A week ago, I arrived home from my second San Diego Comic-Con. It’s such a noteworthy event, it would be ridiculous not to write a blog post about the experience. But I’ve struggled with what to write about it.

I imagine people who have never attended Comic-Con identify it as what they see on TV and the internet: Cosplayers dressed as their favorite characters, movie stars signing autographs, early screenings of projected hit TV shows and movies, football fields-worth of gaming booths and, of course, endless hordes of people that completely engulf the landscape. All these things are legitimate aspects of Comic-Con.

There are also thousands of creative professionals that come to Comic-Con to network and show their work, and for them, the experience is very different. Many of them sit behind booths they paid for, selling their artwork or books or films. Others stand on street corners handing out fliers for their independent film that screens that evening. Some of the cosplayers you see are actually costume designers pushing their work, or models hired by those designers. Writers, actors, comedians, animators, sculptors, dancers, weaponsmiths. All of them come to Comic-Con to meet each other and share their work.

For all the sensationalized press Comic-Con gets, I believe its real value is in the things that get the least attention: Artist Alley, the How-To-Make-Your-Own-Film panels, the independent and animated film festivals, the free artist portfolio reviews, the professional meet-ups and hangouts that happen in the Bayfront after the Convention Center floor closes. I picked up very few souvenirs or big-ticket items this year, but when I unpacked, my suitcase exploded in a mushroom cloud of business cards and promotional postcards, as well as some comics, prints and films that I bought directly from the artists who made them. I met some amazing people who inspired me to do great work and make great things.

So, yeah. I didn’t get drunk with Bruce Campbell, or get a free screening of Captain America 2, or dress up like Deadpool. Cosplay can be cool, and seeing Bag End and Thorin & Company reconstructed from legos was fun, and I would’ve loved to have seen one of the Hall H events. But for me, my experience was much more valuable: I spent a week with some of the most creative people I know.