Vendor Fee Barrier: Wizardry & the Hidden Market
DangleTank was rolling out at the Lonestar Open.
It was going to be rolling out of the van, it could be rolling out of the elements or maybe Tommy C would politely ask to me to roll out of the venue. Either way I knew there was a high likelihood that DangleTank would disrupt the stasis, draw attention from authority and may not survive the trip (Ok, it would survive the trip but what I mean was that someone from the NXL was gonna be like “nah, naw nuh naw naw”). That’s pretty much what happened too. While it’s easy to try and blame the event for kicking me out I knew what I was doing, I just thought I would have more than an hour of DangleTank.
here are some things I snagged out of the aether along the way.
The underground is thrumming
Plenty of people and companies making it happen in the underground market at major events.
They’re doing it through consistency, quality work, and in demand products. - Shout out the makers.
People love innovation and access
The response to DangleTank was all positive even as I was asked to leave. Tommy C was very complimentary of the concept, I think he may have even felt a little bad about it. Maybe.
People wanted to see DangleTank at the event. I should have had a compromise ready to offer.
Elote is for everyone
If you want to be a professional act like a professional
Professionalism demands the respect of your peers. Its undeniable when done right.
I set out to bypass the Vendor Fee Barrier due to the high cost of access. It would have taken over 30% of projected sales to cover the vendor fee, adding hotel and travel expenses I was willing to take on this situation.
As a professional I should have reached out to NXL in a timely manner. I decide on this project maybe a month ago. That is 3 weeks before a major event opens which in reality is like asking to participate and problem solve on the day they started setting up the event. A little bit late. Professionals are timely. Professionals communicate. I was neither timely nor communicated, the results in sales showed.
However I’m not all sales focused. Process and experience are a large part of DangleTank. This was a cool project that got me refocused on TankDangle. Has needed some updating and I’m getting a full boost of energy with the results of this project. I’m an artist and as much as this is a business it’s a giant piece of art as well. Artists do not always follow rules or conventions, I’m here to make art, Professionally. Which often means working within and around systems.
A partner to share in the Adventure
The last few years have been very strange for me. I’ve had some of my greatest achievements shadowed by events of deepest grief. One of the greatest things about TankDangle is the connections I’ve made over the last few years. Faces and names meld into blurs of meaningful experience. Mike Jeffery writes in the first issue of Great American Paintball about memories in paintball being super vivid due to the way we are in and out of the Flow state. I feel this echoed in my TankDangle experience. Its truly great to meet everyone. Online personalities become realized, it may take a few “remind me of your name again” but the allure is just too potent. While I often miss my people and know when there are breaks in conversation, and I’m walking alone in the spaces between fields, parking lots and the people, I know that my friends are why I’m here. I wish they could share in the journey with me. But this is my path. Grateful for all of the people along the way.
DangleTank will be back.
Vendor Fee barriers are boundaries that confine our limits. With understanding and mastery, we are not deterred by these constraints instead we see them as invitations to explore, innovate and ultimately break through to new realms of possibility.
