5 Super Neat Things I loved about Alaska Comics Camp
Yes, I did intentionally go off the grid into the Alaskan woods with a giant pile of cartoonist folks
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve posted. The last month or so has been hectic for me! I was prepping to go to Alaska to spend many days in the woods with a pile of other cartoonists without Internet or cell service. Then I did it. And I’m back now!
While I could ramble for literal hours about the experience, I’m condensing to 5 Super Neat Things from my trip to Alaska for Comics Camp. Full disclosure: Some Neat Things happened before the actual campgrounds; they still count.
Talkin’ Comics at TWO Schools!
Oh man, for the first time ever, I got to talk to a set of kindergarten and 1st graders about comics. The energy was off the charts! They kept me on my toes, all 70+ of them…and one was so happy they gave me a hug (I was given a head’s up from the teachers that might happen). It gave me excellent experience on pivoting when a workshop calls for it. I adapted mid-talk to focus on how using simple shapes and lines can change character emotions. They loved it!
Super Neat: Before my trip, I shipped ahead a set of books for school library bundles the camp organizers made. My Princess Pups book had already been checked out and enjoyed before I even got to Alaska!
The second school talk was for 5th graders. They had awesome questions and curiosity about comics history and storytelling! There was a squeal of delight when I told them Calvin and Hobbes was my first comic (extra cool kids!). Also, their librarian had comics available that helped illustrate different formats during my talk. This was super helpful since I didn’t fly in with many examples. (I only had so much luggage space!)
Museum-wrapped Mini-Con
There was a giant tree just hanging out in there and tons of folks excited for comics! The mini-con stayed active pretty much the entire day. Lots of campers not tabling helped by volunteering, providing a welcome break to snag delicious burrito lunch. I did sticker trades with other attendees to slap on my “You’re Going to Camp Sketchbook”.
This was also the first con I flew into. I learned that I took too much! But I also still know how to improvise with the space I have (a trial table setup at home the week before helped). We left for camp RIGHT after the mini-con!
Limited Decision Making: I Super Needed That
I get decision fatigued sometimes. Like, just, completely out of ability to make choices. While at camp, we had a fabulous cook who planned and cooked all the meals (with camper help for prep/cleanup!). It meant One Less Thing for my mind to think about. Just show up and eat delicious food? Yes, please.
Piles of workshops and talks were hosted by campers and local folks. But only a few very specific “all campers on deck” events were required. So if you wanted to just curl up at take a nap cuz you Karaoke-yelled a lot the night before and then got up early to help with breakfast? TOTALLY FINE, a delight (and yes, that was me).
Rainforest surroundings will change your perspective
Being in the woods with limited access to usual life things like Internet or (for a few days) running water gives you different perspectives. Sometimes I would just stop and stare around me. And yell “Look at these giant towering trees older than me!” Or: “Whoa, there’s stairs to nowhere from a building long gone!” I was more than slightly obsessed with moss and its abundance.
Importantly: MOUNTAINS. FOR. DAYS.
A bit of a walk led to Eagle Beach, where I contacted my family to let them know things were fine. Campers would know there was service because our phones would suddenly start yelling notifications. Thankfully, that went away when walking back to camp.
Creativity absorption from just floating around stacks of super nice creative people
Camp had a giant spectrum of creative individuals: people that had published piles of books, folks that only had self published, ones who were super new and fresh from art school, musicians, puppeteers….But we were all jazzed to be around other creative types and learn on the fly from each other. Sometimes via a formalized workshop; sometimes from peepin’ over someone’s shoulder when they worked with their tool of choice.
Some learning wasn’t even art related: there were plenty of hikes and nature exploring, along with the casual “how do you adult this” discussion or two. Most importantly, everyone was so stinkin’ nice. Seriously, I would dive in front of a charging moose for all of my camp folks. At the end of camp, folks dropped various merch, zines, stickers and more on a Trade Table to adjust their luggage load.
Having been home for a full week now and recovered from jet lag and brain overstimulation (the good kind!), I’ve had time to think more. My feelings on Comics Camp are still the same: I would gladly go again in a heartbeat if I’m able. And I’ll be recommending it to a pile of my other creative pals!
WOW, Lindsay! Thanks for sharing such a marvelous experience; I really enjoyed seeing the photos and learning about your experiences in a land that's totally foreign to me. I'm glad you had a great time! Gale H.