An interesting piece by @dash_director: with doujin events cancelled across Japan, artists should be making more sales through mail order. But they aren’t. Why is that? note.com/director_d/n/n…
In a survey, many recipients responded that “mail order is too expensive”, which, as the author points out doesn’t entirely make sense - travel, lodging, etc. to events like Comiket costs a lot.
But when survey responders explained their reasoning, they talked about how vital the experience of attending an event was - a fun atmosphere, meeting favorite artists, discovering new ones - and that the items bought at the event come with memories of the experience.
There’s a lot (a LOT) more in the article, but that’s a point that sticks with me. Do western con-goers feel the same way about artists’ alley? Is it less fun and appealing to buy through Etsy/Shopify/etc than cons? I certainly think so.
Anyway, Eastern and Western artists are hurting due to COVID so please support them however you can~
