My First Comic Con Almost Didn't Happen

Back in 2018, Elevated Alien was still brand new.

Bell County Comic Con wasn't even on my radar until a random conversation at a convention in Corpus Christi.

I was talking with an artist about his work when he mentioned an art contest he was running. At some point I showed him a few pieces of my own work and signed up. We kept talking, and eventually he asked if I had ever thought about getting a booth at a comic convention.

Honestly, no.

Selling artwork online was one thing. Setting up at a comic con felt like something actual artists did.

He looked through a few more pieces, told me he thought I'd probably sell some artwork, and connected me with a contact at Bell County Comic Con.

It sounded like a great idea.

The only problem was I couldn't afford the booth fee.

So naturally, I borrowed the money from my brother and did it anyway.

The weeks leading up to the event were chaos. I was printing my own art prints in my living room, cutting them by hand, sleeving them, packing inventory, and trying to figure out how to look like I knew what I was doing.

I didn't.

When the convention finally arrived, I figured one of two things would happen.

Either I'd make my money back or I'd spend the weekend learning an expensive lesson.

Instead, people started buying things.

Then they kept buying things.

By the end of the weekend, I had sold out of multiple prints and shirt designs.

Somewhere in the middle of all that, I got to meet Danny Trejo and hand him one of my shirts. I also traded artwork with artists and voice actors whose work I'd grown up watching, which was not something I had on my bingo card when the weekend started.

I drove home exhausted, relieved, and feeling something I hadn't expected.

Not excitement.

Validation.

Complete strangers had spent their hard-earned money on something I created.

That weekend didn't turn Elevated Alien into a huge business overnight, but it did prove something important:

Maybe this crazy idea wasn't so crazy after all.