The World Science Fiction Convention - Creativity Central

Last week at this time I was immersed in the programme at Loncon 3, the World Science Fiction Convention.  SF conventions often get a bad press.  Con attendees are seen as geeks and wierdos, people who should get out into the real world more.

I've always known this was false, but the days of Loncon 3 showed me something else, something that linked everyone there. It showed my how creative my tribe is, in so many ways.  "Ordinary" people poke fun at fans in costume, but get up close to some of the hand-made costumes and you realise how stunning they are, how many hours of creativity and talent have gone into designing and sewing them.

Being a writer, the literature track was a major draw for me.  I got my work critiqued, and listened to those who've achieved the publishing Holy Grail talk about how they got their editors and agents.  I also listened to a panel of editors talk about how they shape and hone the creativity of the writers they sign.

The key thing that came across from every discussion was that these people took creativity seriously, whatever form it manifested in.  For once, I was among people who valued creativity in all its forms.  And the creativity ranged from creating stunning costumes to thought-provoking writing, to wonderful films. 

The highlight of my last morning was listening to Norman Cates from Weta Digital talk about how The Hobbit was put together.  Watching the show reels and some of the videos put together by department heads to showcase their work was brilliant.  Seeing how Smaug the dragon and his huge pile of gold were given life was breathtaking.  Don't let anyone tell you that you can't be creative with a computer.  You sure can, and Weta show how stunning the results can be.

The whole five days of Loncon 3 were a celebration of creativity.  From writing novels or comics, designing and hand-sewing stunning costumes, creating games, or speculating on the future of the universe, creativity spanned eons and universes there.  Creativity was recognized, acknowledged, and feted in all its guises.  Long live the legacy of Loncon 3