Support Your Local Science Fiction Convention

A Personal view: Events by motivated fans connect to the creative well

In my humble opinion, creatives should attend science fiction conventions.

You mean those huge events thrown by Star Trek and Star Wars geeks? you might say to yourself?

Yes, I say back. Science fiction conventions (or “cons” to the regular attendee) may have a bit of an unfair reptutation, possibly best characterized by the well known sketch on the NBC-TV network’s Saturday Night Live sketch of several years back, where guest host William Shatner famously pleads with Star Trek fans to move out of thier parents’ basements and “get a life”.

Con attendees actually do have a life-it’s a rich, creative one, full of community, commitment, and, yes, perhaps a little “fannish” worship. The con environment is loaded with the creative vibe, and professional insights besides.

Myself and my wife just attended an event called OryCon 27, a personal tradition for us. What I saw makes real many things we here value-passion, creativity, community, connectedness.

A Like Minded Group

A science-fiction convention is a fascinating blend of coordinated effort by like mineded individuals driven by a passion for what they love. In the case of OryCon (as is the majority of similiarly-themed events) the creative drive that produces the event is the definition of grassroots–local Portland fans.

The umbrella for the event is an organiztion called OSFCI–Oregon Science Fiction Conventions, Inc–a nonprofit group, also staffed by volunteers who are fans. Each cycle OSFCI forms what is called a Convention Committee (or ConCom in con-speak) who is responsible for actually mounting the event. They deal with the day-to-day challenges of arranging budgets, assuring space for the event, and coordinating the all-volunteer force.

Creative Energy

Creative energy and passion sustains the group activity, but that merely sets up the environment. The product–typically a three day event (OryCon 27 was 4-6 November at the Portland Downtown Waterfront Marriott), though some marquee events (WorldCon, for instance) can run for five days–is where the fan comes to play.

In my experience the average con-goer is a creative sort in and of themselves. They are artists in all media, traditional as well as digital; writers of amateur fiction in venues such as club newsletters and independent ‘zines’; amateur independent publishers of those ‘zines’ as well as collaboratives called “APAs” (Amateur Publishing Associations); and, of course, aspiring professional authors and editors. Animators and filmmakers also can be found. There is almost nobody at a convention who isn’t into some phase of the creative process, either supporting it or driving it.

Professional chops

One of the greatest reasons for the fans to go to a con is to meet the makers of the content they love so much. Conventions have long been a venue for authors and artists to meet the fans and an integral part of thier own self-promotional activity (sound familiar, designers?).

OryCon has had its share of big guests, such as Ursula K. LeGuin (a name who garners recognition amongst literati as well as merely genre fans). This year, author Kevin J. Anderson was the marquee Guest of Honor, and gave talks about his own creative process, including a very insightful panel I was fortunate to be able to attend. The talk, “Things I Wish The Pros Had Told Me”, highlighted lessons he learned in traversing the territory between aspiring and professional, widely published author–he has co-authored novels extending the Dune universe with the late Frank Herbert’s son, Brian, and written a variety of well-recieved Star Wars books as well as original novels of his own.

The lessons Anderson had to teach sounded quite familiar: Network. Get your name out there. Learn the rules and tips to make your work stand out just a little more from the great mass of submissions. Your colleagues are not necessarily your competition. Care about what you do; practice your craft. Be excellent to the people you want to operate amongst.

Technical Knowhow

The panels and the demoes–of which there are a great deal–are the heart of the con. There are panels and discussions on just about every subject imaginable, from how to run your activity like a sound business, to speculative discussions of science fiction trends, to discussion on current events that tie in to the genre, to live demos and lessons from the artists who create graphical content.

One of my personal favorites has been the talks that Mark Ferrari has given. Mark is a popular artist that works in the sf/fantasy genre, and his recent work has been in the digital domain, but the majority of his oeurve is done in colored pencil. From such a humbly-percieved material he produces painterly pictures of absolute mastery, complexity, and undeniable beauty. Every year, he returns to OryCon to give a talk and a demo on how he does what he does. It is always enjoyable because not only does one see the way he makes it all look almost preternaturally easy, the passion and enthusiasm in the creative act are almost palpable. Topped off with his wit and warmth, his demos are a personal must-see.

The passion is infectious-It’s a whole ‘noter world too

Personally I never come away from one of these cons without wondering what I can get busy on creating myself. It’s fun to be creative; it’s even more fun to create and be paid for it, and it’s indescribably ecstatic to go on a level with creators and watch them do what they do and realize that one can at least attempt it themselves.

SF conventions offer an embarrasment of riches in information but also give inspiration in equal measure. It’s almost as if one gets a glimpse or a sip from the very creative well.

Now, it must be said, SF conventions are also a large party. There are people in costumes, people of all sorts of convictions and tempraments. For the uninitiated, a serious SF con is not unlike diving into a pool of cold, cold water not knowing what’s below the surface. This is where the fan organizations can help; they are open to the public and tend to warmly welcome new members. It’s possible to get to know the fans on a real-life level first. And, if one is an SF fan, they can begin to indulge thier passion in a very real way.

Also, there is cost; OryCon 27 admission is $55 at the door. However, to induce punters to sign up early, the memberships are usually deeply discounted for the next con just after the current one is concluded (preregistration for OryCon 28, on the last day of OryCon 27, was $25). And, sadly, SF cons don’t happen everywhere; there may be a bit of travel involved.

But I say it’s money well spent. The insipriation and insight to the creative process gained by going to just one SF convention, if solidified, packaged, and sold, could be priced well above the convention membership price.

The proximity to so much creative activity and knowledge is simply electric, and in my opinion, anyone who doesn’t step up to take a taste is really missing out.

Follow this link to the home page for OryCon, including links to the last several conventions.