Why It's Awesome to be a Nerd

"I think a lot of us have realize that being a nerd is not about what you love, it's about how you love it; [It's about] the way you find other people that love it the way you do."

-- Wil Wheaton - Why It's Awesome to be a Nerd

When some people are little, they aspire to be things like police officers, firefighters, doctors or lawyers; when I was little, I wanted to be a superhero. But since I couldn't do that, I settled for being an artist because I could draw super heroes. 

Part of that has never changed.

Every Halloween I'd have some elaborate costume like being Nightcrawler or Gambit, and hand my mom a picture that would take her 3 months to decipher and build. She had a lot of patience with me, and she let me go ahead and be a fan of whatever I wanted to whether it was X-men, Stargate, Legend of Zelda or Pokemon. My Christmas stocking has been a ninja turtle, a Stargate, a pokebal, and one of these days it'll probably have a triforce on it. So long as it's only up once a year, mom let it happen.

I wasn't extreme with my collections like some people; I had a stack of Pokemon cards, a box of beanie babies, a few figurines, that was it. But as I grew older, I kept much of this to myself because most people around me expected me to just 'grow up'. When you're younger and you aspire to be a super hero, it's cute. When you're older, they just think you're a nerd.

In middle school we dressed up in cloaks and had Elvish Names. We wrote books about middle earth and we tried inventing our own languages. 

When I reached High School we made our own comic books, and conventions started to be the thing. We stopped dressing up as much at school, but that didn't mean we stopped dressing up entirely.

Now that I'm in college, I am a Con Artist, and I travel conventions and sell my art in artist alleys. I guess I'm turning into what you can call a 'professional nerd'.

I'm painting the bathroom cabinet like a T.A.R.D.I.S. And for once I don't care who rolls their eyes.

I guess I never grew up. But you know what? I think I'm ok with that. I get to spend a weekend wearing an elaborate costume, talking to people, doing art, and being with people who like the things I do. I get to meet people who make their livings drawing comic books and dressing up. I've discovered that what you love, and what you do for a living can be the same thing. 

And the best thing is, we get to be geeks together. 

The problem sometimes with society is what's acceptable to become is forced on us as children. When I was little, I thought I had to learn to be 'professional', and I thought I would have to get a 9-5 job to survive. But no one let me do what I love; so I did it anyway. And you know what? I'm surviving. I still went to college, still am getting my degree, but I'm doing it my way. I went to get an art degree when everyone said Biology was more useful. I went and pursued a job of convention hopping even though getting a 'real job' would be more stable. And the budget may be tight at times, but I haven't fallen on my face yet.

I don't need to be rich. I'm already happy.

I think there is a difference between honesty and fear. We fear letting people pursue sometimes 'childish' because we fear they will never learn to be adults. We fear letting people dream because we think they'll get let down. But the truth is, what's childish isn't always bad. What's risky isn't always damaging. If we never take a chance and jump, then we may never know how far we can reach. So that's why I love the nerd culture. 

I love fandom conventions. I love comic expos and art shows. I love meeting people who love things the way I do. Because they aren't afraid to do something that society isn't always as accepting of. 

Being a nerd is awesome because we get to be that rare variety of dreamers who isn't afraid to jump to see if they can fly.