Celebrating My Independence Day

Hey All, I know it’s been a while since I blogged. Unfortunately, it’s been a little difficult to be ‘crazy for comic con’ when we’ve had no conventions for a year and a half. Like for most, the past 18 months have been very difficult- personally and professionally. While I am so grateful for my family, friends and good health, the uphill battle of creating content and leading a struggling company has been exhausting. For over a decade, a significant amount of my life was invested in celebrating the Comic-Con community and our annual gathering was vital to that. Yes, connecting online has been important too but nothing can replace good ol’ fashion face-to-face experiences. Last year, it was tough accepting the reality of not having an in-person Comic-Con. This year, it has felt even more devastating. Fortunately, cons are coming back starting next month but I predict, it will still take some time for the momentum to build and for it to feel ‘normal’ again. As a business owner of Hero Within, I have been so grateful for all of the love and support since the early days of the pandemic. We’ve been close to hitting rock bottom a couple of times but you all have pulled us through. We are not out of the woods yet but at least the light is at the end of the tunnel. To all my fellow business owners, I feel your pain of this past couple of years and I want to remind you of one thing; Survival is success. So hang in there!

On this Independence Day, I wanted to celebrate a post I did six years ago in 2015 called My Mission For Comic-Con. 2015, which feels like a millennia ago, was the year Hero Within was conceived. In this post, I shared how I developed a vision to create a new apparel company and was seeking help from fans and friends to help get it off the ground. With it being just a week away from the show, I definitely went into SDCC not knowing what I was doing or where it would lead me. In no way could I have imagined the journey the last six years would take me. From exhibiting at my first convention (LA Comic Con) to designing the 50th Anniversary San Diego Comic-Con Hoodie, I have experienced the highest of highs and the lowest or lows- and I haven’t regretted a single moment (pandemic excluded). I consider this my Independence Day because Hero Within has allowed me to experience a freedom like I’ve never had. However, I live in an existence of irony. While I have no boss, I have 1000 bosses. I have no set work hours but end up working 8 days a week, 25 hours a day. I can make whatever I want and yet almost all decision are decided by fan demands. I can do whatever I want yet I am chained to my laptop. This company lives and dies squarely on my shoulders and I fully embrace it. To me, freedom is doing what you were created to do. Despite the crazy ups and downs, I am so grateful for what I have learned and experienced over the past 6 years. My company and I have a long way to go but I still believe that the best is still yet to come.

I do want to thank my Hero Within team (pictured above) and the Crazy 4 Comic Con team that have gotten us through the worst year ever. Without them, Hero Within would not have been possible. All my best memories have been because of them. Like last year, we plan on reuniting on the Saturday night of Comic-Con @Home in San Diego. We’ll couple it with a Crazy4ComicCon meet up so I hope you will make plans to join us if you are in town. I will miss seeing you all at San Diego Comic-Con this year but hopefully we’ll be able to be a part of the Comic-Con Special Edition scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend. Sorry again it’s been so long since I last blogged and hopefully, I’ll be able to do more with the return of conventions. Until then, I my hope and prayer is that you too will discover your own Independence Day.