For many people, fandom offers a way to communicate with others on one’s specified interest. Fandoms include a diverse group of people, making it a place where one can easily be oneself without judgment. Friends can be easily made when one finds someone who he shares interests with.

Fandoms can even be a place where one escapes from everyday life and surround himself with only things that he enjoys.

For many, though, a fandom can be more than just a way to pass the time, and it can even be beneficial for the socially awkward or for aspiring artists and writers to get their work posted online and receive feedback.

Online friendships can become stronger than real life friendships as most online friendships are made by people with the same interests. As online friendships are built off of one’s interest when he is at his most open, the relationship isn’t clouded by judgment of physical appearance, social status or how one performs socially.

Interacting is completely optional, which takes the stress off of introductions, and talking to someone online in this way can help one break from social constriction. Members often post awareness posts along with things about their fandom, and many can  be sympathetic to the point where even strangers send messages to members who express their struggles publicly.

Fandoms often help people who are struggling with accepting themselves. As the atmosphere is accepting when everyone is so different, and many ships include LGBT+ characters, being in an environment devoid of judgment can help people learn to accept themselves and do so in a space without fear of someone they already know viewing them differently or alienating them.

One is constantly exposed to people from all across the globe. They are introduced to new ways of writing and art due to the works created by people from different areas of the world. One can adapt and become exposed to new writing styles and art techniques from all over the world, making oneself more educated in a technique and the many ways it can be used, and making writers and artists more flexible in their work.   

To start in creative writing through fanfiction comes with more benefits as opposed to writing original works immediately. When fans write a fanfic, they get to use pre-existing characters with their storyline often already written and every character trait already set in place. Using these characters, though, can often be a challenge, and writers learn how to keep characters and their traits constant. Changing the situation or AU that the characters are seen in can make it even more difficult to make sure one’s characters are well written instead of OOC.

Working with writing techniques such as style and figurative language is easier to manage compared to an English paper or an original piece. Having the characters in place and having so much flexibility to do anything with them makes writing less of a chore and more enjoyable. Using figurative language, symbolism and foreshadowing and playing around with writing style is much more relaxed, and applying these techniques to something one already enjoys writing is less frustrating. Using these here instead of in an English paper can make it easier and faster for one to develop as a writer.

Having other works to compare to one’s own is less daunting than comparing them to a work published by an established author. Being able to decipher what makes a particular fanfic bad, such as the mistakes a writer made or what he could have done to improve the piece, can help a writer know what to avoid when writing. On the opposite end, reading a well-written fic and knowing what makes it so good can guide a writer to know how to write fanfics efficiently.

Writing something becomes less intimidating when there is a large spectrum of skill level among the fandom. Often fics can be badly written, and often they are written incredibly well. Reading multiple works from the same writer and seeing how they progressed can be something that can inspire any writer to not give up. If a writer isn’t confident enough to post, a beta editor can look over the work or even have another writer help to write it.

Once one’s work is published to one of the many fanfiction websites, reader count and feedback accumulates faster than a piece of original work as the reader is already interested in the topic. Having that feedback from other aspiring writers can encourage one to keep writing. Receiving constructive criticism and being able to ask questions of other writers who are willing to offer expertise or beta a work can help writers improve their works.

Aside from fanfiction, aspiring artists who create art of someone’s OTP or favorite character will get attention quickly and will have people look into the artist’s original works as well. Fandom art often is shared and liked more than original pieces, and feedback comes much faster as fandom art is easier to find than original works and OCs. Fans will also support the artists, and drawing the same characters that many other artists do makes it easier to compare your work and perfect anatomy and style.

Financial support may be difficult for an artist to find, but creating works that surround a fandom along with original pieces can make buying the artist’s work more desirable. Often, as artists gain recognition or someone simply really enjoys their art, people can commission an artist. Most artists set an outline, such as prices for various types of pieces (sketch, watercolor, full body, bust, etc) and their limitations as to what they will not draw. Commissions support the artist financially and often inspire others to make a purchase.

Many artists put their products on websites such as RedBubble or Storevny where fans can buy their favorite art as prints, T-shirts, phone cases and many other items, or even buy full portfolios or comics done by the artist. People in fandoms often donate money to their favorite artists for the purpose of supporting the artist.

Fandoms and the people who take part in them are unique, and as there is a fandom for everyone, the reason why one gravitates to a fandom varies. Whether people need a safe space, want to share their creations or simply want to talk to others about something they enjoy, fandoms hold many benefits that one can take advantage of and are a good place to pass the time in a creative and enjoyably educational way.