Comic Witchery

On November 14, I attended my first convention as a cartoonist with my own booth. (DWEX in Dallas, Texas, USA) It was also the first year that this convention was presented! I’m making notes on various things I have learned or observed as I was preparing for and attending DWEX.

Part 2: Working up the Nerve to Meet Other Artists

I admit it. I’m a grown woman who turns into a startstruck, squealy, gibbering fangirl in front of the creators of comics and books that I enjoy. I can’t even ask the questions I want to ask, much less ask to pose for a picture because I’m staring all starry-eyed at these people. So what can I offer to help you?

Well, as you can see from my DWEX report, I actually DID get some pictures and autographs! Why did I have the nerve to meet some creators and not others? I have a few thoughts on that:

Before I left, I made a list of all the people I specifically wanted to meet who were attending the convention. Once I got home, I checked off the people I met . The unchecked people were the folks I was too shy to approach.  I immediately noticed a pattern, all the people I wanted to meet who I actually DID meet were those I had interaction with online!

So here’s my BIG TIP for finding the courage to meet other artists: INTERACT WITH THEM ONLINE!!

Every single one of the web comickers I actually spoke to are ones I had “met” and interacted with online. It automatically gives you something to say to open a conversation: “I’m so glad to finally meet you in person!”

Once again, I’m not going to throw you to the wolves with nothing. Here are some ways to interact with other cartoonists along with some tips from me:

• Social Sites: These include twitter, facebook, myspace, friendster, etc. which are MADE for these kinds of interactions. Find out the sites that your favorite artists use and learn the features *and ettiquette* of using those sites.
• Professional Sites: LinkedIn is an example of a professional networking site. Not as chitty-chatty casual as the social sites. For our purposes, I think the social sites work a bit better, this is a great option.
• Comic/art Themed Forums: Share your passion for comics in forums. Many forums have threads to share your work, too. Be sure to comment on the work of others! If your favorite comic site or artist has a forum of their own, join and PARTICIPATE!
• Hosted Chats and Drawing Streams: If your favorite comicker offers a podcast or live drawing, DEFINITELY make a point of attending to the live recording and participating in the chatroom.
• Email them: Sometimes it is best to take the direct route. Send a fan letter or ask a question. The encouragement is always welcomed and most are very pleased to answer your questions about the strip or comicking. This shows that you respect their work or their opinion or skill. That is a nice first impression to make.
• Send fan art or a fan strip: Send it along with a note. The artist may send a thank you note back and open up a discussion with you. Either way, it ALWAYS makes an artist feel good that you thought enough about their comic to draw it yourself. How can it NOT be a good idea to have your name associated with that feeling?

Just remember that the main idea is to interact with your favorite creators in some way.  Getting to ‘know’ these artists online does so much to lessen the anxiety about approaching them in person. And if you’re as lucky as I was, they’ll meet you half way!

(WARNING: Interaction is a TWO WAY street and sometimes, you won’t get the response coming back from the artist other side. That’s OKAY! You’re doing your part. You still have an opening line to meet them in person, “It’s so nice to meet you! I’m ‘Swikan” on twitter and have enjoyed reading your posts…” Wouldn’t it be great if they remembered your online name? I was so pleased that Scott Kurtz remembered my online name and comic name. Though he doesn’t follow me on twitter or read my comic, he did remember me from his uStream chat and occasional twitter post to him. )

Here are my thoughts on what to do and not do once you’ve joined these sites:

WHAT NOT TO DO:

• Don’t be a Pest. If they don’t respond, don’t keep bothering them. Yes, they’ll remember your name but it will be associated with a feeling of annoyance.
• Don’t *just* post links or famous quotes. Your posts become like those advertising packets you get in the mail…one or two things of interest and the rest is trash. Your screen name will be associated with trash! Also doing this makes you less approachable…you obviously don’t want to share any of YOURSELF, so why would anyone bother to interact with you.
• Don’t flood your stream/wall with re-posts: People feel differently about this topic, but here’s my take: It’s about quality, not quantity. Big blocks of re-tweeted/re-posted stuff are skimmed over in my stream, if read at all. Better to post a link to a comic you find particularly funny or a blog post you find particularly good with a comment from you. Your recommendations will become more valuable to the people who follow you, because you only post the good stuff…you say WHY it’s good.
• Don’t get preachy: Religious, political, social, economic, whatever philosophies are very personal things and people feel strongly about them. While it’s certainly okay to join these discussions and express your opinion, you have to realize that you aren’t going to change anyone’s mind over the internet. Even if your favorite artists like to go off on these subjects (as they might if you enjoy political comics!), state your opinion (without caps or exclamation points) and stop. Politely answer any questions about your opinion and why you feel that way, but do NOT do it by saying the other side is WRONG in any way! Aside from the fact that you do not want to be seen as a closed-minded jerk, those who follow you may disagree with you strongly on the subject. If you are too preachy about this subject, it may interfere with someone’s enjoyment of YOUR comic! (The safest bet is to avoid these topics, of course. Let folks believe what they want to believe and move on.)
• Don’t post EVERYTHING you do: Good lord…we don’t need to know what you’re doing every minute of every day. This is not to say that you should not invite us into your daily life, just keep the more mundane things to a minimum. Sharing a simple pleasure or a frustration during the day is to be encouraged, though! Those are part of getting to know your personality.
• Don’t overuse coarse language: Yes, I know you talk like that in real life and the F-bomb is your favorite adjective and $h!+ is your favorite word to use in place of “stuff”…and I know that some of your favorite artists talk this way, also. But this is my mind on the subject: No one is going to think LESS of you for NOT swearing, but the reverse is not true. If your favorite artists do not swear in their stream, or do not swear often, are they just being professional when interacting with the public or do they just not like it? (And you don’t want to turn off any of YOUR followers. Make it easy for folks to enjoy following YOU!)

WHAT YOU SHOULD BE DOING:

• Posting Regularly: Staying in the conversation is very important. When you do not post, you are not there even if you read daily. You do not have to spend all day at it. Set aside some time in the mornings or evenings specifically to interact with the comic community. Your favorite artists will notice someone who joins in the ongoing discussions.
• Participating in Community Events: This means joining and chatting in drawing streams, podcasts and forums. Again, being a part of the conversation is better than sitting on the sidelines. I really enjoy the communities that form around the uStream and talkshoe events. I have “met” many other comic artists in the chat, if not the host artist.
• Asking questions: Start some discussions of your own! Don’t just ask a question and leave, though. Participate! I have followed some great discussions on twitter while doing something else, so even if your favorite artist isn’t adding to the dialog, he may be following along. If not, your opening when you meet him is, “We had a great discussion on twitter about ___ a while back and I wondered what you thought about it.”
• Focus on Learning your Craft: You already have something in common with your favorite comickers, a passion for the craft of making comics. Learn how your favorite artists do their thing and practice on your own. You can then discuss these with the artist when you meet him. Just saying, “I really liked how you did ____ and tried it myself. It turned out great/not as well” is a nice opener. Everyone likes knowing they are inspiring someone else in some way.
• Comment on their comics and/or blog: Being familiar with someone’s work makes it a little easier to approach them in person. Not a LOT easier, mind you, but it does help. I can tell you from experience that just wanting to meet the person and NOT knowing their work is a BIG hindrance! For example, I wanted to meet several comickers because they are successful, but I was not a fan of their comics. *sheesh* These are folks I wanted to congratulate on their success, and I want to learn from them what has contributed to that success. But I froze … How could I start a conversation with these people?!

Hopefully, you will form some wonderful professional and personal friendships along the way…a great reward in itself, isn’t it?

Can you think of anything else to add to my lists? Please post your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.

(Part 3 will be the 3rd major cause of anxiety…meeting the PUBLIC!)