Keith Butler, a representative from Artwork Tee, discusses his journey from being a “My Little Pony” fan to becoming a contributor in furry fandom.

He shares with GFTV his thoughts on fandom acceptance and the future.

Transcript

PAWSRY: Hi everyone, and welcome to a special edition of GFTV Furterviewing Furs here at LIFC, Singapore’s inaugural furry convention!

And I’m here with?

KEITH: I’m Keith Butler from Artwork Tee.

PAWSRY: You’re Artwork Tee?

KEITH: Yes!

PAWSRY: OMG, Artwork Tee!!

KEITH: No, I’m not Artwork Tee himself, I’m not Neil.

I am his right-hand man. I’m the one who gets sent all over the planet selling furry t-shirts and furry things. I know literally, on this trip, I’m going completely around the planet.

PAWSRY: Holy.

KEITH: And I started at Confuzzled in Birmingham and then Fauntastic, just outside of Lyon, France and I’m here in amazing, incredible Singapore.

PAWSRY: Woah! So, did you enjoy your time in Singapore, so far?

KEITH: OMG, let’s see, I’ve been to Marina Bay Sands, I’ve been to the Gardens by the Bay, I’ve seen the Merlion, I’ve been on your **amazing** public transport system.

OMG, the subways are the best thing in Singapore. OK, maybe the food is the best thing.

The food is so good; I ate at Chinatown last night, it was so good!

PAWSRY: Oh nice, did you eat the, the king of fruits?

KEITH: Durians? (CROSSES HANDS) *TAK* No, just like how they say on the subways, “No durians”.

PAWSRY: I think Foxes and Peppers did.

(KEITH SHAKES HEAD)

PAWSRY: They say they ate it.

KEITH: No, no, don’t need to. No.

PAWSRY: They said it.

KEITH: I will not let others experience it for me.

PAWSRY: OMG. So, I have, just a few questions for you,

KEITH: (nods head) Sure.

PAWSRY: So um, What do you think about Singapore’s inaugural furry convention?

KEITH: Starting a convention is really, really hard. It’s hard to get people to believe in it, to come (to the event).

The only thing you have to do is, do it, show up and put on an event, and see who comes, and build up from that.

So I hope this is the beginning of a great, a great start for the community here in Singapore.

I know, I wanna come back next year.

PAWSRY: Wow, OMG. So talking about LIFC so far, how do you think the atmosphere is like?

KEITH: Human.

PAWSRY: As compared to-

(LAUGHTER)

KEITH: Can you, can you see, I’m not used to it, I’m not used to the weather here, I’ve learned to walk slowly, use escalators, not, during the day, I walk like a New Yorker, so I’m like- (brisk walking)

And I got somewhere and I realised that I looked like I came out from a rainstorm, and it wasn’t raining.

PAWSRY: Hurricane Katrina.

KEITH: Yeah, no, it’s Hurricane Keith, it’s just sweat.

(Laughter)

KEITH: So I don’t even know how to fursuit. I don’t know how you fursuit (in Singapore’s weather).

[INAUDIBLE]

PAWSRY: You are from the US right? So you may have seen how American conventions; Western conventions – how the environment is like there.

What do you think is the difference between the Asian region and the US regions’ furcon environments?

KEITH: We’re all nerds together. I looked around and it’s the same community.

It is sort of amazing that the differences (between Western-Eastern furcons) are much less than the similarities. The similarities are so errant.

We’re all fursuiters; we’re all nerds; we all like cute things. It’s the same convention and it’s the same group of people.

We’re all getting together and having fun together. So honestly, it’s a furcon.

I’ve been to them all over the planet, and they’re furry conventions. We’re all part of the same community.

PAWSRY: Can someone get me a tissue? I feel like crying, I feel so touched. So how did you find the furry fandom in the first place?

KEITH: Oh how did I find the furry fandom?

Well in 2013, I got onto YouTube just to kill some time. I watched this television show for little girls called “My Little Pony”.

That was the beginning of the end for me.

Within a year, I went to a convention in New York City. I (was a brony) for a while, that (MLP enthusiasm) was sort of coming on.

My one friend invited me to Anthrocon. I was like, “Oh my god, this is so much better!”

(laughs)

It was like, I really liked the furry fandom. I like it a lot better, to be honest. It started my career and I work full-time for ArtworkTee.

I do product development and also selling things, retail operations like warehousing and how do we get t-shirts all around the world. So it takes a lot of experience in retail and communications.

It was easy to apply all that to this job. I get to take my love of fandom; my love for furry fandom; my love of selling things. And it’s all together in one thing. I get to meet people all over the planet.

I pinch myself all the time. Because I look around, and I go, “I can’t believe I’m here. I can’t believe I’m doing this. What did I do in my previous life (before joining furry fandom)?”

Because nothing I have done in this life has been good enough, to give me the life that I have now.

Like, I was in Amsterdam and Paris. Because I fell into this (ArtworkTee job) and I said “yes” to helping a friend sell some t-shirts. It’s sort of amazing.

It was a rollercoaster. It’s just an exhilarating, incredible ride.

PAWSRY: Woah. That looks very exciting for you.

(both giggles)

PAWSRY: I have the same experience as you in the first part. So one last question for you.

Given the current situation of the furry fandom, how do you think their future would be like?

KEITH: From what I noticed in the furry fandom, especially over the past three years, furry fandom has been mainstreaming.

I think if you ask an average person on the street now, about what a furry is, they actually know what it is.

They identify it correctly, as a person who is into cute little animals; anthropomorphic animals. And that’s it!

People can understand cosplay now, they understand dressing up, they understand being into something; being a fan of something.

So I think all of this has dovetailed into … we’re nerdy and we’re different.

But we’re also part of a larger society. We’re accepted now as we are.

Of course, there were edgy cases.

But mostly I think, we’ve reached a point where we are allowed to be who we are and what we are, and indulge in our passions and community.

I see us as a steady, growing force. A force for good on this planet.

Look at the amount of charity the furry fandom puts together. Look at the amount of good work the furry fandom does.

It’s substantial and steady. The consistent growth of the fandom is amazing.

So I see really good things, in the next five to ten years down the road, coming for people in furry fandom.

(Pawsry takes off glasses, wipes tears)

PAWSRY: I can feel the tears coming out.

KEITH: I’m sorry! (giggles)

PAWSRY: It’s okay. I feel so proud to be a furry. I have a very stormy past. I’ve been really alone, kicked out (from groups) and ostracised.

Now I’m here, meeting new people, making more friends, (meeting) amazing people. Like our cameraman right there, all these furries I meet and you as well.

(laughs)

I think the fandom, really, is a great place. It’s a very big place of unity.

There are some edges (of negativity) to them as well.

KEITH: That is in every community as well.

PAWSRY: But that does not constitute our entire selves.

What we stand for is unity and acceptance without boundaries. I think as a furry, I’m really proud that the furry fandom in the future will be very bright. 

KEITH: It feels healthy. I didn’t think that fandom like this could actually be psychologically healthy.

If you look at the types of events that we are putting on, the actions and how we act in events like this, these are wholesome and positive.

I was picked on (by other people) in high school. It was terrible for me. I didn’t find fandoms until I was in my 30s.

When I found real acceptance and kindred spirits (in furry fandom), it means a lot to me. I can see it means a lot to you, too.

PAWSRY: Keith, you know what? Come here!

(both hugs each other)

KEITH: I’m so sweaty. I’m not used to the heat!

PAWSRY: You hugged so tight. You are very strong!

(laughter)

PAWSRY: Alright! Thank you Keith for joining us on our special interview; our first ever on GFTV!

That’s pretty much it for Furterviewing Furs. I’m Pawsry Hamktxchuzhni, see you all, goodbye!

从马迷到兽迷：Artwork Tee 的基思-巴特勒 谈论接纳与未来

来自 Artwork Tee 的基思·巴特勒（Keith Butler）讲述了他从基于《小马宝莉》（My Little Pony）的马圈（brony fandom）到兽圈（furry fandom）的经历。

他还分享了他对粉丝接纳和未来的看法。

采访记录

爪利 (Pawsry):大家好，欢迎来到国际兽视从新加坡小岛兽聚（LIFC）带给您的《兽圈之声》特别节目！ 和我一起来的是？

基思 (Keith): 我是来自 Artwork Tee 的基思·巴特勒。

爪利 (Pawsry): 你是 Artwork Tee？

基思 (Keith): 是的！

爪利 (Pawsry): 天哪，真的是 Artwork Tee！！

基思 (Keith): 不，我不是 Artwork Tee 本人，我并不是尼尔（Neil）。

我是他的得力助手。我被派到世界各地销售 furry 主题的 T 恤衫和其他 furry 商品。老实说，这次旅行让我几乎环游了整个地球。

爪利 (Pawsry): 哇！那么到目前为止，您喜欢在新加坡逗留吗？

基思 (Keith): 天哪，让我看看，我去过滨海湾金沙 (Marina Bay Sands)，去过滨海湾花园 (Gardens by the Bay)，看过鱼尾狮 (Merlion)，还体验了你们超棒的公共交通系统。 天哪，新加坡的地铁是最好的。好吧，也许是食物更胜一筹。 这里的食物太好吃了，昨天晚上我在牛车水吃了一顿，真是太美味了！

爪利 (Pawsry): 哦，不错，你吃榴莲了吗，水果之王？

基思 (Keith): 榴莲？（双手交叉) 不，正如地铁上所说的那样，“禁止携带榴莲”。

爪利 (Pawsry): 我看特邀嘉宾们 (Foxes and Peppers) 吃了。

(基思摇头)

爪利 (Pawsry): 他们说他们吃了。

基思 (Keith): 不，不，没必要。不。

爪利 (Pawsry): 他们讲他们吃了。

基思 (Keith): 我不会让别人替我尝试的。

爪利 (Pawsry): 天哪。那么，我想问您几个问题

基思 (Keith): (点头) 好的。

爪利 (Pawsry): 那么，对于新加坡举办的首个兽展，您有什么看法呢？

基思 (Keith): 举办一个同人展真的非常困难。很难让人们相信它，并前来参加活动。 唯一要做的就是去做，举办活动，看看谁会来，然后从中积累经验。 因此，我希望这将是新加坡兽圈良好开端的一个开始。我自己也想明年再来。

爪利 (Pawsry): 哇，天哪！聊了这么多关于 LIFC 的话题，您觉得这里的活动氛围怎么样？

基思 (Keith): 人类一堆。

爪利 (Pawsry): 与之相比—— （笑声）

基思 (Keith): 你看出来了，我还不适应这里的天气。我学会了走路要慢点，使用自动扶梯。我走路像一个纽约人一样快，我之后意识到自己看起来像刚从暴雨中走出来一样，但当时根本就没下雨。

爪利 (Pawsry): 就跟经历了卡特里娜飓风一样。

基思 (Keith): 是的，不，这是基思飓风 (Hurricane Keith)，这只是汗水而已。(笑声)

基思 (Keith): 所以我都不知道如何在新加坡这种天气下穿兽装。

爪利 (Pawsry): 您来自美国，对吧？您可能见过美国的一些兽展；西方兽展——那里的活动氛围是怎么样的。您觉得亚洲地区的兽展和美国地区的兽展氛围有什么区别吗？

基思 (Keith): 我们都是一群热爱动漫的人 (We’re all nerds together)。无论我走到哪里，我看到的人都属于同一个群体。令人惊讶的是，西方兽展和东方兽展之间的差异远小于相似之处。相似之处实在太多了。

我们都热爱兽装 (fursuits)；我们都热爱动漫；我们都喜欢可爱的东西。这些兽展都大同小异，参加的人群也差不多。我们大家聚在一起是为了开心玩乐。所以老实说，这就像是一个兽展。我去过世界各地的兽展，它们本质上都是furry爱好者的聚会。我们都是同一个社区的一部分。

爪利 (Pawsry): 递纸巾给我可以吗？我好像要哭出来了，您的话太感人了。那么，您最初是怎么接触到 furry 圈的呢？

基思 (Keith): 哦，我最初是怎么接触到 furry 圈的呢？那是在 2013 年，我当时只是为了消磨时间而打开了 YouTube。我看到了一个小女孩看的电视节目，叫做《小马宝莉》（My Little Pony）。那对我来说就是个分水岭。

一年之内，我就去参加了纽约市的一个同人展。我曾经有一段时间是位喜欢《小马宝莉》的马迷 (brony)，那股热情慢慢涌现出来。

然后我的一位朋友邀请我去参加 Anthrocon。我当时心想，“天哪，这太棒了！” (笑) 那感觉就像，我真的很喜欢 furry 圈子。

老实说，我更喜欢 furry 圈子。它开启了我的职业生涯，我现在是 ArtworkTee 的全职员工。我的工作内容涵盖产品开发、销售以及零售运营，比如仓储和如何把 T 恤衫销往世界各地。

所以这份工作需要很多零售和沟通方面的经验。把这些经验运用到这份工作上对我来说很容易。我可以将我热爱动漫、热爱 furry 圈，以及热爱销售这些东西结合在一起。

我可以结识来自世界各地的人。我总是觉得自己在做梦。我环顾四周，心想，“我简直不敢相信我在这里。我不敢相信我正在做这件事。我过去的生活 (加入 furry 圈子之前) 到底做了什么？”

因为我过去的生活没有什么能比得上我现在的生活。

就像，全都是因为我得到了这份 (ArtworkTee) 工作，并且答应帮助朋友卖一些 T 恤衫，我才能有机会去阿姆斯特丹和巴黎 。这真是太棒了。就像坐过山车一样，刺激又令人难以置信的旅程。

爪利 (Pawsry): 哇，这听起来对你来说太棒了！(两人都笑了起来)

爪利 (Pawsry): 我也有和你一样的经历。那么最后一个问题留给你。 鉴于 furry 圈子目前的情况，您觉得它们未来的发展会如何？

基思 (Keith): 从我最近几年在 furry 圈子里的观察来看，furry 圈子正走向主流。

我想如果你现在问一个普通人什么是 furry，他们实际上知道是什么意思。他们会正确地将其识别为喜欢可爱的小动物；拟人化动物的人的次文化。仅此而已！ 人们现在可以理解什么是角色扮演（cosplay）了，他们理解装扮打扮，他们理解喜欢某种事物；成为某样事物的粉丝的感觉。

所以，我认为所有这些因素都促成了……我们都是宅男宅女，我们与众不同。但我们也是更大社会的一部分。我们现在被人们所接受。

当然，也存在一些极端的案例。但我认为，总的来说，我们已经到了可以做自己，尽情享受我们的爱好和社区的地步。我将 furry 圈子视为一支稳定增长的力量，一支对这个世界有利的力量。

看看 furry 圈子组织的慈善活动有多少，看看 furry 圈子所做的善事有多少。这些善事都非常重要且持续进行，furry 圈子不断发展壮大真是太棒了。

所以，我认为未来五到十年，furry 圈子的人们将会迎来非常好的发展。

(Pawsry 摘下眼镜，擦拭眼泪)

爪利 (Pawsry): 我都要哭出来了

基思 (Keith): 真的很抱歉! (笑)

爪利 (Pawsry): 没事的。我为自己是 furry 感到非常自豪。我过去的生活非常糟糕，一直很孤单，被孤立。 现在我来到这里，遇到了新的人，交了更多的朋友，遇到了很棒的人。就像那边的摄像大哥，还有我遇到的所有 furry 朋友，当然也包括你。(笑) 我认为 furry 圈子真是一个很棒的地方，它是一个非常团结的地方。它们也有一些负面的边缘。

基思 (Keith): 这也是每个社区都会存在的问题。

爪利 (Pawsry): 但这些负面因素并不能代表我们所有人。我们所追求的是没有界限的团结与接纳。我认为作为一个 furry，我真的很自豪，未来的 furry 圈子会非常光明。

基思 (Keith): 它感觉很健康。我没想到这样的圈子社区实际上在心理上是健康的。如果你看看我们举办的活动类型，以及我们在活动中的行为举止，这些都是积极正面的。我高中时被人欺负过，太糟糕了。直到我 30 多岁才找到了合适的圈子 (fandoms).

当我 (在 furry 圈子) 找到了真正的接纳和志同道合的人，这对我来说意义重大。我也能看出这对您来说意义重大。

爪利 (Pawsry): 基思，你知道吗？过来！(两人拥抱)

基思 (Keith): 我流了很多汗。我不习惯这里的天气！

爪利 (Pawsry): 你抱得真紧，你很壮啊！

(笑声)

爪利 (Pawsry): 好了！感谢基思加入我们特别的采访；这是我们在兽视做的第一个采访！ 《 兽圈之声》 到此为止，我是爪利行乐主翅尼，大家再见！