Why leaving cosplay got me to come back
I have been part of the cosplay community for the last 5 years and I have learnt a lot in that time. I have made great friends, learnt new skills and done things I never thought I could. That’s why falling out of love and walking away from cosplay was a shock. The last time I attended a convention was a year and a half ago for MCM London May 2017.
There were multiple reasons as to why I thought I wanted to quit:
- University Work: University was my priority, as I believe any school work. I was doing a masters degree and needed the time to spend every waking hour focused on it. This is my career and cosplay is only a hobby.
- Money – Looking at previous years, on average a convention would cost around £500 before you’ve even got to spending money and food. Costumes can cost a lot but hotels were the majority.
- Mentality – Cosplay felt like a contest and I would compare my work to others and get deflated
So I took some time away from conventions, finished uni, kept in touch with cosplay friends and make sure that I surrounded myself with the influences that got me into cosplay to begin with. I wouldn’t watch a movie or TV show I loved and go “I MUST create something from this.” I could just watch things or play video games and appreciate them.
The best thing to make me want to cosplay again was to not think about cosplay. Slowly but surely that spark reignited and I got the itch to stitch.
Why have a written all of this?
As cosplayers, I think we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to keep going and going. This burnt me out but now I know how to stop myself getting to that point again and I have a few tips.
- Remember your priorities and what is a hobby
- You don’t need a new costume every day for every convention. There is nothing wrong with re-wearing or even upgrading cosplays you have already worn.
- Don’t force ideas, remember why you love your interests and let that motivate you.
Cosplay is costume fun, so don’t suck the fun out of it. Remember why you love it, the fun you have with friends. The excitement of putting the whole thing together. Keep that as your motivation and you’ll never have to refresh!