The definition for furry fandom: “The furry fandom is a subculture interested in fictional anthropomorphic animal characters with human personalities and characteristics. Examples of anthropomorphic attributes include exhibiting human intelligence and facial expressions, the ability to speak, walk on two legs, and wear clothes. Furry fandom is also used to refer to the community of people who gather on the Internet and at conventions.”
Not every furry identifies with a single, dominant animal while not every furry is identified under the same definition. There are furry enthusiasts, fur-suiters, furry artists, furry hobbyists; et cetera and not every furry actually makes a lifestyle out of it.
I am a yearly con-goer in Minnesota for a convention called Convergence. It’s a comic/sci-fi/anime convention for all to come and have the option to dress as that year’s theme or to dress as you wish independently. By going once a year does that mean I have conventions as a part of my lifestyle? Not really. And neither does being a furry enthusiast. Would I love to go to a furry convention to try out the experience and dress up? Heck yes, I would love to because it’s just the same as going to a regular convention, you’re surrounded by people with similar interests and could make friends – or even enemies, haha.
1: Not every furry identifies with an animal and not every furry makes a suit or a lifestyle from it. It’s fun to make anthropomorphic characters. They can simply be another original character made up by a creative mind. You don’t need to be a furry to make one.
2: How does having any hobby or interest benefit you? You can make friends with similar interests/hobbies. You can also increase your confidence and skills in arts and craftsmanship if you take an interest in drawing, sculpting, or fashioning fur-suits for people.
3: Why would this play into a significant part of me? It would be no more important for anything than playing video games, participating in Magic the Gathering tournaments, or taking countless hours to build the perfect Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Unless I had a career opportunity skyrocket from the fandom, like becoming a successful and well-known artist or something, then it wouldn’t be too important.