And then something caught my eye, or rather, someONE. I walked passed, but that vibe stopped me, something I hadn't felt since....
I shook it off, or at least tried to, but we all have those things that catch us in a certain way, the right way. After two more steps toward where The Man had wandered ahead I knew that I had to go back. I've been to a lot of conventions, met a lot of people, but I'd only gone back for a picture with a person one other time. So this meant something.
She was nice, and let me take a shot of her despite the fact that I had asked in an inaudible mumble. That's how I remember it now anyway. Looking at her, I was gone, unable to form a coherent thought. And when I saw how she looked in the photo I melted. I tried showing it to her in the camera, I needed her to see, but again with the mumbling. All I can recall was some head shaking and gorilla noises that caught in my throat while she handed me a card. And that was that, The Man pulled me into another conversation.
It wasn't enough. I can say every way I feel and express any thought or emotion that fills me with a pen and piece of paper with perfect clarity and without trepidation, but talk to a woman who catches me that way and it all goes to hell. There wasn't much of a decision. When you notice something special in a person they should know it, so I printed the picture, in all the ways that it touched me, and I decided to make sure she saw what I saw in her.
Getting ready to go to the event the next morning I finally looked at the card she'd placed in my hand for the first time. I had no idea who she was working for, what she was selling; I could have been walking around with pamphlets for gay porn hanging out of my back pocket and I never would have known it.
When I saw that it was for instigatorzine, a bi-monthly magazine that gives new writers and artists an outlet for exposure I was amazed. As you know, that was the very same angle behind The Mad Doser Presents. My second book, A Loaded Portrait, was put together to test the eBook format for that very thing.
The card also, smartly, had the booth number where I could find them again printed on it. It was something that I hadn't seen anywhere else during the entire show. There's no way I ever would have found them again without it.
When I happened along later that day she wasn't there, so I talked to the person who was, Keith Chiappone, Co-founder and Editor-in-chief of instigatorzine. Being that this was a racket that I had heavy interest in myself there was a lot to talk about, and Keith couldn't have been better explaining the history of instigatorzine, displaying their products, and what they were about.
Keith Chiappone
What caught my attention most wasn't even the fact that they pair artists with each literary entry (the art directly corresponds to the theme of a written piece). It wasn't that they cover all genres. What struck me is that here is a company that's doing everything the right way.
I know that I can write, but like many people out there I have the hardest time getting anyone to take notice, at least not on a scale that allows for doing it professionally. The entire purpose for doing shows like Comicon is to be seen on a mass scale. Vendors spend thousands of dollars securing booths at the show, bring in all their wares, but then stop short of hiring a model to put butts in the seats. They end up being one more boring table easily passed by.
Of course, getting noticed is only part of it. Once people are paying attention its up to you to keep it. Which means having a quality product worth buying into and a man (or woman) behind the plan with the passion, knowledge and engaging personality to get them into it just as much as you are.
I can't tell you how many times I've seen people do one while totally disregarding the other. They all end up the same way, not standing out from the rest, and the 2011 New York City Comicon was full of them.
This image is different than the 1st set of eyes, if you look closely
As I explained to Keith, I never would have noticed them if it wasn't for the girl I needed to have a picture of. She got me hooked. Then they did what they had to in order to make sure you knew exactly where to find them again. Once I got there I got a table full of a variety of their work, stuff that was different than what anyone else had (which is what I look for) displayed before me with that engaging and knowledgeable young man drawing me into their world.
And I have to say, I'm in. For three days now I've been thinking about writing a new story just to submit to their magazine. And I'll be subscribing here just as soon as I'm done writing this piece. I believe in what they're doing because I've been there myself, and because of how well they do it, and you'll be in too. So please, check them out.
Later on in the day I was finally able to hand the young woman the photos. I don't know if she ever looked at them or not, but it doesn't matter. They were for her if she wanted to see something I saw as beautiful, and that was the only point, just as I try to do for you here every day.
I had asked about her, whether she worked for them or not, if she were someone that they hired for the show, wanting to learn as much as I could about how they do their thing for when I'm ready to do the same. As it turns out, she's Jenna Kildosher, the Senior Literature Editor for instigatorzine. So she's as smart as she is beautiful and personally invested in what they're doing. That's the trifecta right there, the magic formula. I'm always telling you how you're only as good as your support system, and what I was told is that a lot of the staff there knew each other from college, and as they go they continue to bring in more people that fit in with their vision and where they want to go, ever expanding that support system. One more thing that they're doing right.
Because of these things, I have no doubt that they're going to succeed in whatever they do.
Jenna Kildosher and I at the instigatorzine booth at Comicon
As for Jenna and what I saw.... maybe you see it too, and maybe you don't..... I'm constantly speaking about and posting pictures of a certain ideal of whats hot... but that's not necessarily MY ideal of whats hot. I've always looked for something different, a spark, the sort of vibe that stops me dead in my tracks. It's something in the eyes, something about soul.... lightning...
That's my ideal. Jenna's a 10.
Tomorrow I'll be telling you a little story about just how far personality goes. I just hope you were getting what I was trying to show you today.
Later People
Join my fanpage John LaSota - Writer
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