Tag Archives: infinity con

MegaCon 2016

This past weekend Ray and I (and many more friends) made our annual trek to Orlando for MegaCon! MegaCon is a large comic/cosplay/fan convention. This was my 4th year attending. I only took a few iphone snap shots this year, but you can see photos (taken with a real camera) and read about past years here, here, here, here, here, and here .
This year, our group had a table in artists alley where we promoted Infinity Con, our friend David sold his short story, and I sold a few art prints. I spent basically zero time prepping but ended up selling more art than I expected to!
Here’s a commission I did 45 minutes before closing time on Sunday.
My favorite experience from Megacon 2016 was attending a Q&A with Elden Henson, who stars as Foggy Nelson in Dare Devil. I’ve been a fan of his since he played Fulton Reed in Mighty Ducks! Because we were vendors at the con, we were able to get preferred seating at all the panels and Q&As – which means we ended up with second row seats to see Elden! He was outgoing, funny, and had a great rapport with the audience. We saw a lot of costumes, met up with old friends, hustled Infinity Con, networked, ate a bunch of Mexican food, walked 230948230948 steps a day, and slept very little. It was great! If you ever get the chance to attend MegaCon, I suggest you take it! Even if you’re not into nerd life (because I’m really not), it’s such a great experience!

July Favorites

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July was a wild, fast, and stressful month. It seemed like most evenings were occupied by Infinity Con prep which included everything from scheduling, creating policies, artwork, and sending emails to physical work including moving tables and chairs, setting up pipes and drapes, making table displays, etc. When I think about my favorites for July, I can only think of people – because if it wasn’t for them, I might not have survived July. 1. Ray – I know this is obvious, but Ray is my #1 favorite of all time. I had several dramatic cry sessions during July and Ray was always kind, understanding, and took time to comfort me, even when he was equally stressed out. Guys, he’s just a really great husband. 2. Brie – Guys, I just can’t survive without my sister. She saves my life and always talks me out of being a crazy person, which can be my natural tendency. She also took care of Black Cat while we were at the beach last weekend! 3. Kyle – If it wasn’t for Kyle, I probably wouldn’t have had an art booth at Infinity Con. Not only because he lets me use all his art supplies, but also because he pushes and inspires me to be better with my art. He also never judges me for my Chasteen’s lunch obsession.(this hilarious photo is from the Lake City Today facebook page)
4. David and Nina – After countless planning sessions, meetings, emails, chats, roadtrips, and promotional events I can’t even believe the four of us are all still alive. These two were in the thick of stress and craziness with us and we wouldn’t have it any other way.(I stole this picture from LP’s facebook page)
5. Jonny and Leanne – I love our friendship with Jonny and Leanne. Jonny and Ray have been friends since they were teens and Leanne and I were roommates – all before any of us were married. J + L have been so incredibly loving and encouraging over the last month, but also over the last year with Ray being sick and in the hospital so much. Leanne wrote our Infinity Con press release, manned the panel room, ran errands, and helped with setup and tare down during the Con. Jonny helped with flooring, setup, dug and covered up a ditch, helped with parking, and security. Jonny also mowed our grass, and if you read about our lawn woes, you know that’s a pretty big deal. 😉
6. TJ, Laura, Mike, Nate, Patrick, Lacey, Steve, Jeh, Tristan, my parents, Ray’s parents, Nina’s parents, David’s parents, Brad, Mr. Boozer the Fire Chief, Kenny, Dale, Katie, Chris, Leann, Emily, Blair, Brie, Kristi, Marilyn, Josh, Tammy, Tim – and probably 20-30 other I forgot. These guys were more amazing for words! Also, everyone who attended Infinity Con!
Thanks for being awesome and making mine and Ray’s month a little better!

Infinity Con 2015 recap!

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As many of you know, this past weekend was the second annual Infinity Con in Lake City, FL. If you would have told me 10 (or even 5) years ago that I would be part of putting together a comic and pop culture convention I would have told you that you’d lost your mind. But guess what, this is where I am today.
Infinity Con was a lot of work. Like, A LOT of work. We were planning last fall, and probably should have started earlier than that. We had volunteers tirelessly working Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to make this event great. Guys, I just want to cry when I think about how amazing our volunteers were. When the flooring we rented turned out to not be at all what we ordered, our volunteers BUILT a floor. They not only built a floor, they took the floor apart, moved tables and chairs, put together pipes and drapes, cleaned, stuffed bags, folded tshirts, manned our ticket booth, took care of our guests, MCed our panels, dug moats in case of rain, parked cars, and so much more. We just can’t thank them enough!!One goal for Infinity Con was to create an environment that promoted the arts and creativity. Another was to have a place where people, who perhaps sometimes feel like outcasts, could feel included. We also wanted to provide a family-friendly event for our local community. We wanted to love and support our local community and the larger “geek” community… but what actually happened was that they loved and supported us more than we could have imagined. When we felt like we were about to break over flooring or weather, we experienced an overwhelming amount of love and encouragement. I mean, on Saturday morning when I was on the edge of tears, the Mayor wouldn’t stop talking about how great Infinity Con was for Lake City. When the Fire Marshall arrived before the event (and we had quite a few things that needed to be changed) he was so encouraging and helped us come up with a plan to make the event safe.
It was a long hard weekend, but it was wonderful! Thank you again to all our guests, attendees, and volunteers! See you next year!

Art, Infinity Con, and a little Insecurity

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A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Infinity Con. If you didn’t read that blog, go read it now or you will be a little confused reading this post. Something I didn’t mention in that post was that I’m going to be selling some of my own art at the convention!
I’ll be honest, while I’m excited about this opportunity, I’m also nervous about it. I’ve been making art all my life, from pre-school to college, and I’ve loved it… but I’ve also struggled with feeling inadequate about it. In high school I was part of an AP art program for 3 years. While there were only a handful of students chosen to be part of the program, I still felt like I didn’t have the same talent and skill as my classmates. For the last 6 or 7 years I’ve gone back and forth about pursuing art. It’s something that makes me feel alive and doesn’t feel like work, but it’s also a place where insecurity lives and sometimes takes over. What if no one buys anything from me? What if people don’t like it? What if they don’t get it and I’m pegged as one of those weird artist!?!? My worst nightmare!! I’m just reminding myself that my worth doesn’t come from peoples opinions on the things I create. As you can see, signing up to be an artist at a convention (even one my husband is planning) is kind of a big deal for me. Throughout this post I’ve shared a couple of pieces and will have even more at Infinity Con!
I’m nervous, but I’m sooo excited about this opportunity! I will be sharing a table with my very talented friend, Kyle. If you come to the Con, make sure to stop by our table!

Infinity Con

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Some of you know that Ray and myself are involved in this crazy thing called Infinity Con. We’ve both been asked a lot of questions about it, and while you can find all the information on the website, I thought it might be fun to do a little explaining here as well.
FAQ: Infinity Con edition!
1. So, like, what is Infinity Con?
Infinity Con is a convention being held in Lake City, FL on July 18th. Infinity Con is an event celebrating fandoms of all kinds. Expect vendors, artists, authors, exhibits, panel discussions, cosplayers, actors, and other special guests!
2. Okay, but what exactly is going to be there?
Well, I don’t want to give everything away as part of the con is the experience, BUT…
A. Roxy the Rancor will be there. Roxy is a giant (eh, lifesize?) replica of a Rancor from the Star Wars world.
B. The 501st Legion will be at Infinity Con. The 501st is a world-wide outrageously cool organization. They build movie-quality Star Wars costumes, specifically storm troopers, Darth Vador… You know, bad-guy costumes. They seek to promote interest in Star Wars through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for Star Wars-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work.
C. Lilith, a detailed replica of Baby, Dean Winchester’s trademark 1967 Chevy Impala from the TV show Supernatural. Now, I’m gonna be real with you, I’ve only watched the first 10 minutes of the pilot for Supernatural and I thought it was terrifying. I don’t deal well when humans move unnaturally in tv/movies and homegirl was on the ceiling. So, I don’t know much about this car, but I know it’ll be awesome if you’re into Supernatural!
D. Guests! Actors, artists, authors, and even a wrestler. Jake “the snake” Roberts! Guys, this is a pretty big deal for a small north Florida town.
E. Vendors! Infinity Con will have vendors selling comics, graphic novels, books, vintage video games, toys (both new and vintage), art, etc. We even have a vendor selling locally roasted horror-themed coffee!
F. Star Wars: Art Wars, a Star Wars themed art show and silent auction. There’s still some space if you would like to participate in the art show! All you have to do is fill out the form online. It’s going to awesome!
G. Panels, Jedi Academy, costume contest, gaming tournaments, ZOMBIE MAKEOVERS. Guys, it’s gonna be great.
3. Wait, is this for kids or adults?
Infinity Con is a family friendly event. All ages are welcome and all ages will be entertained.
4. Where will Infinity Con be located?
Well, I’m glad you asked. Infinity Con will be held at the Lake City fairgrounds in the banquet hall. We are also bringing in a climate controlled, air-conditioned, real-floored tent for added space. All vendors, artists, and guests will be INSIDE. We know it’s Florida and we know it’s hot. Don’t worry, we’re giving you air conditioner!
5. Wow, that sounds amazing! How can I buy 234908239084 tickets for all my friends and family and how much will they cost?
Pre-sale tickets are available online for $12 (kids 10 and under get in free with each paying adult) until July 5th. Tickets will be available at the door for $15. Pre-sale tickets and tshirt combos are $25. Zombie makeover tickets, which include con admission, full zombie makeup and prosthetics from special effects artist Jeh Howell, a zombie photo op, and exclusive tshirt, are $60 and pre-sale only. Jake “the snake” Roberts experience tickets, which include con admission, a photo op with Jake, admission and VIP seating to Jake’s “Unspoken Word” show on Sunday the 19th, are $50. All tickets can be purchased on the Infinity Con Website. This event is going to be awesome! Here’s the official Facebook event where you can RSVP. Make sure to get your tickets soon! Got questions? You can email them to info@infinityconfl.com or send a message to the Infinity Con facebook page. See you there!