Perspective: Why Artists are Losing Appeal on the Convention Floor and What Can Be Done (A Response to Denise Dorman's "Is Cosplay Killing Comic-Con?")

Yesterday, I’ve read an article from Bleeding Cool written by Ms. Denise Dorman who is the wife of famed illustrator Dave Dorman about how cosplayers could possibly be ruining cons. She argued that convention attendees nowadays are more interested in cosplaying (seeing cosplays or cosplaying) rather than spending money at the exhibitors' hall or the artist alley. I believe that’s partly true but I disagree that cosplayers are the ONLY reason why artists are doing bad in conventions.

Here are some other possible reasons why.

First of all, ticket prices are getting more and more expensive (not to mention food, lodging, parking and other expenses) because most conventions invite big-name celebrities as guests/panelists. It just makes sense for attendees to make sure that they use their convention time to line up and see one of these panels to justify the cost of the ticket. If you go to a concert, would you go check out the merchandise first or will you prioritize seeing the concert you paid for? 

Secondly, almost everything is available online nowadays. Gone are the days when conventions are all about the con-exclusives. There’s just not much to expect from exhibitors anymore. Unlike a toy, attendees cannot own and take cosplayers home and that’s why there is so much appeal to see them in-person. However, with toys, collectors can just pre-order them online and still bask in the joy of having it once it arrives at their doorsteps. There was also a time when people see and buy art because there’s no other way to enjoy it. However, in today’s digital world, one can easily Google an image and make it into their phone/computer wallpaper. Most artists also have an online shop where people can buy their work. The shipping fee might be a problem but it will still be less expensive than paying for a ticket. The only incentive in buying them from their convention booths is that they are physically there to sign it for you, talk to you and maybe, network with you.

Thirdly, artists are competing with a wide variety of products and entertainment on the floor. I understand that artists might have been successful in comic conventions in the past but like I said, the conventions and the demographic are evolving. In the past, there are probably more art to show than mass-produced products. “Collectibles” range from limited edition pins to DVD boxsets to toys/statues/figures to prop and costume replicas. Mrs. Dorman mentioned that maybe the "creators" are starting to become irrelevant and that "conventions are no longer shows about commerce, product launches, and celebrating the people who created this genre in the first place" but it still is! Who were these "creators" she was talking about? Comic book "creators"? I don't think they're getting ignored because of cosplay though. It's the evolving entertainment itself that's phasing them out. Now that "comic" conventions are becoming more and more about TV, film and game entertainment than comic books, there's much more to be appreciated and celebrated. Sad as it is but people just cannot give everyone the attention they deserve. It's like expecting someone to watch every single show available on Netflix. It's just impossible. Prioritizing something and ignoring the other is inevitable.

Lastly, maybe the artist was just at the wrong place selling his/her goods to the wrong market. If it wasn’t selling, it’s probably because it wasn’t desired. Enough said.

So what could artists do?

Know the market. 

For example, at Animé  Expo, it would be best if the artist sells fan art of animé  characters since a huge part of the attendees are animé  enthusiasts. Live-action series like Doctor Who or cartoons like Adventure Time probably did fine at AX only because a huge part of AX Artist Alley buyers are women (or that's what I think, at least) who like attractive and cute characters. For San Diego Comic-Con, it would be wise NOT to have the animé stuff because people aren't there for that.  In both conventions, personal work might not appeal so much. If an artist wants to showcase personal work, art conventions such as IlluxCon or CTNX are better choices because the markets over there are professionals and art enthusiasts, not pop culture fans. 

The pricing of the art plays into this too. I’ve noticed that art at AX tends to be cheaper. Not because the quality of art is less but because the attendees are mostly kids. At CTNX, the attendees are mostly professionals who could afford $20-40 prints.

Know the trend. 

Maybe the artist’s style didn't appeal to the current market because it was outdated. It seems that highly stylized art styles such as Skottie Young’s and Jake Parker’s are popular right now. Drawing realistically is one thing and drawing stylistically is another and yet I’ve seen some artists already try to make themselves more marketable by learning to do both. 

(Personal example: I’m a graphic design major interested in print and packaging. However, I’ve come to realize that no matter how much I’m passionate about the two, it’ll be better for me to know web design and programming as well because our society is heading deeper into the digital age.) 

Also, the customer is always right. It doesn't matter if the artist thinks that his/her composition or technique is far more superior than anyone’s in the room. If the art is not what the audience wants, it’s not going to sell.

Accept that times have changed and adapt. 

Mrs. Dorman mentioned that the time they wasted tabling at a con was “time [they] could be spending with [their] family and friends” and “time [they] could be actually earning money working from [their] studio and offices at home”. If selling art at a convention was not worth the time and money investments, then why go? If there was a more effective way to make money, then why bother? Maybe at this point, it's better to focus on that day job, developing personal work or spend time with loved ones instead. Conventions were never meant to be a stable means of income anyways. But if it used to feed the family and it doesn't now, then I'm sorry but that's just the way it is. Things and jobs get phased out here and there. 

I can imagine how frustrating it must be to put in the time and the money into con tabling and not getting rewarded for it but I find it very unfair to blame it on the cosplayers. They're definitely changing conventions but I wouldn't say they're ruining it. These cosplayers paid for their tickets as well and spent time and money crafting their costumes without expecting that they will get their money back. They didn't put all that work into showing up in costume to purposely sabotage anyone's sales. We should at least give them some credit for providing free entertainment. You can't blame attendees for enjoying something that's free. Also, it does not make sense to point fingers in the first place. Artist tabling is a business. Risks and losses should not be news to these kinds of endeavors.

I believe that people would still buy the product if they really want it whether there’s a cosplayer in front of them or not. The absence of a cosplayer also does not mean that it would boost everyone’s sales. When we went to SDCC last year, we didn’t even see that much cosplayers because no one wants to be in-costume in that chaos. Did we end up shopping though? No. We went around the exhibitor’s floor Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning and barely bought anything.

Bottom line is, change is the only permanent thing. Adapt or go extinct. Make art that’s unique. Spend time utilizing the changes to your advantage. If something is not working, blaming what could have caused it will not make it repair itself. Either you fix it or leave it be and find something else that would do the job.

9/8/14 Outfit of the Day: Do I Look Like a B*tch?

I find it really hard to look good in this heat. California is being swept away by a heat wave and as a sweater-weather fan, I barely have the clothes for it. Good thing I scored this department store Pulp Fiction shirt during my trip in the Philippines.

It was actually a men's shirt but I cut the sleeves off and voila! Instant muscle tee! I always find myself in the men's section wishing that the designs available to them can be found in the women's too but nope. But! If you don't mind grabbing a pair of scissors and customizing some shirts, there's a ton of really soft men's graphic tees at Target that only cost $12 or so that you can do fun things with.

I like crop tops too but I don't like them with low-waisted shorts. That's why I didn't really mess with the length of the shirt anymore. That way, I can tuck them in high-waisted shorts or leave them be when I'm wearing regular or low-waisted shorts.

The shirt-shorts combo is pretty desaturated so to liven it up a bit, I wore the Wet N' Wild Bordeaux Balm Stain again and partnered it with my red Keds Rookie Loop-de-Loop sneakers. I could have debuted my red Doc Martens with this outfit too but the heat was too intense. I don't think my feet would have appreciated getting shoved into some patent lamper leather in 100-degree heat.

And for more attitude, I wore my metal-accented cateye sunglasses. I was really hesitant to get cateye sunglasses since they tend to be round. (Tip: If you have a round face and you want to reduce the fullness, go for angular frames! The straightness of the shape should offset the curves.) But I gave no effs and went for it.

A friend told me that these sunnies have so much attitude that it makes me look cattish (Well, they are...CATeye sunnies.) than I already do and that I should wear it when I don't want people to approach me at all. But really though.

I hope not.

9/7/14 Outfit of the Day: Casual Sun-date

I left for the Philippines on July 10th and stayed there for five weeks. That trip was the epitome of "spontaneity". I only had a few clothes in my luggage and the rest were gifts for my family. On my second day of stay, my grandma took me to the market.

Markets in the Philippines consist of two parts: the wet and the dry. The wet market is where the fresh goods are including fish and meat. The dry market is where you'll find everything else: phone cases, trash cans, socks, pirated DVDs--you name it! 

Since I didn't bring any house clothes, my grandma led the way to the dry market after doing some groceries so we could pick up some cheap shirts that I can wear at home during my stay. 

And then I found this dress. For PHP 385 ($8.95).

Please excuse the hard lighting. #californiaweather

The dress became everyone's darling. My friends said that it's really flattering. I have to say that it's one of the most well-fitting dresses I own, almost as if it was made specifically to my measurements; the armholes aren't too loose, the shoulders aren't too wide, the elastic for the hip isn't too tight nor too loose. I have dresses which elastics are one way or the other. When it's too tight, it causes the dress to ride up, causing weird shapes that I'm not very happy about. When it's too loose, it doesn't serve any purpose. I love the length too. The struggle is real when it comes to skirt length since I'm pretty short. I want my dresses short enough to show off my legs and make myself look taller but not too short that I'll have to worry about what might be showing underneath.

Sometimes I wish I could be like those girls who could comfortably pull off wearing all these cute accessories and jewelry but no. I'm fine with cuffs and necklaces but when something's hanging loose on my body and I can feel it move and hear it jingle around, I just cannot. Hahaha. So to accessorize, I topped it off with some Cat Eye Clubmaster sunnies I recently got.

Tried really hard to look sweet in every photo. I'm really bad at that though.

9/7/14: Sunday Sandwich Lunch Date

My boyfriend Q and I met early in the afternoon to have a late lunch. Since I was wearing a dress, he probably figured I wanted to go somewhere decent. After the usual 

, we ended up going to Float for some sandwiches. 

We weren't really hungry but I just needed to go outside. One thing that's really worth knowing about me is that I cannot stay at home for an entire day. Otherwise, I feel really deprived and upset. At first, walking to the grocery store solves the problem but ever since I got a car, going places became so easy that driving for two minutes to get to the store does not cut it anymore. I feel really spoiled and bratty for feeling this way but it's also a good thing. It keeps me from locking myself up in my room.

Anyways, I'm not really into sandwiches but I like Float. They let you customize your own float and if you don't want one, you could satisfy yourself with a bottle from their vintage soda pop selection .

We've tried the Turkey Cheese Melt and Rosemary's Pastrami before and we enjoyed it. The Chipotle Bacon Club that we shared on this day did not disappoint either. It was tasty without being too crazy and it wasn't overloaded with so many different things that gets annoying once it all starts to fall out of the sandwich.

The weather wasn't perfect and in fact, it was a little bit too hot. Good thing, it wasn't so bad once you're under shade so we still decided to sit outside. The heat still made us sleepy though. It was time to go home. 

And Then My Bank Account Screamed, "RED ALERT!"

I was never a fan of nail polish since it's just too much work and the few times I tried it out, the colors I picked didn't go so well with my unfeminine hands. But at this year's AX, I was forced to deck out $12 on nail polish and paint my nails dark red as part of my Nana cosplay. I really liked how the color looked on my hands but not so much my nail painting skills. When it wore out, I had it re-painted during my trip in the Philippines just weeks ago.

Anyways, today I had coffee with my mom. She gave me my birthday present since she cannot be around next week and treated me to a gel manicure. It was my first time! I'm not confident enough to try out another color so I stuck to my "Nana" color. You know what else this whole Nana thing inspired? Red lip things! I wore a red lipstick for my Nana cosplay and I felt really comfortable with it. So the other day, I stumbled on this Wet N' Wild Balm Stain in Bordeaux and bought it for $2! I really recommend the Wet N' Wild brand for y'all adventurers out there. If you want to try out a color but aren't very sure if it would suit you, go for this brand. They are really cheap (in fact, they have lipsticks and eyeliners starting at 99 cents) and perfect for some experimenting. #unpaidendorsement

I think I'd start trying out some of these "stains" from now on. I really like how they're not opaque like lip sticks. 

After breakfast, I headed to DSW to return the C Label Vicky-9 pumps I ordered from them online. I fell in-love with the style but the material was a let down. The polka dot print fabric upper looked cheesy like those cheap store-bought Halloween costumes. 

Since the fall semester followed my impractical, unplanned trip to the Philippines, I should really hold myself from shopping if I don't want to eat Top Ramen for the rest of September. But with a $5 off birthday coupon from DSW, I headed to the clearance section thinking it shouldn't be that bad. There couldn't be something there that I would want so badly.

I have never been so wrong in my life.

In my defense, it was---ohgoditwasseventydollarsthatcouldhavebeenmygasmoney---not so bad though. These boots go for $130 at retail price. DSW has them for $99.95. With the 30% off clearance discount and my $5 off coupon, it was $64.96 but with tax, it ended up being $70.81. Yeah, yeah. That's $71 that I could not have spent but let's look at the less dark side and think about that $65 I saved! I was planning to get new Docs anyways already. My white ones still has a lot of character but damn, they don't look the way they did.

It was bittersweet. I love my new purchase but also feel very guilty that I have once again, failed to control myself. People always tell me that I can't eat all these luxuries but whatever. I rather starve in some good shoes anyways. *awkward laughter fading into silent weeping as I check my bank account's remaining balance*

9/4/14 Outfit of the Day: The Patriot

I originally bought the top to wear on the 4^th of July. But I ended up wearing something else since I spent my July 4^th behind my artist table at AX. I hope it was still relevant that I wore it on September... the fourth.

I thought the top was already too bold like the rest of my wardrobe but my friends and I went to the mall after and guess what we found.

#Muricanintensityintensifies

I wish I had taken a photo of the aviators up close because it also has the American flag on it. Since I didn't, here’s another embarrassing photo to compensate for that.

Watch me regret that I unleashed this in the intarwebs.

Out in the Open

Inspired by Jin Joson’s journal in DeviantArt, my fourteen-year-old self discovered the joy of reading about people’s adventures and also the fulfillment in sharing stories of my own. She had a wonderful way with words. She shared what seemed (I'm pretty sure that some of it were simple day-to-day things; it's just that she was brilliant in presenting them) to be a luxurious lifestyle but not a single one of it felt like she was bragging. It inspired me. Not only did I want to write like her, I also wanted to be able to enjoy my life and be able to present it so that people would know that the world is such a beautiful place if we just all know where to look.

I used to be able to blog much more. Maybe because I had more time when I was younger or there were less people who branded my blogging as attention-whoring. But now, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t care how people see it and I’m also not obliged to explain why I do it. This is me having fun and doing things I want. This is me living my life.