(Founder and Owner)
Biography:
Feeling alone is one of the worst feelings you can have. That was me back in 2019 when I broke up with my boyfriend of 4 years. He was my only friend and I felt truly lost and alone.
Him being a furry during our relationship, he would always come back from these so-called “Furry Conventions” with so many friends and fun memories to share. I did not understand what being a furry meant at the time and had no interest in it. At times, I was even disgusted and repulsed by the fact he was a “Furry”. I never gave it a chance.
At one point, I really wanted him to bring me into the fandom and show me around. He never did and instead would always tell me “You wouldn’t enjoy it, so don’t even try it”. Being alone is tough, but having someone tell you you won’t enjoy something is even worse. After our breakup, I attended my first furry convention (A large-scale public gathering of furries in a convention center) in Surrey, BC in March 2020. Having not known very many people, I did not have a very good time at all. Having social anxiety, I could not simply approach a person or group of people and strike up a conversation. On the final day of the convention, I remember sitting down on the bench to the left of the registration desk and thinking “I want to do everything in my power to ensure this doesn’t happen to me or anyone ever”.
During the next few months, I worked hard to join local relevant Furry interest groups to try and grow my social circle. I joined groups related to hiking, gaming, and communal dinners. Through the combination of these various groups, I eventually made some friends. These weren’t the typical friends I had as a child (The ones that would toss me aside, bully me, or call me their “Backup friend”), no these were actual people who cared about me and enjoyed my company.
I noticed that a lot of these new friends of mine had these gorgeous fursuits, and nobody seemed to do anything with them. Being a photographer, I wanted nothing more than to take these out to beautiful locations through the Lower Mainland and get pictures done. A good friend of mine, Jik approached me with an idea. Why don’t we go on a road trip to Furry Creek and get some pictures done in front of the water and mountains and bring some joy to the locals? I was totally on board with the idea and took some amazing pictures of his fursuit in front of the beautiful landscapes.
From various posts of these photos on social media, eventually, we were able to grow our Fursuit Photography Adventures to where we are today with 100 members and growing. To this day, I still invite people to the group that are either new to the community or very shy and introduce them to other furries in whatever social setting is preferable for them. I’ve never let that initial thought I said to myself back in March 2020 die. Being alone sucks, and I want to help ensure that far fewer furries feel that way ever again.
-Jesse Blue Fox (Jesse S)
