CosDown 4: Falling Out of Love with Cosplay

11:48 am HelenLJohnson 0 Comments

Nina, aka Mango Sirene, released a video this week titled "Let's Talk about Cosplay (and the reason why I left). If you haven't watched it yet you can find it HERE, it is a much watch for any cosplayer; in particular those who are making money from the hobby. It is done in a podcast style format and it almost three hours long with a few technical issues; however it is well worth a listen (set speed to 1.25 to help with lag).

Nina is one of my favourite cosplayers, one that helped me through periods of unemployment, sadness and low motivation. I won't lie, just by watching the videos I wished I could be as organised as she was and attend all the wonderful looking US conventions. I looked forward to the con vlogs and still believe it is the best all round entertainment cosplay channel. Yet as the recent video discussed, beneath everything Nina had some serious mental health issues complete with feelings of failure and guilt. She had fallen out of love with not just with cosplay, but also with life.

Tharja/Mango Sirene/J Wai Design

I think this feeling, to varying degrees, is something every cosplayer will face during their time creating. I know I certainly have many times. Life often becomes a priority, rightfully so, and knowing when to cut back is as important as know when to push yourself. Of course I'd love to have a new costume for every con, do loads of photoshoots and run a YouTube channel; but I just don't have the time. As I cosplay mainly video game characters, I often feel the need to complete the game I'm cosplaying because shock, horror, what if someone quizzes me on the convention floor? What if they find out I'm a 'fake'? However, a lot of the time it is either a. play the game or b. make some of the costume during my free time. Running an Etsy store also means sometimes I don't feel like working on my own costumes because my free time is helping other people create theirs! Which is lovely, but not good for your own development when you get burned out before you get to personal projects.

So what do you do when you fall out of love with cosplay? I don't need to describe what it feels like, as well as being personal, you'll know when you hit that plateau. Also do not feel guilty or shameful if you need to take a break or quit altogether. For most of us, it is a hobby, and you need to put yourself as a person first. Hobbies are supposed to be enjoyable, sometimes challenging of course, but activities where you can foster personal interests no matter how niche or strange. Here are a few tips that may help:

1. Change how you work.

Nina mention how she has given up con crunch, if a costume isn't finished for a convention then so be it. I too have adopted this thought for a few years now because I'd rather just enjoy making the costume rather than doing a half-arsed job just so it is finished for a con. Changing how you work may mean re-wearing more costumes or scheduling in a few chunks of the week where you can work on your costumes guilt free. Remember you control your hobby, not the hobby controlling you.

2. Take a break but stay creative

If everything feels overwhelming. Do not feel guilty for taking a break for a week, a month or even years. Focus on something else; play some games that are in your backlog, write that book you always wanted to or maybe paint. Sometimes being creative in a different way helps you to get over an overall flop.

3. Switch off social media

The internet is great for cosplay, seeing what other people have made is such great inspiration in addition to tutorials and CMVs. However, there also comes the drama and pressure to live up to everyone else on the social media feeds. So switch off and ignore what others are doing for a while. Not only will you be avoiding some toxic vibes but also might be able to focus and enjoy your own creations because you are not comparing your progress to everyone else.

Do you have any more tips when someone falls out of love with cosplay? Leave them in the comments below or tweet me!