There and back again. We have returned home from Gen Con 2023, and I am still collecting my thoughts from the past week. As impressive as last year was, in the end, it was a very hard Gen Con for me. We broke all records last year, but the work, stress, and physical toll were extreme. I was finally returning to take my place as a featured artist, having lost the opportunity in 2020. I was debuting my first book finally at Gen Con. And I was relaunching myself at the con with 100% new work. So, in the end, it was an amazing year in 2022, but it was so, so very hard and left me with a less-than-pleasant taste in my mouth. But please understand, this is not a comment on anyone else; you were all amazing; this was me and me alone.
Then we jump ahead to 2023. I did very little planning and prep work. I made some new signage and got some old sketchbooks that I wanted to clear out, and that was about it. I spent part of 2020 and most of 2021 prepping and planning for Gen Con 2022, and all that work paid off and was done. So after so much stress last year, I was rewarded with having to do very little prepping or planning. I also had a much better idea of the number of books to bring so that I was not returning with dozens of boxes.
In the end, 2023 was an amazing success. We beat last year's record total by several hundred dollars. I sold out of all the available copies of one of my prints (a first from the Grand Bazaar). I nearly sold out of all the coloring books I brought. And I sold several originals. One of the main problems I have at conventions is sleep. I have trouble turning off the con brain while there, so I end up laying awake, and then after a couple hours of sleep, I wake up super early with no way of falling back to sleep. Last year was the worst of this, with me only getting about 2 hours of sleep Friday night. We have been trying out options to address this, and I am thrilled to say that I was very well-rested and felt great the entire show. A first! It was a true joy to share the Grand Bazaar with so many people again. Gen Con saw over 70,000 people this year. While Thursday was a massive day for me last year, this year, it was Saturday and marked my best single say at a convention. Sunday ended up as a relatively slow day, but with an amazing Saturday and a good and average Thursday and Friday, it led to record sales. I had a lot of people asking about the status of book two, and some even expected me to have it completed, but things are very much still in motion as I have crossed the 1/3 mark on the art for the book. Many people told me how they or their DM have begun using my monsters in their games, and it is a joy to hear about. Lastly, we tried something a little different and drove from Gen Con back home in one day. I knew it was doable, but not sure how hard it would be. It took two hours longer than it should have because the interstate was wholly closed in the middle of Kentucky, but I was rested, and we made the drive.
So, all in all, a really great show. Thanks to all that made this possible. I will aim to return next year with new art and whatever other surprises I can come up with! For now, here are some images from my time at Gen Con.
I lucked out and got the "piller booth" this year that comes with some extra room and I made the most of it. It was like getting a second go at being a featured artist with less stress and a lot more fun.
But before the booth looks great, it looks like a pile of boxes on the floor. Having better numbers of what to bring was a MASSIVE relief for us this year. Instead of bringing 55 boxes of books and returning with 30+, we arrived with about 12 boxes and returned home with 4 boxes.
After 3.5 hours of work, the booth is all setup and ready to go!
I do not believe we have stayed as high as we did this year in the Westin. The fourteenth floor had a great view of Gen Con - even with the water spots.
The teaming throng! This is about an hour or so before the start of Thursday at Gen Con.
I did one artist proof drawing at the show. It is a carton of monster eggs on the back of a monster egg tokin.
This gentleman and his feline friend won Gen Con for me and made me miss my Mietze.
I assume the car is always there, and that they just add the dragon for Gen Con.
This year's balloon sculpture was OUT OF THIS WORLD!
When I say that the Gen Con art show was packed, it was PACKED.
I have never in my ten-plus years of being in the Gen Con arts how anything like this year's Saturday.
I mentioned clearing out sketchbooks above. Well, they are all gone now.
I did one drawing in a person's convention book. I did a piece for them several years ago, and it was fun to put another in the book.
And as far as originals sold...
The start of Sunday and the final day of Gen Con.
And just like that... the convention is over. The booth is down. And I was once again left out of the group picture of everyone in the art show.
I was told they had lost the art show banner and that it was remade in a couple of days leading up to the show. I had never seen it on the ground and it is massive.
Again, thanks to everyone, it was a truly great years. That is all for another exciting Wednesday on the blog. See you back here on Friday! Until then...
