Another Faffcon is now history. But the information, bonding, mastering of the art of voicing and the camaraderie will live on forever. However, so many of you out there who have never attended Faffcon or even know what it’s all about are scratching your collective heads saying, “what the heck is a Faffcon“?
“Faff” is defined simply as this:
Verb.
1. to waste time doing nothing. 2. to waste time doing stupid things 3. to delay, dilly-dally, especially before leaving the house to be on time somewhere.
Example 1: “I didn’t do anything on Sunday; I just faffed around the house.”
“Con” is the opposite of “pro”. Thus, Faffcon means NOT screwing around. Faffcon is where a multitude of like-minded people come together and organize their time in such a way as to NOT waste time and learn from each other. The #Faffcon Un-conference is where anyone skilled in the craft of voiceover can teach others or learn from others. Think of the last time you went to a convention or seminar or workshop and the agenda had already been decided by a few and the rest of you are supposed to sit there and be taught off a strict agenda by supposedly qualified people. Perhaps that works for you. However, on a coffee break, when you are standing around in the hall asking each other, “So what did you learn? ” or “Man, I wish they had covered XYZ”, don’t you feel left out without any input? You purpose there is not to ask questions, it’s to listen and learn. Indeed.
At Faffcon, we all write down what we would like to teach or learn and then we organize those requests on a grid that pairs the teachers with the students. And everyone has input into the agenda and with the questions that come up in a learning circle like this. It’s brilliant, it’s insightful, it works!
With #Faffcon 4 complete, plans are underway for Faffcon 5 in Charlotte, NC. this fall. If you are interested in attending and finding out what all the talk is about – watch for registration to open in the days ahead. The beauty of Faffcon is not to make this into a personal money-maker. It’s limited to 100 qualified, professional Voice Actors/Talents so we do not turn it into an unmanageable crowd. 100 seems to work just right.
Successful voice talents today know they need great equipment, great demos, great talent and certainly – the desire to grow and learn as we progress in our careers. You must invest in yourself – or no one else will.