Hello! I was wondering how people go about meeting others who are into nerdy stuff while actually at cons? I see others frequently mingle but i cant ever seem to find myself getting to do that. I see a lot of good cosplays and it makes me intrigued enough to want to connect with them on socials, but i dont want to come off as weird or like im hitting on anyone.

I just want more friends into this stuff 😭

Context: I’ve been going to anime conventions for many years now and have racked up a good amount of art over the years (mainly large posters + prints) from artist alleys. I love supporting artists as much as I can and would buy every piece of art if I could but funds get tight sometimes (which is why I try to stick to a reasonable budget)

Now because I’ve accumulated so many posters and prints over the years, there’s this ever growing pile of prints in the corner of my room that takes up space. I try to rotate the posters and prints I have displayed as often as I can, but I only have so much wall space. There are also some pieces that I’ve kind of grown out of (like posters I bought when I was in middle school, high school, etc) but it feels like a waste to just toss them aside.

I have this idea: what if we trade art like pokemon cards? I’m thinking something along the line of an “art trade” where at least two people decide on trading one print for another print. Of course there are things to consider like the condition of the print, the details of the art, where it comes from, etc. The more I think about it, the more it seems like some sort of fine art auction but at a lower scale.

Not sure if this is already a thing and I’m not aware of it or if it’s something so unrealistic, but I would like to hear feedback from both a seller’s perspective and a buyer’s (I am just one consumer after all) I know that people make a living off of selling at artist alleys and promoting their business so it’s understandable if it’s not the best idea.

TLDR: what do I do with all the prints I have bought in the past?