-Oh this is a good topic because I see SO MANY people doing this wrong. Honestly, networking does feel weird when you graduate college and suddenly everyone has a business card, but if you understand that everyone is networking, it makes you feel less...scummy about it, so to speak. That being said, you have to be careful not to just start dming random people because you know one person in common. Like I went to school with some people who got really successful and I'm very proud of them, but I don't even like to say their name, because once someone crawled into their DMs and was like "hey, you know Rachel? I know Rachel, too!" and y'all that was AWKWARD. Cuz like...It makes me look so bad and it hurts everyone involved, it's just the worst.
So I think it's best to just find people that are likeminded in humor and interests and who's art you enjoy and just leave a comment saying like "I like this art!" You don't have to suck up or say "hey, look at my stuff!" because even if you leave a comment, they'll remember who you are for later. Just...act natural and resist the urge to make awkward over-familiar jokes because those are the worst. Follow them on social media, and when they remember you enough they'll be like "oh hey, it's you!"
Twitch is really great for this, actually--if an artist you like is on twitch, you can drop by, say hello, talk about art, and it's like having a lunch convo for free. Super great for getting to know people and getting them to recognize you.
That being said though, if you notice a friendship is fading and one person is letting go or maybe someone doesn't really want to network with you--let it go! It's fine! You'll make lots of connections in this life, you don't need to freak out over every single one. They owe you nothing.
-I usually don't get intimidated. Especially over the internet. I don't live in LA or New York anything so I'm not like...having to hobnob and be in an actually stressful networking situation very often. Occasionally I'll meet someone really cool, and it's cool because I'm over 30, they're usually over 30, and art is not glamorous. We are not superstars, and like...we all have a deviantart account youknow...we're all a bunch of dorks in this industry.
-But I will say conventions are stressful for me if I have to go alone. So, I think it helps to have a buddy who you know at the convention you're going to, make sure you have a plan of what you're doing during the day, so you aren't just standing in one room going "HELL HELL HELL" and have some business cards, and be OK if you need to step out for a second and just...sit down. It does get easier each time, but the conventions I enjoyed the most, where I met some cool people and cool authors, were ones where I wasn't by myself.