When it came time to give out comments and feedback, the participants had a lot of things to say about the Helsinki camp, sounding all enthusiastic and happy. The expectations had been high, people had anticipated digging right into the world of comics and working hard. For a majority of the campers the best thing about the week seems to have been socializing. Meeting new people, getting feedback, getting to know fellow creative nerds, seeing other people’s work, the feeling of togetherness and sharing opinions – you name it. Being able to concentrate 100 % on creating comic art had beenjust as great.

Team spirit thrived and the feedback sessions were deemed very helpful.

Campers were asked for warm memories they might have from the camp. The camp’s chef Aliisa was praised for the delicious vegan food and her adorable pet dog Majuri warmed many hearts. A few of the campers mentioned attending to an exhibition’s opening and drawing each others in the summery park as specially fond memories. Participants had felt the general atmosphere to be accepting and warm and therefore many had difficult time naming one single memory, since the camp had been constant fun for them.

The campers drew a birthday card for Aliisa.

Camp mascot Majuri got himself a couple of new fans.

The camper’s are looking forward to the next part held in Tallinn. They are eager to meet the group again, learning more about comics and creating art. Part two will be somewhat more action-packed – shorter comics on a daily basis and a plenty of exercises.

This is what the campers had to say, in their own words:
“fun Fun FUN!”
“A rather balanced mix of hard work and laughs”
“The warm team spirit was wonderful”
“The week could have easily been longer”
“Everyone put their souls out there and really did their best :)”
“Oh man, the jokes just kept coming”
“Everything was as close to perfection as possible”
“Intense! Super busy but very rewarding”

Text and images: Johanna Hakanen