There is a recurring thing with anime convention staff that I’ve noticed over the years. Long-time staffers seem to fall into one of three categories – people who put their life into it and love doing it, people who put their life into and hate doing it, and people who don’t really put in a ton of effort and are welcomed back because many hands make light work.

I want it clear that I’m the first type – I love the convention. Although I get moments of burnout, they only last a short time and then it’s back in my mind and heart. The convention is my passion and my life. My life has been greatly enhanced because of my work with it. I’ve made wonderful friends, and in spite of the anxiety over failing, I somehow managed to fake that I knew what I was doing long enough that I kinda do know now. I’ve learned a ton and I’ve had so many wonderful experiences and met some amazing people because of my efforts with the convention.

There are members of every convention I’ve attended, including mine, that are sick of staffing conventions but do it out of loyalty. It seems like the reason they staff is more out of a sense of loyalty to the other convention staff instead of a love for what they are doing. And rather than be that third kind of person who keeps coming back with a minimal effort and kind of floating along – they are the kind who puts an extraordinary amount of effort into the convention, allowing people under and around them to float along while they kill themselves.

This bothers me quite a bit. I don’t know what I can do about it, but I hate to see it. If you’re going to do anything with the convention I want you to end the con with a sense of accomplishment . . . of PRIDE. Be proud of the piece you played, this is YOUR con and your effort and actions made it better. I want you to look back at it and be happy at all the great things you did and see how happy everyone is because of you.

I do not want anyone to look back at the convention and the only feeling they have is that they are glad it’s over. Ever. You can be glad that it’s over, as long as you’re glad that it happened, too.

The convention should be something positive. I want everyone involved to feel positive about it. Excited. Elated. It’s a wonderful thing that we built out of so little, and it’s wonderful that we keep building up better every year out of what we gained from before. Our staff is wonderful. We get shit done. We problem-solve. I am constantly amazed at the wonderful and extraordinary staff.

If you put your life into it and get out something positive then keep doing it. If you put your life into it and only feel grief and regret then STOP! Seriously. It’s not that we don’t want to have you here, it’s not that the staff-family at other cons don’t want you, but out of love, no one wants you to be unhappy.

My first suggestion would be to back down. Take some lower positions and let someone else handle the burden. If you’re already in a low position, maybe you’re in the wrong department? If you’ve tried everything and you just can’t be happy staffing, then don’t. Attend the con and be happy. We can’t promise we won’t try to woo you back, but in the bigger picture we would rather you didn’t staff if staffing makes you unhappy.

Do something that makes you happy. Run a panel. Organize a game. Or don’t. This isn’t a job. We aren’t paying you but you do need to walk away with something of value to you. If you aren’t getting anything out of the convention (not even pride) then you need to do something different and if that means giving up staffing for a while or forever then that’s what you need to do.

If you can’t walk away from the convention tired, content, and proud, then something is wrong. Fix it.

Your happiness is your own responsibility. Fix it.