(I'm only really posting this here because I don't think it qualifies as an introduction)
Uh, howdy, everyone
As the title states, I'm a bit new to furries. I know of them and vaguely understand them, but I've never really considered myself to be one, ya know? Recently, I decided I might start, I guess, identifying as a furry, but I wanted to consult the general population(?) before doing that, since I don't really fit the definition of what most furries are.
You see, I do really enjoy drawing and looking at anthro animals, hell, I made a fursona for myself a while back, and am considering making a secondary one because why not, but I never called myself a furry...in fact, I would state on many occasions that I wasn't a furry, call that insecurity or whatever, but I just never felt like I fit the standards, I guess.
Now, my problem comes in when I consider what most furries are into and what I'm not. Most furries I've seen have been super into fur-suiting, which is something I'm not really interested in (too much money for something I'll probably never wear for various reasons), and I notice a lot of furries establish a very strong connection with their animal selves. Now, it's not that I don't establish a strong connection with my fursona, I have a very strong personal connection to all characters I make, but, I don't know, I guess I don't see myself as an animal. There are things I see myself as that I'm not, but a furry animal isn't one of those things. The only thing me and furries seem to have in common is that we enjoy drawing and looking at anthro animals, and that's kinda where it ends, on most fronts.
I suppose my question is this: should I call myself a furry or just say that I'm a person who enjoys drawing and looking at anthro animals? I'm posting this on a few different forums so I can get a general understanding of what the overall community thinks and I'll make my decision based off of that. Personally, I do kind of think that I can call myself a furry on some level, but I want to hear what everyone thinks.