| Vividcon 2018 Con Report |
[Aug. 30th, 2018|10:12 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | vividcon | ] |
| [ | Current Mood |
| | nostalgic | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | VVC vids | ] |
It's weird that this is my final Vividcon con report ever. But I started doing con reports since my first one and I want to make sure I finish the tradition. I've been super busy with RL stuff so had to put this on the backburner but finally had some time today to finish this up. Apologies if I forgot something or put the wrong person, just let me know if so and I can fix it. So here is my 13th and final Vividcon con report...
( Vividcon report under the cut )
I feel like I should have some deep and meaningful thoughts that can conclude on my times at Vividcon but I feel like ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png) kass did that better than I ever could in the end of her con report. I'm just so glad that I found vidding as a creative outlet and that Vividcon was there for me as a community when I was young. I was 15 when I fell in love with vidding and I was so happy that I finally found a creative activity that *fit* me in a way that writing never did. I found media fandom on Livejournal in early 2003 through a google search for vidding to help improve my first vid which led me to bonibaru's vid recs and vid meta recs site which led me to vid meta posts and tons of amazing vids to watch. I had to wait until 2006 to come (the 2005 envy was HUGE) but I will always idealize my first year as a beautiful time where everything was new and special and finally got to meet tons of online people I admired while finally feeling like there was a place where I belonged with people who are creative, smart, kind, generous, and who work towards improvement of their vids. Even 13 years later when I have grown and changed so much, I still feel feel that sense of belonging and specialness at this con and I'm grateful it's been there for me.
It's always been so inspiring to be around so many impressive vids and people at Vividcon that helped me finish vids, learn to *read* vids better, and improve my own vids. I'm so happy that I was able to create vids for the con that people have really connected to and glad that I've made so much progress in my vidding. I've loved the panels/vid reviews where I could be around so much intelligent analysis of vids that it's hard to find online. I appreciated that Vividcon has been a place where we could be very analytical but also full of squee and emotions and that both are valued. Club Vivid has been a paradise to me whether I was drunk or not and I finally could dance in a club that was perfectly attuned to my interests and people I love being with who all celebrate vids whether they were new premieres or classic favorites. I have such fond memories of seeing various vids during vidshows and getting to have that extra emotional reaction laughing, crying or cheering with other people (see the catbaby vid!). The hotel itself became like a home to me in that I was so familiar with it, had spent so much time there over the years and had so many happy memories with the people at Vividcon. I even call the staircase to the second floor, the "Stairway to Heaven" as that's what it is to me.
Most of all, I've loved getting to know and become friends with (in various depths) so many of the amazing people who come to Vividcon. There have been so many conversations and group hangouts that I'll never forget and that left a big impact on my life and made me so happy in the moment and in memories. The room parties, the lunches (I will forever miss the Thai restaurant with the best pad thai!), the con suite and in between panel talks, the late night conversations were all so special to me and because we were all at the hotel, we could so easily connect in a special way from our online conversation. I've carried on the relationships at VVC in other locations including in LA and NYC (and while traveling) that have meant a lot to me and my life would be incredibly different (negatively) without them. I've always felt that Vividcon was a family to me in the sense that I'd see many people once a year and online and I've felt safe and supported there with both the deep relationships and shallow connections appreciated. I hope to keep seeing people in the future (lmk of any of you come to NYC or within 3-4 hours of it if you want to hang out) whether it's during travel or cons or even online. And please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you ever need someone to talk to or someone to help with resources, problem solving or advice as I will always be there for all of you, non-Vividcon attending vidding people included.
I loved knowing that each year I had something special to look forward which kept me going through the tough moments. In the last two years, when life has been the toughest ever due to depression and RL stuff, thinking of attending Vividcon has kept me from giving up and a reason to keep on going when I was sick of trying and being in pain, and I'm so grateful for that. In that process, I found other things to get me excited about living in a world without Vividcon and part of those realizations came from friends I made at Vividcon. While I disagree about some of the reasons that Vividcon was ended, I now believe it may actually be a good transition in my life as I find fewer things to be fannish about (I barely read fic or am interested in reading show/ship discussion anymore) and want to focus on other things such as starting my own business and building deeper relationships in RL and with my family. I plan to have a child in the next 5 years so I also will be spending a lot of time working on improving my childcare skills, knowledge and experience so I can be as prepared as I can. I will never say I'll stop vidding and have vids planned for the next year but not having the Vividcon pressure to make vids will be nice. Currently, I'm planning on attending TGIF/F and maybe Wiscon next year but am also excited about taking a trip to Italy next summer instead of going to a summer con as I have in the past. With a car, I also have more opportunity to visit fans in the northeast and will always stay in touch with the vidding community online along with the other fannish connections I've made.
Thank you again to everyone on the concom and to all the people who made the con keep running each year even through the many technical issues we've had to deal with as you all have my deep admiration and gratefulness. Thank you to all the people who have made my Vividcon better in any shape and form and who have been so kind to me and given me so much happiness. My memories of Vividcon all blend together now but I mostly remember the good times and even though I will always miss this con and still wish it could last forever, I am so happy I lived through a time where Vividcon existed and I was able to find this community and share incredible moments together. I love you Vividcon and Vividcon people and always will <3 |
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