In celebration of TAFCon, I did a redraw of my very first Polly piece from 5 years ago.

It was such a pleasure to be able to meet @hellofromthehallowoods in person. 💜

(OG piece below)

It's hard to capture the exact alchemy that happened this weekend, because no one part of the day was some keystone perfect moment. For me personally, it was incredible to even just be in the same room as so many of my closest collaborators and people who have made art that has deeply moved me; but then, there were also a good number of audiodrama fans who showed up and kept things from getting too "let's all talk shop." The vibes, so to speak, were immaculate, with people all coming together to appreciate each others' expertise and artistry - and that is NOT a given!

I think the thing I was most struck by, consistently through the whole day, was the spirit of generosity and community from setup at 7:30 a.m. (when more volunteers showed up than Tal planned for) to 8:00 p.m. (when the venue coordinator seemed genuinely shocked by how helpful everyone wanted to be putting the space back together). I had constructive, inspiring conversations with titans of the field and new artists under 20. I learned about how people brought their own loves to their work: linguists, teachers, musical gear distributors, used bookstore owners, ex-marketing firm full-time writers, experts in Greek history, civil rights history, marine biology. And not once - genuinely, seriously, taking account of the whole 12+ hour day - did I feel a single shred of selfishness, competitiveness, or jealousy in any room or conversation I was in. Acknowlement of our egos? Sure! But never indulgence in shit-talking, never a single person saying "that show is so overrated" or "that actor didn't earn that part" or "[whatever] should have been successful instead" and that is *remarkable*

In the closing presentation on how to keep making art in our dark, dark days, Lauren Shippen was asked "what gives you hope?" She thought for a brief moment, and said what I'd been thinking all day: this. This gives me hope. This community that refuses to be cruel to the naive, refuses to be lazy about inclusion, refuses to look away from the pain of the world and yet writes, sings, acts, designs, creates, creates, creates. Dear listener, I did tear up. I did feel that lump in my throat. To be in a room of 200 people who love so fiercely the creative act was nothing short of a spiritual experience for me.

- silence is in my toolbox

- everything could be more wet, in general

- sound designers love to kvetch and they love to evangelize about reaper more

- snacks MUST go

- white baby

- PNW stereotypes exist for a reason

Things I already knew but were reinforced at TAFCON:

Thanks to Tal, Anne & Wil for all of their hard work in making this happen (& inviting me to chat about community!) Spaces like this, where we're reminded that what we're all doing matters, that true creativity is still alive and well, is endlessly important. Thanks to everyone I was able to meet and chat with about their shows, or about that show they really want to make. &, of course, thank you to everyone who shared their appreciation for PBC. Being able to see and hear how it's impacted the space and other people means the world to me.