Top 5 Reasons it’s Totally Awesome to Volunteer for Linework NW
(Art by Kinoko Evans, Poster Design by François Vigneault)
Hi! My name is Matthew Tweedie, but you can just call me Tweedie if you like. Most of my friends do, and I certainly hope we can be friends! I’m the volunteer coordinator for Linework NW this year and I want you to get involved! Everybody loves top 5 lists, so I thought I’d throw one together to explain, in my very humble opinion, why you should consider volunteering!
1) It's Different From the Big Cons & It Makes a Difference When You Volunteer
If you’re anything like me, you’ve done your fair share of the big comic conventions and maybe you’re kinda burnt out on those. They’re big and loud and you feel constantly pressured to be spending money. Oftentimes they feel like excuses for DC and Marvel to show off their new tv shows or movie teasers. And don’t get me wrong, I like superheroes just as much as the next guy whose played every Final Fantasy game ever made, but sometimes these conventions feel rather limited in focus.
Linework NW is different. It’s not a convention, for one thing! It’s a festival. It’s a party that we throw just because we love comics so much! It’s completely free, so no one will ever be turned away ‘cause they don’t get paid ‘til next Friday. It’s a much more intimate affair, and you get the opportunity to meet awesome artists that you might not be exposed to otherwise. Both days are completely different in terms of who’s tabling and which special guests are gonna be there. There’s a focus on comics as a medium that I find so very important.
So for all of those reasons, I think LWNW is an important show, and it offers a very different experience from any other comics show in Portland. It’s truly a labor of love and we want everyone to have an amazing time. To make sure that happens, we need as many hands on deck as we can possibly get.
Linework NW 2015 (Photo by David Scroggy)
2) You’re Going to Want to Check it Out Anyway
Look at that line-up. I mean, seriously. Get a load of it! Really take it in. There are so many totally radical people up there! Don’t you wanna come tell them how cool they are?
So, while you’re at the Norse Hall, you can stick around for a couple of hours and work the merch table! Or walk the floor and make sure everything is going smoothly. Or sit down and greet people at the door. You do not have to make a huge time commitment (although, of course, you are more than welcome to). Any of which would qualify you to get into exclusive LWNW events where you get to party with your organizers, exhibitors and your fellow volunteers. These parties are FUN and you don’t want to miss them.
Jim Woodring’s 6 Foot Pen & Me, LWNW 2014 (Photo by François Vigneault)
3) You’ll Meet Awesome People & Make Cool New Friends
I’m really proud to be one of the organizers for LWNW this year. More than that, though, I’m extremely happy to be part of a team with so many awesome people on it. I look forward to every single meeting. Zack Soto, François Vigneault, Tristan Tarwater, Kinoko Evans, Jason Fischer & Sam Marx are all truly wonderful people, and I feel lucky to count them among my friends. I met every single one of them, without exception, through volunteering at Linework NW.
And that’s just my fellow organizers. I’ve met more cool artists, vendors, photographers & just straight up comic fans at LWNW than I have time or space to name. And I did it while helping to put on an awesome show! How cool is that!? Very cool, if you ask me.
Also, you get to meet me. And I’m great!
Linework NW Co-Founders Zack Soto & François Vigneault (Photo by ???)
4) I Will Love You Forever
Potential Volunteers, you are basically like Obi-Wan Kenobi to me. You’re my only hope. Additionally, you are not unlike Balto. I’d be lost without you.
All volunteers are subject to my eternal gratitude and friendship, as many high fives as they want, and I’ll even let you meet my dog. She is universally adored on account of her good looks and sassy attitude.
My Cute Dog, Who You Can Totally Pet (Photos by Josh Harvey, Me)
5) It’s Just A Lot of Fun
Really, I think this is probably the best reason. It’s a blast. I had excellent experiences volunteering in both 2014 and 2015, and now Linework is one of those things that I eagerly anticipate every year. It’s basically to my twenty-nine year old self what Christmas Morning was to me when I was twelve. And I want as many people as possible to be able to share that feeling with me. You should volunteer for yourself, because it’s an amazing thing to be a part of.
Crayonwork NW (Photo & Coloring Inside the Lines by Me)
So those are just a few reasons why you should volunteer for Linework NW this year! This list is by no means exhaustive or comprehensive, but I think it’s a pretty good one all the same. Drop me an e-mail at [email protected] and please signal boost! I look forward to seeing everyone in May!
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