"Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them. So go out and start creating. Life is short. Live your dream and share your passion."
-- Dave and Mike Radparvar: "The HOLSTEE Manifesto"
-- Dave and Mike Radparvar: "The HOLSTEE Manifesto"
So we've been remiss in posting about KWF at this year's San Diego Comic Con, and the superb artist who attended through the Foundation's Sponsorship Program. Has it really been over a month? We blame the Con Crud. Excuse volley launched. Torpedoes away. Now on to the after action report.
Bottom line up front: Sara K. Diesel, a young professional illustrator, attended as the recipient of this year's highly sought-after KWF Sponsored Artist grant. She joined us at the Foundation's booth on the Exhibitor Floor, thrown into the deep end of the world's largest fandom, pop arts, sci-fi, and comic book convention.
She rocked it.
Sara came to us with the prep and organization of a pro, assisted by her dad. (Scott-- holding forth as illustrator roadie extraordinaire). It was a real pleasure to spend time with both of them. We facilitated introductions, assisted where we were needed, shared the Con experience, and learned a ton. Our goal was modest. We wanted to focus on making one sponsored artist's first Con experience as successful as possible. With someone like Sara, it was great fun, and hard to go wrong.
"Mother of Dragons" featured on joblo.com
Sara brought a war chest of great prints, jewelry, and sketchbooks that sold at a good clip throughout the week. One print, "Mother of Dragons", based on our friend George R. R. Martin's work Game of Thrones (perhaps you've heard of it), was especially popular, and featured in COMIC CON 2015: BEST ART OF THE CON! at joblo.com.
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We spent lots of time prepping KWF for Con this year, and tried to get our ducks in a row with better planning for artist selection, fundraising, and execution during the event. Sara and her dad offered lots of advice from an artist's point of view on how to better serve the creative community with next year's Sponsorship Program. We wrote it all down after dinner on Sunday night.
And while Sara worked her booth on the exhibit floor, the rest of us were out there too, getting the Foundation's message out to fans and professionals alike. Many connections were made and rekindled, leads developed, cards collected, brains stormed. |
Over the past few months this project has re-taught us some good lessons about when to lead, when to follow, and when to get the hell out of the way. "What would Kevin do?" was uttered more than once as a question, punctuation, or exasperation. It felt like he was there, just around the corner, waiting in ambush to break up some line of fangirl/boy freebie-hunting zombies with a cricket bat.
In helping artists like Sara, we couldn't ask for a better cause. In reaching out to Kevin's network of old friends, and the Foundation's new friends, we couldn't ask for a more awesome group of co-conspirators. With this group-- you and your support-- we've completely changed the professional and creative trajectory of a very gifted young artist. It's enough to make one consider some audacious, ridiculous goals. Giant possibilities, and the importance of finding your passion, whatever it may be. And this against the backdrop of "What would Kevin do?" which we're sure would be advice to seize the day, right now, today, because time is short. Sara did it at Con, and it was inspiring to watch. What will you do? Drop us a line, we'd love to hear about it.
In closing, here's a parting thought that summed up the feels after the Con floor closed on Sunday evening, as we packed away the booth and considered the Foundation's future with your support:
In helping artists like Sara, we couldn't ask for a better cause. In reaching out to Kevin's network of old friends, and the Foundation's new friends, we couldn't ask for a more awesome group of co-conspirators. With this group-- you and your support-- we've completely changed the professional and creative trajectory of a very gifted young artist. It's enough to make one consider some audacious, ridiculous goals. Giant possibilities, and the importance of finding your passion, whatever it may be. And this against the backdrop of "What would Kevin do?" which we're sure would be advice to seize the day, right now, today, because time is short. Sara did it at Con, and it was inspiring to watch. What will you do? Drop us a line, we'd love to hear about it.
In closing, here's a parting thought that summed up the feels after the Con floor closed on Sunday evening, as we packed away the booth and considered the Foundation's future with your support:
"Work as hard as you can, imagine immensities, don’t compromise, and don’t waste time. Start now. Not 20 years from now, not two weeks from now. Now."
-- Debbie Millman: Look Both Ways: Illustrated Essays on the Intersection of Life and Design
KWF's Con 2015 team with our X-Sanguin brothers and sisters
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