Fandom And Persistence

You'd like to be a writer.  Or an artist.  Or a webmaster.

You create fanfic.  You create fanart.  You make fansites.

There's just one problem – you're sort of bad at it.  Your worries are that you're never going to make it to "good" on the fandom level, let alone on the professional level.  Your biggest concern is you're lousy next to amateurs.

My advice to you is – if you want to do it, don't give up.

Wanting to do something will spur you on.  You'll spend more time, double down on your efforts, and in general, keep trying to grow.  You'll keep trying.  If anything, you'll put in enough effort that by sheer dint of trying you'll improve, or at least become less worse.

This isn't meant to be sarcastic, it's meant to be true.

If you're good at something you can almost certainly look back at a time you were lousy at it or didn't even know what it was.  You're in that state right now as you assess your horrid writing, bad organizational skills, or inability to make a simple seam on a costly costume.  Your incompetence is merely the start of getting better.

Persistence in the face of our own mistakes is one of the major things that leads to success.  Keep that in mind.

– Steven Savage

Fandom Shifts and Professionalism

Being the old geek that I am, I've seen fandom change over the decades (yes, decades).  I remember the 'zine days leading to the internet revolution.  I remember when Doctor Who was obscure as opposed to a sex symbol.  I remember the comics revolution – and the comics bust.

Yes, I've seen a lot.  And I'm old – in fact having seen all of this probably makes me feel even older.

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A Challenge – Take Your Fandom/Geekery FARTHER

You've probably had times people tell you to give up your fannish hobbies, your meekness, etc.  Grow up, they'll say.  Get a life,you'll be told.  This is immature, you'll be informed in a snooty manner.

Forget that.

The problem for many people is NOT that their fannish hobbies and geeky interests are immature, or time-wasting, or whatever.  The problem is people do NOT take them far enough.

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