[Guest-post] All the world’s a stage…

article written by Will:

Some people get into cosplay because they are inspired by their favorite characters; others to share in an experience with others in their fandom; some as a way to express themselves in a way they never would in their day-to-day life. I came to cosplay by a road less traveled, but probably somewhat relatable.

I had been ill for many years and the internet was my lifeline in many ways. I played games, learned new skills in crafting and even made new friends, despite being quite isolated. Cosplay gave me a whole new creative outlet and a route into being more sociable again.

For me, this is one of the most appealing aspects of cosplay; it’s led me to meet many new and wonderful, creative people and even inspires a few others to try it for themselves.  For the most part it’s been a very affirming, positive journey – I can’t count the number of compliments and messages of encouragement I’ve received over the last year from people of all ages and experiences within the community.  It’s really important to me to pay that forward; it can be really daunting starting out, whether you’re taking on designing and making your own costume or commissioning one of the many talented makers out there – even if everything goes to plan it can still be a huge hurdle to build up the courage to suit up and strut your stuff.

Sadly there are still people out there who will forever be more interested in belittling others efforts, even going so far as name-calling and childish rumor-mongering both online and in the real world. I won’t lie; it’s out there, it’s despicable and it’s crushing.  Even well-known cosplayers like Fahrlight Loki – whom I cosplay as Thor for (and who makes a point of supporting and encouraging others) – suffer with this kind of petty hatefulness. Although authorities are trying to crack down on things like cyber-bullying, it’s a difficult thing to police; so communities really need to be there to offer support to one another when this kind of thing happens.  If it ever happens to YOU; report it. Take screenshots. Log anything that happens in case you need it for future reference. Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter may be able to help with these incidents but steer clear of sites like 4chan; some great memes have started out there, but the threads can be troll-central and just horrific all-round.  If it happens to a friend – do the same. If you are approached by someone being hateful about another person, be wary; why would anyone actively do that? (Sounds crazy, but it really does happen).

BUT – there are also a lot of caring, supportive people who will be cosplaying for the same reasons as you; who will support you through the bad times and be a laugh-riot in the good times.  I know more than one person who has met the love of their life through random acts of cosplay – I mean how amazing is that?!

Some friends and I are actually working on building an international cosplay site with friendly and carefully monitored forums for all aspects of the hobby.  The aim is to create a safe place where people can share ideas, experience and cosplay adventures without worry. The general principle being ‘Don’t be a dick.’ …..my wording, not theirs….it’s a wonder I’m not in charge of PR!!

My point is; no matter if you have crafting skills or not; whether you have any performance experience or not – however many episodes you’ve seen; comics you’ve read; how into the books you are or if you’ve only seen the films….if you want to cosplay, you should go for it.

Everyone starts somewhere: everyone comes to it for different reasons.

If you keep the spirit of fun and mutual support in your heart and mind, you’ll find you have a lot of potential friends out there; discover whole new fandoms and worlds. Maybe even find the man/woman/centaur/elf/wizard/a gender sentient glow cloud you’ve always dreamed of.

So grab your glue gun.  Or start that saving jar.  Even just let yourself daydream about what you’d like to do.  Make a wish; set a goal; go for broke. Ignore the haters; spread the love and creative spirit: go forth and cosplay!