Meet The Candidate Twisted

[MnFurs Election Committee]

The following is Twisted’s responses to a set of questions given to all candidates by the Minnesota Furs Election Committee. These are the unedited responses given to the committee. The only changes made by the committee was to format them for consistency between the posts.

Tell us about yourself.

Growing up north of St. Cloud by about 10 miles my family life was very blue-collar in construction and installation, while my hobbies were games involving precision, technology, or a keen mind. That and television, TV both live action and animated would always be heard in my home. Now a days this fur finds himself home to Brooklyn Park but as a software developer and data analyst for a small company in Buffalo.

When faced against a new hobby or skill I’ll challenge myself, accomplish my milestones, then shift into a new hobby for a new challenge. I at times can appear too monotone and serious, which is fair to claim, but I just as much want to see traction and progress when we put our minds to it. If given the choice I’d rather spend my time watching a movie / series with friends.

What brought you to the furry fandom?

Publicly I’ve only been a part of the fandom since 2011. After college (2006) I was very active in World of Warcraft, I didn’t think of myself as a Furry but through conversations I learned of it and that the convention Midwest Furfest coming up. I was driving to Texas to attend a Wedding for my friends in WoW (not furry) the weekend prior, and managed to simply take a new route north that went to the con.

I was alone, confused, in a town I’ve never been before, and outright not having a good time. The last day I happen to have a conversation with someone who said I needed to look up Minnesota Furs and that I’d have a much better experience once I get to know people near me. I came home, did just that, and started attending Perkins meets. I’ve been very fortunate to get to know many faces in this community and that gentleman was very right. The creativity and freedom to be expressive is always refreshing.

How will you continue to volunteer in the community after being elected to the board?

Today I am already engaged with Minnesota Furs and Furry Migration as their Treasurer. When there are bills to be paid or taxes to be filed those are under my current purview. They must be done, both as fiduciary and legally. If elected, I likely may continue those duties.

As a Board member there are responsibilities to the business side of Minnesota Furs as well oversight of community events, gatherings, and our partnerships. I see maintaining this oversight to be the most valuable use of my volunteer bandwidth.

How do you view events like Furry Migration and Werecamp impact Minnesota Furs community today and tomorrow?

Large scale events bring together talent and an enthusiasm not just with our local community but the Midwest and beyond. Even our picnics scale beyond the State boundaries and grant a window to newer or younger furs to express themselves. But what makes Migration and Werecamp stand out is that as multiple day it gives a serious opportunity for bonding and educating what Furry and Minnesota culture is like.

What do you feel are areas where you want to further develop yourself? Why?

My approach-ability. Sometimes I’m just busy, stressed, or uncomfortable being the center of attention. Other times I’m ambitious and come off as strict or demanding. I want to be someone that can express himself as just a regular person when any of those things may be true. To be someone you go to for help with a problem despite knowing I may not be able to help.

How can Minnesota Furs reach out to other communities local and national in furry and other fandoms?

Already Minnesota Furs, instead of trying to compete with the calendar of other local conventions and events, strategically carves out when our events can take place. I want to foster our relationships with the local Anime and Furry conventions, and when possible have representation at those events for the local Minnesota Furs.

What are two things you would want to see accomplished/improved during your tenure?

While we are a volunteer organization, there are still expectations being placed upon the Directors from our partners, ourselves as a business, our especially our community and our staff. I’ve seen directors sacrifice holidays and personal time in order to enact their fiduciary responsibilities and very few directors return in general. I hope to quantify those expectations such that we can accomplish more with less time, and better educate our successors both in terms of Directors as well Furry in general.

One goal of MNFurs is to promote education. How do you intend on helping promote education?

Minnesota Furs is more then us locals who love the fandom. Every time we gather we share our stories, our talents, we create opportunities to learn and expand another’s interests and understanding of who we are. Not just as furs but nerds, hobbyists, creators, and performers in general. Promoting education can be as simple as doing what we do, share our stories.

[Author]

Posts