Maybe it’s because the urge to make money of my creations has waned a bit, as I have a day job now. I feel I’m starting to like smaller conventions much more than the larger ones. Okay, the smallest I attended where fantasy and sci fi ones, the largest mostly comic-oriented; so maybe it’s not a fair comparison. But what I’m getting at: smaller conventions are so much more relaxed to attend than the larger ones, expecially as a dealer!

It’s been a month already since I attended Fantasticon, the fantasy convention I dubbed the smallest in the Netherlands on my first visit in 2022. This year, I was invited to join a panel about AI in writing and helped behind the bar for a couple of hours. I also tabled with prints and booklets, which would have been impossible to combine at a larger convention. I remember at Dutch Comic Con, during peak times it wasn’t even possible to go to the bathroom; both the visitors demanding your attention as the waiting line made it impossible to leave your booth. Your neighbours would be just as busy so they couldn’t help you out either. And while all those people might drive up sales, it makes the whole experience quite exhausting.

I’d rather stay at the small conventions; where I have the time to chat with other dealers and am able to leave my table unattended for a while. During really quiet times, I can sketch the stand across my table and just do my own thing. Apart from being super relaxing, drawing also sparked new conversations. And in the end, making connections is just as worthwhile, and something I always felt there is little time for at larger events.

I did sell stuff, even though I didn’t dare to hope for it: two booklets, a print and a sticker. Totally not bad for such a small convention!

Will I never attend big conventions like Comic Con anymore? I won’t say never, but probably not in the near future. Bigger means more expensive and most convention ventures up to now ended in the red. Now I don’t need the income anymore, so I can focus solely on the fun.