Going to MFF? So are we! (And addtl. thoughts)

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Hey Friends, Acquaintances, Friendquaintances, and Whoever else is here!

As the title says, yes! We will be going to Midwest Furfest 2022. If you want to say hi or offer some financial assistance, feel free to visit our Dealer's Den table in the art show, or bid on some art in the Art Show.

I'll be waking up in less than two hours--if I go to bed at all--to start our drive up to Chicago for Midwest Furfest.

My usual headspace for conventions we used to call "Conathan". The anxious Jonathan before a convention, Conathan's anxieties and depression have historically overwhelmed him, making the entire travel and setup experience worse for his poor partner, Sasha.

Fortunately, Conathan hasn't been around for a while. Maybe it's the meds, the therapy, the added experience, or all the above. The last time I was at MFF was 2019. 

This self-portrait featuring MJ (Monkey Jonathan) was at that last MFF. Canvas and Luster prints will be available at our Dealer's table and Art Show, by the way!

I wrote about the details of this image in an earlier post:

About a month prior to this selfie, someone I thought was my friend said some truly horrible lies about me. One week before this selfie, I cut five years-worth of hair off my head. Five hours after this selfie was taken, I started the 1,270 mile drive back home. One month after this selfie another supposed-friend would make my life even worse, and an artist I’ve never met would use their large following on Twitter to spread more lies about me. Two months after this selfie, a friend's unearthed ties to Neo Nazis will destroy me. Three months after this selfie will mark the official end of the Before Times, as I’ll be completely overwhelmed by the first wave of COVID-19 deaths in the so-called United States. But in this moment, I’m just brushing my teeth while snapping a selfie that I felt compelled to take.

MFF didn't feel great, last I went. I was hoping to never go again. One of the reasons I did that picture is because I wanted people to have a tiny glimpse into how it feels to put in all this effort. That's doubly true today. It's 2022, and I'm not everyone's friend anymore. I'm not a pacifist. I'm not checking the seating arrangement for the Dealer's Den. I don't care if I'm next to these cowards who spread lies about me. I have a family to support and further support networks to build. There's a near zero percent chance these concern-trolls are working as hard as Sasha and I to develop this kind of caretaking effort, so they are welcome to join us or they can go fuck themselves.

Ahem.

How Could We Organize in the Furry Fandom? a lecture we've been working on for over a year, will not be given at this year's MFF. We need to reduce that talk into at least three parts. I'd love them to be something like "Furry Conventions As Community Building", "So You Want To Build A Furry Commune?", and "Toxic Positivity: When Being Nice Isn't Kind". These are the topics on which Sasha and I are doing a whole lot of writing and living! (And some of our Discord members have been doing a fair bit, themselves. Don't forget to check it out if you're involved.)

Just doing the Dealer's Den and Art Show--no talks--is why this convention should be easier than most. I'm still just psyched out by the lack of sleep I'll have before a long drive. I also had a hard time in tonight's ASL Class. And I just learned a dear friend of mine is in the hospital (with no further details). It's a lot. It's always a lot.

Well, I'll see some of you at MFF. Thanks for the kindness of reading my words.

Love,

-Jonathan