The Quirktastic Quirkcon Pop-Up at SXSW was a fantastic summit of POC creatives. I was there as a vendor and representative of Urban Anime Lounge with one of our very own members, Martez Cornett. I have to say it was a lot of fun!

The venue was wonderfully rustic and served to be an accentuating aesthetic. There was no way to feel like a stranger there as you were always near somebody who was either where you wanted to be, at your level, or just starting out. The music was dope. The vibe was dope. The crowd was dope. The air buzzed with conversation and mixes of music from Kendrick Lamar's Black Panther Album.

Representatives were accessible, friendly, and fun! I spent a lot of time with Adorned by Chi's Jaye Aye, joked around with Zensofly, talked it up with MomoPixel, and danced with Kieraplease. Bree--head of Quirktastic--was absolutely helpful with setting up and getting folks talking. Her panels were full of wonderful information. Everyone's testimonies touched on the very things that creatives of color tend to see as walls to overcome.

Bryanda Law, founder of Quirktastic Media and Quirkcon, did an awesome job pulling this together, for sure. I hope that we'll have another one of these in the future!

10/10 would vibe again!

Be sure to keep up with Quirkcon's upcoming events here.