It has been exactly 10 years when I quit my job to dedicate fully to be an independent artist. A decision than back then I was so afraid to do, but I was very whimsical to achieve no matter what. My parents questioned my decision but never stopped me, they even encouraged me, not without warning me of the risks of the lack of stability, and always looking for a plan B.

It has been a journey full of ups and downs, but nothing I regret of, every down has taught me a lot (but I hope there are no more downs anymore, haha) and every up has showed me I made the best decision.

It was November 2015, one month before MFF 2015, my second furry convention. I was so excited after my first furry con (Anthrocon 2015), and by then everyone I was knowing was recommending me highly MFF, that I didn’t hesitate to start planning it (and back then it was not too hard to plan to go to a convention as it is nowadays, last minute plans was more possible).
Despite I had been part of the furry fandom since 2008, that Anthrocon was a turning point, I met so many people from all over the world, something that I wanted to do more than I was doing ignited inside.

Something that affected completely in my job, after that Anthrocon I could feel a truly PCD, the depression was real, I felt like the things I was drawing on my job were completely meaningless, it was just drawing for just drawing, I felt like a drawing factory. And it was the time I started receiving more furry commissions online, but I had to do those commissions at coming back from my job, which was like working double time. Well, I’ve always been very workaholic, but that time I was exaggerating, and it was affecting my arrivals at work and my productivity in there.

I had requested my last batch of PTO for the first week of December for MFF, it was approved, so I purchased my flight tickets, some friends had booked a hotel, I registered for the convention, I was too excited!! But in the first week of November my boss calls me, telling me that it is not going to be possible to give me those days off that I had requested, since we needed to finish a project before Christmas.
I held my desire to cry, but during those upcoming days I barely could sleep thinking on the idea of quitting. It was something that was cooking, I told my partner about my thoughts and my feelings, also to my family, everyone agreed that I should give myself the opportunity to move out and do something else if I was unhappy doing that (and especially at being animator at a studio, that was my dream job since I was teenager). If I failed, I could seek for a new job again, maybe next one would be better, but we never know our path if we don’t make a different step.

I requested an appointment with my boss and I quit. I remember very well my steps walking to his office, my legs were shaking.

I can’t recall why it had to be like this, something administrative I think, but I had to keep working for two weeks more, I finished my part of that Christmas project I was working on, and my stubbornly side of me made even work extra to finish completely my part before my last day working, I even took some of that to work at home. (And as I side note that I remember from the last day of work, my coworker lost an art book that he had at his desk, a very cool one, he asked me if I had taken it (since once I borrowed that book and took it with me at home) but I didn’t, I had taken it back the last time, for some reason I have the feeling he may think I stole the book just before mot returning to the office, but no! Hope he found it, and if he didn’t and he’s reading this for any destiny coincidence: no, I didn’t take it with me)

I could go to MFF, and that convention felt very special, it was the first time I was at a convention unemployed, I was owner of my own time, I was an independent furry artist, it was scary but exciting. And yes! It worked! After 10 years I can go back to tell the Paco from the past: it really worked!

10 years later… I’m still the same workaholic silly artist, my lack of free time is my own decision and I’m still hoping from convention to convention.

I attended my 60th convention at Anthrocon, which also settled the milestone of a 10th anniversary of attending furry conventions, and I’m planning to attend MFF again, 10 years later after attending for first time. If you go there, I’ll see you there!

I had wrote a journal about my last Anthrocon, you can read it here: [LINK]

But some journals I wanted to also write was about other furry conventions I attended in between Anthrocon and now (just before MFF).

I went to Megaplex, BFC, BLFC and Confuror, I wanted to write about some of those conventions but I haven’t had time to do it, especially about BFC and Confuror, I had many highlights on those two, but my times have been so crazy lately, and adding to that, I just got a cat, my first pet while living with Roni, and this critter (whose name is Benito) has been such a blessing in our lives, he’s so nice, kind and adorable (but also playful and a menace, I still love him). I was too afraid to get a cat for all the responsibilities involved and all the changes that had to be made in the house so that we could adapt to having one more member of the family, but it has been worth it! Everything has been worth it!