Whew!  After the busy explosion of Edmonton Expo, the dust has settled here at Two Gargoyles and has given me a chance to reflect on what I learned at the show.

Firstly, let me say that the organizers of EE (and also Calgary Expo) do an amazing job.  Things were spot on, well organized, communication was fabulous, everything worked out perfectly from start to finish (insofar as my registration, set-up and con-related experience as an exhibitor went).

Every convention is about more than just sales:  It’s about market trends, creative trends, new ideas, new people, networking, representing yourself, and being able to talk about your work to tens of thousands of strangers– and then knowing you’ve got to do it all again for the next convention.

Big shout-out to my “Artner,” Jeremy Thew, for his amazing ACEO Art Cards available at the Twogargs table, and for stretching himself creatively by connecting with other fandoms.  Also excited by how he got his amazing Cintiq Companion up and running– that baby’s an amazing art tool, that’s for sure, and it makes me even more excited for Jeremy’s upcoming projects!

Connecting with other creators is perhaps the biggest motivational boost a convention can provide.  There’s familiar faces, like my friends Sarah and Beth at Crafty Geeks— always a laugh riot with them.

A highlight, though, was meeting up with the Calgary Drink and Draw group, a seriously-motivated group of fellow creators, writers and artists alike, who meet weekly here in Calgary.  Anything that keeps the motivation and inspiration going is fantastic– sometimes, living inside your head (where the ideas are) can be a lonely, isolating experience!  I’m looking forward to occasionally Getting Out Of The House (a task of Herculean proportions) and hanging out with these fine folks.

I’m looking into ways to increase production speed for my books, as well as increase awareness of them.  Naturally, I’ll post when I discover things!

Onward and upward,

Michael