Posted in: Comics | Tagged: artist alley, Comics, entertainment, Javitz Center, NYCC

Don't Get Overwhelmed! Staying Grounded at NYCC

Kaelyn Kelly­-Colon writes for Bleeding Cool:

This morning I entered the con and picked up some coffee. On my way down the stairs towards Artist Alley there was a huge crowd of people entering and exiting the hall. I found myself absolutely disoriented as I struggled to get a visual hold on how many people were across the hall on the second level.

Even if you are not one who easily gets dizzy and overwhelmed in crowds, NYCC is one of those exceptions that can pretty much get too much for anyone. There are points where even the most enthusiastic extrovert will need to take a minute to take stock of all the goodies the con has to offer. From colorful cosplays to unique merchandise, everything here seems designed to catch and direct the human eye.

Some of my best advice from Friday's experience? Drink a lot of water. Keeping yourself  hydrated can help you dight off a case of the dizzies, even if you get turned about. I ended up  going up and down the same escalator like, three times, because I was getting so confused and  stressed out about getting lost. It felt like every time I went back into the thrall of people, I got  bumped into or turned around and ended up back in the same place.

If you are attending con with someone else, see if they'll let you hold onto them! Whether you  hold hands, link arms, or just keep a hand on their bags, it is a lot harder to accidentally get  pulled in the wrong direction, or get stuck way behind, when you are a little bit of help.

Lastly, I'd advise you to take some time if you need it, and look up.. Remember the advice you  used to hear about carsickness? Keep your eye on the sky, because it's not moving at the same  speed,  as all the trees and cars flying by. That gives you some stability. The Javits center is  huge. Try to keep your eye somewhere higher than the crowds and focus on that point until you  feel more calm. There are plenty of seating sreas around the convention center that you can take  advantage of, but if you are looking for unconventional spaces i am particularly fond of sitting  outside of the bathrooms at Artist's Alley.

I got so turned around on my second ever day of NYCC that I thought Wax!Hawkeye was a  super serious dude posing for photos . I watched two people take a photograph with  Wax!Hawkeye before I realized he wasn't moving at all ­ I was just a little dizzy and had imagined  it! Needless to say, I got a picture with the stunning wax sculpture, had a brief sit down to get my  bearings, and then the day went smoothly. It can be easy to let yourself get wrapped up in the action and bustle of the convention, and you'll  never see everything anyway, so prioritize your self­care. The better you feel, the more  productively you'll be able to use your time. Have fun and stay grounded out there!

Kaelyn Kelly­Colon is a writer of SEO content and prose attending NYCC for the first time this  year. Follow them on twitter @spk1k.

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