How to be in a Fandom: Part 3

 Hi everyone, and today I'm going to try something new for this blog. Something humorous, which can help you find out something crucial to your identity. How to tell if you are in a fandom, and what to do now that you are part of the Fandom.

But firstly, a general reminder from the last post and for all those who just grabbed this article now: what is a Fandom? According to Wikipedia, it is:

A fandom is a subculture composed of fans characterized by a feeling of empathy and camaraderie with others who share a common interest. Fans typically are interested in even minor details of the objects of their fandom and spend a significant portion of their time and energy involved with their interest, often as a part of a social network with particular practices, differentiating fandom-affiliated people from those with only a casual interest. 

A fandom can grow around any area of human interest or activity. The subject of fan interest can be narrowly defined, focused on something like an individual celebrity, or encompassing entire hobbies, genres or fashions.

Which fandom am I part of? That is a question you, and only you, can answer. Hopefully, my list of guidelines on how to find out whether you are part of a particular Fandom will help. With each step, I shall include my own experience on how I found out my main Fandom and how I'm currently sustaining my love for it. 

Also, be aware that each step will get its own post because it's a long process. Long, but worth it.

So, without any further ado, let's get started!

3.) EXPRESS YOURSELF WITH THE FANDOM OF YOUR CHOICE

Now that you found your respective fandom, you might be wondering. What comes next? Now comes the fun part, that's what! The world of collecting merch and artistic expression. 

I'll start with the latter. If you have a particular talent, utilise it to express your love for the fandom. And keep practicing so as to get better. One of the most obvious examples is fan art, where people draw their favourite characters in situations that their minds can imagine. But there's so many others: writing, fanfiction, music, find the scores and play the music. I even have an example of my own which might not be so common. I do needlepoint in my spare time sometimes, and once I made my own Ravenclaw crest. It didn't come amazing, but I had fun doing it, and for my first try, it came really good. 

Now if you feel that you don't possess any particular talents (in any case, you're wrong! Everyone is good at something!), you can always support your fandom by doing something practically anyone can do with the right funds: buying merchandise! 

One thing that I love is LEGO. So when I heard (in 2020) that LEGO and Harry Potter were making a collaboration and releasing Harry Potter sets, I was overjoyed. Since then, my pocket money is always reserved for these sets and I now have 10 sets ranging from 2018 to 2021. 

Another example is the FUNKO POPS line. There's practically a FUNKO POP for everything. While I am personally not a fan of the figures with their cuboid heads and lack of mouth, there are many people who love collecting this line, especially with their favourite franchise. 

Hope you liked the third part of this series. Have a good day and happy hunting!