Introduction - What is it like being a Cosplayer?

Brand new cosplayer here! I only started cosplaying this May at Anime North, but so far it's been quite the adventure, making costumes, figuring out how to put it together (last minute), and ultimately showing your appreciation for the various characters that you love. Since I'm new, I'm not too invested just yet... I still have a lot of other hobbies too, and there are days where you really don't want to work on your cosplay. It's okay, though, when you're finished and satisfied with your costume. Even better, sometimes people will say your costume is great and being asked to take a picture can make your day at a convention. Overall, cosplay has taught me a lot of things and brought me closer to a really cool community, and I'm looking forwards to cosplaying even more.

What are your next goals?

Now that I think about it, I don't have really clear goals of what I want to do while cosplaying, other than to get better and make more costumes! I'm also thinking of finding a cosplay group to travel with to cons, since i"m usually the only one cosplaying in my group of friends.

Cosplay Characters

I'm brand new, as I said, so I have only cosplayed two characters so far. My first cosplay was mostly sewing up a Delphox cosplay from Pokemon, and then I'm currently cosplaying the Engineer from Team Fortress 2 for FanExpo Canada.

What does Cosplay mean to you?

Cosplay means being able to show your appreciation for a franchise and its characters though craft, whether you're a pro or just starting. Because in the end, we're all happy nerds who've been brought together with the love of cosplay.

Do you have any advice or suggestions for upcoming Cosplayers?

- Plan your costume for the appropriate season/weather. You don't want to be a sweat factory in the middle of the convention; trust me. - For some reason, the conventions I've been to never listed when their group shoots for each franchise was until when I receive the program the day of. Make sure you try to find the photo shoot schedule as soon as possible, so you don't have to miss it. -

What is the most negative experience you've dealt with while cosplaying, and how did you handle it?

Starting out, I haven't experienced too much to say that I've come upon a really low point while cosplaying. I guess my 'worst' experience is just sometimes feeling lonely or incompetent about my cosplays, and comparing myself to others sometimes.

Any final remarks or shout-outs?

I'm getting started, but I'm looking forwards to cosplaying even more.