go to new homes and previous customers is such an amazing feeling.

I did spend a good bit of time also talking about voice acting to a few people, how it started at Hallmark, how it's one of the most challenging and yet incredibly insane jobs to be able to do.

I do feel bad in that I think I only got half of the people that got things from me to have their photos taken.

I know one thing I am going to do moving forward on whatever shows I do next year (yes, this is still tentatively my last convention for the year), is get better organized on note taking, business card taking, and connections.

So many thanks to you all!

One of the last commissions I worked on was a character named Charon that I only marginally knew about, because I'd not played any of the Fallout games (but had seen the hilarious play through segments that Incognito Cinema Warriors had done sometime back on YouTube).

A commission request for Charon of Fallout 3.

Finally, as the show closed down, a bit of con blues overcame me. But, judging by the number of cards I handed out, I interacted with 289 people. To everyone of you, you all rock so very much. You all made my weekend more enjoyable just from wanting to visit, to pick up my creations, to give them new homes. I am ever humbled by that.

And to the incredible crew, especially my wonderful friend Beth, who heads up the vendor room, at NakaKon. Thank you for consistently being that convention that cares, that tries, that succeeds, that listens, and that grows better and better each year.

And any of you reading this blog post, if you've not, PLEASE fill out this survey and add your email address, and be entered to win tickets (courtesy of NakaKon) to BABYMETAL, playing in May at the Uptown Theater!

Link: https://goo.gl/forms/nNO3KjNzEot0XKFo2

I didn't get much shopping at all this year, but I did pick up a few things...

The one vendor who was closest to me just happened to be selling Japanese candies and Sega Saturn games. My wallet was angry with me.

So I have to tell you all about how totally not have ANY chill when talking to someone who is one of the major influences in your voice over career.

It was in the waning hours of the show late on Sunday, and my booth had seen as much action as a Micheal Bay free movie, so I was reclining and playing some Fire Emblem on my phone. I was musing about how hungry I was also getting when I happened to look up from my phone, and saw Blum walk past with someone else (who as I later realized was Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, voice of Major Motoko Kusanagi in Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex and whom I am a fan of as well).

I said to myself, "Oh that's Steve Blum." Looked back at my phone, and then my eyes widened, and that tiny voice in the back of my brain screamed "THAT'S STEVE BLUM!" and evidently my tiny voice and my legs are in sync with each other and I used that chair you see below to jump OVER the pipe and drape to get to him.

Mind you, I COULD have just walked 3 feet and walked AROUND the pipe and drape like a normal person, but where is the fun in not acting like an off balance cut rate ninja jumping over red drapery and totally not landing a super hero landing, instead almost twisting my ankle because I'm not 17 anymore even though my hobbies say I am?

(Left) The chair that I used to leap over the side pipe and drape to run after Blum. (Right) Thank you Steve for letting me get some quick words and a few photos.

So I ran up behind him and Mary, who were looking for something in the vendor room, and proceeded to smoothly and slowly interject with "Mr. Blum? Steve? Steve Blum? Hey! HI! I'm that guy from Twitter? The one who posted the thing? About meeting you?"

TOTALLY COHERENT facts are my specialty. Along with ninja jumps over pipe and drapes.

I think Steve was a bit bemused and I didn't even let him answer as I was like "Oh man, I just wanted to say hello, and tell you how big of an influence you've been in my voice over career, and how when I did my first audition and every audition after that, I kept this little piece of paper with what you said in your interview with Chuck and Stacey on VO Buzz Weekly about how 'the audition is the job' and how I consider that my good luck charm and you kicked ass as Wolverine, and omg your work on Cowboy Beebop as Spike, and..."

-[note: mind you, as I am inventing the worlds longest run on sentence right in front of Steve, my voice decided that I was no longer my current age, and instead decided to emulate a 13 year old boy going through puberty]-

"...and I really had wanted to make it to your panels, but I have a booth here in the vendor room, and so I was not able to, but I saw you and I ran down here to say hello and thank you also for saying good things about Keanu Reeves in the interview you did, because he just seems like just such a nice guy and a generous actor."

SOMEHOW, I managed to draw a breath in there, and Steve and Mary were so super cool that he offered to take a photo with me, and I handed my camera to Mary (not even acknowledging that she was this super cool kick ass vo artist and director in her own right that I was a fan of as well), and they asked me if I was a vendor, I said I was an illustrator and had a booth set up just a few feet away, but they had to head to something else in just a moment.

I walked away totally on nerd cloud nine, and holding onto my phone like Gollum held onto the One Ring, and told everyone after that about the encounter, in complete total THX certified dork level cringe factor.

Until next time, support your local artists, be kind to your fellow beings, and always take the path less traveled!

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

www.theartisanrogue.com