I feel like I'm not acticve enough in the fandom.

[Hans the husky]

So I have known about the fandom for a while now but only joined recently and I just feel like I'm not involved enough. I don't have a suit, I'm not really into furry art, I can't go to any convention in the foreseeable future, and there isn't really a community in my area. The only real furry stuff I do is in this forum, but the sub I'm most active in is the non furry forum. I guess it's my fault that I want to be more involved but I'm not really interested in what the fandom has to offer. I dunno. I just am interested in what you guys think.

[cause the rat]

I've been in the fandom for 8+ years now. Don't want a fursuit. Most of the furry art I own came from outside the fandom. And that's a wopping  3 pictures. Two of them are Steampunk. Don't own a lot of plushies. I have two from a charity event. I've gone to cons almost every year. Six cons in eight + years now. And one furry event. My activity in the fandom is almost entirely online. Forms and facebook. What I do in my daily life. In the order of importance to me. I'm a singer/musician/songwriter but do no furry songs. I'm an artist.  I'm learning to paint but do not intend to do furry art. I'm a furry. It's not a life style for me. I'll never wear ears and a tail. I do have furry themed T-shirts and a con shirt for every furry con I've been to.  But the only one I've ever worn wile performing is the Hyena Agenda 'Play Dead' shirt. Looks like we're int he same boat. The reality is you are a furry if you say your a furry. You don't need involvement. Just be you and enjoy the fandom anyway that fits who you are.

I think your doing fine.

[Jade Sinapu]

I agree with Cause
Here is my take on furry.

I do have a suit.. And about that...
In 5 minutes of zipping it up,  I'm on fire.  I'm padded,  insulated,  and can't see well.  I have depression, and the suit is only fun if I'm feeling ok to start with.  It in its self, for me,  does not cause happiness.  It can make others happy and that can make me happy, unless I'm super tired.

I like some furry art, some is just mind blowing and makes me think it's a picture taken in another world. I like that.  I personally wish I had animal abilities at times.  But that is me.

I sometimes watch furry YouTube videos. Some are uplifting.  Some are crazy cute.  Some are just plain stupid.  It's all good.

But reality is I'm a scientist/ engineer who loves animals and using my imagination. I'm bad at art, and can sing only a little. My dance moves stink.
I am relatively new into the fandom,  but I'm glad I joined.

It really is as Cause says. You really are a furry if you want to be and say so.  I went to 1 con only so far.  It was fun.  I attended panels on therianisim,  wikka,  fursuit making, acting etc., many others.   I went to one dance only and was not super active. I regret not being more crazy happy there. 
But what I remember the most was a younger girl as a white wolfress who asked the cost of my suit.  I stupidly told her.  Cost is not the point!  Making things is.

Furry is a hobby of creating.  Creating a world in your mind.  Filling it with characters.  Maybe acting then out irl.  Or none of that.  Your participation can be whatever you want.  Very few "rules ". No need to draw,  animate, dance or sing.  No need for a suit and often times reasons not to have one.

Your furry to me Hans!
Furry is mostly a community.  In my opinion.

For me furry is safe-for-work hobby.  Good enough for me.
And for orientation,  I'm in the asexual spectrum.  And furry is a safe place for me in that.  And I'm a grey muzzle.   

I would encourage you to hang in there.  I've made good friends in furry.  So my opinion is it's a good thing for me.

[Kobuk]

A topic I wrote up long, long ago.

https://forums.furtopia.org/index.php?topic=45446.0

[Jade Sinapu]

Good point Kobuk!

[Hans the husky]

Thank you for the advice. I would love to attend a con or a meetup but as I mentioned, the furry community in my area is pretty much non existent and traveling isn't really an option now. So far I have enjoyed the community and I do hope to be able to be more involved in the future.

[Varg the wanderer]

So I have known about the fandom for a while now but only joined recently and I just feel like I'm not involved enough. I don't have a suit, I'm not really into furry art, I can't go to any convention in the foreseeable future, and there isn't really a community in my area. The only real furry stuff I do is in this forum, but the sub I'm most active in is the non furry forum. I guess it's my fault that I want to be more involved but I'm not really interested in what the fandom has to offer. I dunno. I just am interested in what you guys think.

I've been a member here since I discovered the fandom in 2003, and I still don't have a suit. I didn't go to my first convention until 2015. The Alaska furry group was the first real furry community I was active in, and that wasn't until last summer. I'm still not very active with them (though I live in a town of about 900 and well over an hour from the nearest "city"), but do meet to do things every now and then. Most of my recent (past 5 years) activity is in the non-furry forum as well, though that's varied a lot. I've noticed that the "hot" areas tend to migrate around the forums as users come and go.

For the vast majority of my time in the community, the only furry things I did were enjoy furry art, reading furry stories (there used to be some awesome repositories, most of which are gone now, sadly), cruise these forums, and write a little myself. That's still 95% of the "furry" things that I do.

Cause, Jade, and Kobuk have all made good points. Like Cause said: You're a furry because you say you're one.

[BlueStreak]

Fur since 07 here. No suit. Only a few pieces of artwork. Only did a couple of cons in 2019 and no other time.

One of the great things about the fandom is that you can do it exclusively online--and that's fine.

[Mister Initial Man]

About where are you, Hans?

[Firelight]

I want to be more active in the fandom, I mostly just go to cons but there is/was a group where I live and joined for one meet but then stopped. Maybe when I get my fursuit and the Government actually allows us to have fur meets again I might try more meets.

[Acton]

If you thin your a fury you one of us, one of us .

I do not have a suit but do like read furry s and other media. I have an obsession, thanks to furry fandom, anything Sanrio. including Hello Kitty.  I only go to a local fur con. 

[Rocket T. Coyote]

I regret lacking the wherewithal to attend more furcons than the one local con. Fursuiting for me is like flight: Once experienced, you want to do it again. So I participate in parades, festivals, and similar events. A daunting challenge with the pandemic. Furry forums and webcomics help to keep up interest until things return to normal.

[DDD]

If you are here for friends, welcome.
You don't need to call yourself a furry if you don't want to.
There is no criteria you need to meet to be on here - only that you treat others with respect and kindness.

Best Wishes,

DDD.