Is how much it recharges your creative juices. Not just because you see people you haven’t seen in a very long time, or because you connect with fans of your work, or because you can drink at the bar. Those are all valid points of a con (yes, even drinking at the bar, because you can learn a ton of valuable information, and no one will care if you are drinking soda or sparkling water instead of booze. Seriously. And if they do care, then you’re hanging with the wrong people, so come and find me), but to me, the biggest part of being at a con is people-watching. There are amazing people at a con that you may never see anywhere else, and you may not even know them, and that’s okay, because just by walking around, they release creative energy that you as an artist can tap into. And it’s the little things:

• Making breakfast in your room with your roommates, because you’re all poor and would rather spend money on books or other things rather than the overpriced breakfast in the hotel, and making it in your room means you can eat in your pjs without shoes.
• Hanging out in the lobby and knitting/crocheting/writing/doing whatever, and talking about the latest movies/books/tv/anime/whatever has caught your enthusiasm.
• Watching cosplayers go by with their eyes shining, because they are having fun, and realizing that it’s so cool to be able to dress the way you really feel comfortable/

As I sit here in the lobby at Balticon, having just finished my morning pages and deciding to work on some blog posts, I realize how lucky I am that I have the opportunity to come here. I’ve learned so much this time, and it’s only Saturday. Even though I’m a veteran writer (I guess), I can still learn, and it’s a great thing. When you stop learning, you stagnate, and then you die.

I’m not quite sure what I’m trying to say here – my eyes are still full of allergies, and I’m having issues seeing the computer screen – but I wanted to share that cons are amazing. Every time I come, I leave with the knowledge that I’ve grown as a writer and an artist. It never fails. So now, I’m going to go back to the con, and learn some more.

Go and learn something today. Anything.