This past weekend, Matthew and I (Eastyn) attended something simply fantastic.  It was put on by an organization called So Cal Creators Unite, headed by Maryann, a wonderfully sweet lady.  You might have seen our announcement about it.  It was inspired by an event that Maryann had gone to at SDCC, she loved the idea so much she decided that it was time she took action and made it into a reality.  We advertised it as speed dating but for artists and writers, and that is EXACTLY what it was.

The entire event was put on at the Emerald Knights Comic Shop in Burbank, California.  There were roughly twenty artists and twenty writers there, and the writers moved over seat to seat to talk to each artist.  Matt and I were lucky enough to be a stop along the way and got to speak with some of the writers about what they were looking for in an artist, and what their projects were.

People came from literally all walks of life.  One man drove three hours to Burbank just to have the opportunity to speak with artists about making his dream of being a comic creator come true.  We saw people working as a team, looking to bring another person into their little comic family, we saw people who were simply looking for somebody to hire for both short and long term projects.

The varieties of story and art that were there ranged from dark horror stories to light hearted comedies, but everybody had one thing on their mind– comics.

We found this event to be a wonderful tool and resource for people to utilize.  It is a way for them to connect locally with people in their community and to build upon projects that would otherwise not be realized.  When working in a profession that could easily pull somebody into the depths of crazy cat lady introversion, it is a great excuse to get out, talk about something you are passionate about, and connect with other human beings.

Most writers were concerned with the fact that they could write, but could not draw. They were looking for a way to hook an artist and pull them into their projects, they needed something to make their projects appealing.  We didn’t have much time to speak to many artists, but the few we did talk to were looking for people to enhance their work, and were maybe hoping to get paid.

The event, in my opinion, was a huge success.  Everybody was happy, talking, and sharing stories.  We had the unique opportunity to speak Matthew Davis–an aspiring comic writer–before and after he making the rounds.  When asked how the “speed dating” went, Davis told us that he “ran out of fucks to give” and just went for it.

We were so happy to have the opportunity to go and we had such a great time.  Maryann also felt the event was a success and we all hope to see more in the future.  Thank you to Creators Unite for having us and to all of the people who took the time to speak with us!

Note From Eastyn: I will upload pictures onto my computer after I figure out how, or get Matt to do so.