Surviving BreyerFest, part three

Ostensibly, BreyerFest is about plastic horses...

but everyone knows, the real draw is the people.

With thousands of model horse collectors, showers and artists in attendance, this is the hobby's premier event. 

For most, it's a fun, festive time time, spent with friends who share a singular passion. 

Unfortunately, for others, it can be really isolating. Lesli Kathman explains: For a lot of hobbyists, this is the one time a year they can hang with their "besties", but if you don't have a bestie - or they don't attend - it can seem like you are alone in a sea of people! And with so many things to see and do, all spread over multiple sites with conflicting times, it often ends up that plans get made and re-made and sometimes forgotten! That can feel personal. 

Sandra Gibson expands on this point. She writes: BreyerFest is the busiest hobbyist event.  Expect that you will not get to see everyone for long times and know that its not just you - it's everyone. It's busy, hot, tiring and everyone is running around. Sometimes you see people you love for long times, sometimes you don't. Case in point, my first year at BreyerFest I roomed with Jennifer. The second time she and I were both there, I think we barely saw each other? But when we did it was glorious!

Elaine Lindelef agrees. Don’t take it personally, she writes, if someone doesn’t have time for you. Everyone - especially people depending on sales - is busy. Don’t make critical plans to meet someone after a show or other exhausting event with no set end time, but do make intentional plans with at least one person that are likely to be kept. 

Those intentional plans can be really important, especially if you're a little bit shy. Karen Gerhardt writes: I've learned to be proactive and to reach out to online-only friends, or anyone you'd like to spend time with, and see if you can get together. So many people in the hobby are some variation of introvert. I think we're all waiting for someone else to make the first move! 

That said, random encounters are also a major part of BreyerFest. 

The best way to make sure online friends recognize you in person is to wear a name tag. It's also a good idea to make sure your social media profile pictures show your actual face. Erin Corbett writes: There are a million people that I really, really enjoy interacting with on Facebook, but I have absolutely no idea what they look like because profile picture is their cat or their car or whatever else!

Even if you don't recognize anyone, Sarah Townsend reminds us: You can just talk to literal strangers. Everyone is nice and wants you to have a good time and find what you're looking for.

Teresa Rogers agrees. She writes: I enjoy talking to the hobby Dads as they standing around waiting while their kids to shop for models. I tell them it isn’t important that they understand *why* BreyerFest is important; they just have to understand *that* it is important. I also make sure to talk to younger hobbyists who are afraid they can’t afford the new models, and tell them there are plenty of good used horses with very low prices in the room sales. “Do you know the story of Black Beauty?” “Yes….” “Well, room sales are like the horse market. You can give an older horse a really good loving home for $5 to $10.” The kids’ moms usually appreciate that too.

Remember, we're all in this together. As Eleanor Harvey says: I see this hobby as a magnet for people who feel like outsiders, and good news: we've found our tribe. If we stopped applying the insider/ outsider metric and accepted that we all feel this way, perhaps that would be real progress.

Thank you to Sarah Townsend, Robin Hudson Giles, Teresa Buzzell, Tiffani Colvin, Carra McClelland, Teresa Rogers, Andrea Brygidyr, Mary Vinyard, Karla Phelps, Marissa Helling, Sandra Gibson, Jackie Rossi, Erin Corbett, Lesli Kathman, Christie Richardson, Kelly Weimer, Elaine Lindelef, Lisa Smalley, Heather Malone, Karen Gerhardt, Lauren Wood, Jennifer Lambert, Margie Johnson, Eleanor Harvey and everyone else who contributed to this series. Your words of wisdom are truly appreciated!