If you were to give some advice to a cosplayer first starting out, what would you tell them? Looking back to when you first started, in what ways have you grown & what mistakes have you learned from along the way? Lastly, do you think your mentality/outlook on cosplay has changed since you first started out? -Mirai

If you were to give some advice to a cosplayer first starting out, what would you tell them?
Don’t be intimidated. I started cosplaying in 2003. There was no strong online community until Cosplay.com, and cosplay was still relatively new outside of Japan. Essentially, there was no bar set outside of what occasional photos we would see from convention coverage in comic magazines like Wizard and Animerica. It was easier to be “the best”. Looking at how fast the hobby has grown the past 10 years, it’s almost unbelievable. Most costumes that used to win Best In Show in 2000 wouldn’t even place in today’s standards. So I can see to a beginner who isn’t skilled, it can look scary as hell. On the plus side, there are so many more readily available materials today. Better wigs, better fabrics, better shoes. Heck, even the pre-made costumes were impossible to come by a decade ago. Because the community is so connected online, it’s easier to find tutorials and support groups. Use these outlets to your advantage – whether you want to find cosplay buddies, or become a construction master!

Looking back to when you first started, in what ways have you grown & what mistakes have you learned from along the way?
The best lesson I learned is that it takes a crap load of mistakes to look effortless and polished. I used to think I was bad at sewing because I had to rip a seam. ONE seam. I thought I wasn’t cut out for sewing. Then I learned that ripping seams is just part of construction. Even today I probably rip more seams than are actually sewn into the costumes I make. I learned a different mindset. Making costumes isn’t a flawless performance from beginning to end. It’s do-over after do-over and a trial of patience.

Lastly, do you think your mentality/outlook on cosplay has changed since you first started out?
I used to be puzzled why someone would spend such effort to look like something that a tiny percentage of the population would “get”. I wondered, why not spend the same amount of time and be a generic fairy or something popular like a Disney character and at least be appreciated? I didn’t understand the appeal. I actually pitied cosplayers for that, and felt sorry that they would never be accepted in the mainstream. (Pft, like they wanted my pity.)

I remember wanting a Rydia (Final Fantasy IV) costume for Halloween in 6th grade, but nixing it before even bringing it up to my parents because I knew none of the kids at school would know the character and therefore it was futile. You just had to be recognized or else it was a failure.

Years later I was asked to go to a convention, and I knew there were nerds out there who might know who Rydia was. (In 2003, Rydia was an almost non-existent cosplay. There were only 2 Rydia cosplayers in the U.S. that I could find at the time, after a lot of digging. And niether were Amano artbook versions, which is what I decided to do.) It seemed exciting that I could go somewhere and finally wear that Rydia costume I always wanted and maybe have people even recognize it. Maybe. So I made it. I would have been happy if even a single person recognized it. That game was so dear to me and it would be so cool if a stranger came up to me in public and talked to me about Final Fantasy. So I wore that Rydia costume for my first day of cosplay, and not just one but dozens of people recognized it! The 6th grader in me rejoiced that people finally “got it”, after years of telling myself that no one ever would. That was the moment I realized why people cosplayed. :)