Sakura-con in a nutshell!

This past weekend was my very first step into the world of being a starving artist. As I mentioned before, I was vending at an artists' alley table at Sakura-con, selling printed artwork, jewelry, and doing  commissioned drawings as well. Honestly, I wasn't too optimistic, since it was my first time and I was pretty much readying myself for the worst, but it actually turned out to be a huge success! First of all, not only did I break even from my costs, but I actually profited from my sales! Second of all, I handed out tons of business cards, so at the very least, I'm getting my name out there, which is awesome. I felt very accomplished after it was all over.

Thursday afternoon, I showed up at the exhibitor's hall and met up with my table partner, the fabulous miss Ellen, who traveled all the way from Eugene, Oregon, with all the display things we needed (I know, I'm a total asshole, I live 15 minutes away from the convention center but I'm making the girl who actually has to travel here bring all the stuff). But anyways, we set up our table, and by Friday, it looked like this: 

I am occupying the right side of the booth :) I know, totally not aligning with our booth label...hehehe.

Friday's sales were a little slow, and I admit I was a bit nervous that I wasn't doing so hot. Mind you, I was mostly selling originals, which usually doesn't fly so well at an anime convention. But! I didn't do that shabby, and actually ended up selling some of my originals, which made me extremely happy. 

Things definitely picked up on Saturday, and I found myself knee deep in commissions (which I was able to finish completely on time! And without jeopardizing study time for a conveniently placed exam scheduled for that following Monday...ugh. Anyways). On top of that, I was selling over twice as much as on Friday. It was such a rush! The fact that I was busy doing something that I actually enjoyed, and was in the process making money as well thrilled me to no end. Damn, why didn't I start doing this earlier?! 

Sunday was just as strong as Saturday. I figured since it was Easter, it would be slow, but the exhibitors' hall was just as packed as ever. I really enjoyed people watching from my booth. Sakura-con definitely attracts a more alternative crowd, and as a result, the most colorful, flamboyantly-dressed people were all congregated in one convention center. I'm not necessarily talking cosplays, but there were people with the craziest hair colors/styles, most elaborate clothing, makeup, etc. There were many instances in which I looked upon a girl and immediately thought..."holy shit, where'd she get that dress/shoes/hat??" 

Unfortunately, though, I did see gratuitous amounts of ass. Both male and female. I remind you that I work in an underwear store, and see plenty of that already, so my sensitivity to these things is already quite low. Let me just say, some characters are probably not meant to be cosplayed. 

I was both a little sad and relieved when the exhibitors' hall finally closed for good on Sunday. I was actually having a blast, but was completely exhausted from the weekend. Pretty much, every day I would get up at the crack of dawn, take the bus to the convention center, then sit at my booth for 6-8 hours straight selling, talking to people, drawing, etc. It felt like a 9-5 job, but actually fun. I'm definitely looking forward to doing this again next year. 

My next confirmed showing will be at the Punk Rock Flea Market on June 23rd at the Underground Events Center in Belltown, Seattle. Hope to see some of you there!