Applying for conventions is hard, especially for me. There’s always this wall of discomfort I have to overcome. Pathological Demand Avoidance is a bitch. In the end, even when I move beyond my neurodivergent hurdles,it always feels unusual and weird trying to justify to someone else why I should be able to pay money to sell goods at a table at the event.
I fully understand that there’s issues, often, with more people applying for spots than there are spots to get (especially now that the 3D Printing, AI Art generating, and Ali Express buying bros have seen fit to get vendor and artist alley spaces despite… well, everything that makes people not want them there.) Nevertheless, finding that magic array of letters in sequence on the screen that will finally convince someone to let me table and sell my little indie comics is… a form of magic I’ve yet to learn.
I know, objectively, that a rejection isn’t a specific condemnation of myself, my hard work, my development et al… however, it still feels as if it is. Separating objective reality from perceived dismissal of my artistic value is a challenge and a half. A veritable mountain of emotional turmoil I have to climb each time.
While, admittedly, the various rejections I have received from Conventions such as TCAF and MCX thus far have had me feeling down about my prospects, I keep applying year after year for the same messaging to be returned to me. It is true that resilience, to a degree, is an accrued skill. Rejection gets easier, but at this stage where all I really wanna do is get spots to expose my art to people, maybe find an audience who digs it, it stings every time.
All that aside, I am thankful for my second opportunity to exhibit and sell my comics coming up at the Kitchener Comic Arts Festival being run for the first time ever on June 20th 2026 at 44 Gaukel St, Kitchener, ON N2G 4P3 . This brand new event is founded and backed by StudioComix Press, an independent Canadian print shop specializing in comic books and other independent creative publishing endeavors, that has their own line o comics created by their owner Alfonso Espinos and worked on by talented creators that I’m lucky to call friends and associates, like Craig Ferguson. It is shaping up to be an interesting line-up of creators exhibiting their comics, sketches and prints.
I’m blessed that my first opportunity to exhibit was successful at Grafficker Alley last year as I can’t expect my table costs to be covered by sales at any show yet with my current reach and wares. But that one worked out to be in the positive camp. This upcoming event, the Kitchener Comic Arts Festival, is certainly not outside of the possibility of breaking even or, dare I say it, maybe even making a profit since it is frankly a very cheap table fee. In fact, they may still have some space available and if you are a creator in the expanded Greater Toronto Area you may be interested in submitting an application (which you can find here at this link!)
I’ll personally have copies of both Cannibal Crime #1 and Gunmetal Frontier #1 available for sale, some original art on display to look at, and maybe even some free sketches to give away! If I’m lucky I may even have my first sticker available at the show! There’s a lot of art I still need to finish for the second issue of Cannibal Crime, but I’m getting the itch to work on a broader array of artistic products too!
I hope to see whomsoever reads this article at the KCAF on June 20th!