One of the finest components of crafting is the glorious opportunity to detach from the day-to-day, the tried-and-true, the mundane little ruts we all tend to fall into from time to time. We crafters escape into our art and find sweet reprieve from the boring ol’ workaday.
Every member of the crafting cohort knows this sweet feeling, this little bit of departure we sink into each time we bring out our cutting mat and get to work. But some crafters REALLY know how to get away. Indeed, we’re talking about crafters who sink into the world of cosplay. These crafters not only generate that little getaway for the mind when they craft—they use their crafting talents to create costumes that they don for a serious dose of exodus from the day-to-day.
Today, the goal is to encourage more crafters to venture into the world of cosplay by thinking about what characters may help them embody that little something that speaks to their inner explorer—of course, we’ll be encouraging our crafting compatriots to take the crafter’s route into the cosplay universe by making their own costumes.
So let’s consider how to go about selecting your cosplay character. Because once that decision is made, you simply won’t be able to stop crafting creations for your alter-ego. Without further ado, let’s get into it.
Accentuate a Trait You Love About Yourself
What do you love most about yourself? No need for modesty here. Are you cunning, strong, fast—are you a little bit sexy? It’s okay to say yes to any of these; you aren’t broadcasting these answers online like some egoistic jerk.
Find a character that embodies these qualities. You value your physical strength? If that’s the case, maybe you need to round up your cosplay tools and craft your own Hulk costume. Or maybe you want to pair and sex appeal—in that case, crafting ladies, maybe Wonder Woman is your move.
The point here is to use your cosplay character as an extension of something you love about yourself.
Or Consider Traits You Aspire To
Perhaps you feel like you’re sometimes too submissive. Maybe you feel a little out of shape and are looking to beef up in the gym. Or maybe you’ve been dealt some real blows in life—things have come along and sent you on a path you didn’t want to go down.
If the previous paragraph speaks to you, find that cosplay character that appeals to your inner-desire to improve your station, your lot in life. There are endless characters in the cosplay realm whose origin stories are all about overcoming adversity, characters who turned pockmarks into beauty marks. For a classic example, how about Superman—that poor fella was orphaned as a baby, but things kind of worked out for him in the end, didn’t they?
Find a cosplay character that helps you slip into the person you’re on the path toward becoming.
Have Realistic Costume Goals
Now for a dose of reality: You have to keep in mind that whatever character you choose to embody—well, you need to make that costume. That means time (perhaps a lot of it), and money (perhaps a lot of that, too). Of course, there are plenty of cosplay characters the expert crafter can put together in now time, with little more than a bit of elbow grease and the proper craft knife.
But there are plenty of cosplay costumes that are borderline impossible to put together (of course, truly elite crafters may consider these costumes an irresistible challenge).
Know your skillset. Know your budget. Cosplay is all about escapism, but when it comes to this aspect of cosplay, you need to get practical for a second.
Connect and Explore With Other Cosplayers
Crafting can be a relatively solo pursuit. We sink into work in our studios and travel into the innermost realm of our creative self. But when you’re crafting for cosplay, that effort will ultimately unite you with a seemingly boundless community of like-minded souls.
For this component of cosplay creation, we are encouraging you to connect with fellow cosplayers on the front end. That connection can potentially inspire your costume choice. Perhaps you’ll connect with players who are adhering to a theme for an upcoming cosplay event; if they have specific character needs, you can fill the void and use the group as your cosplay creation muse.
Because when it comes right down to it, we cosplay to be among others. Cosplay is all about a creative expansion that helps players unite with folks who will likely remain friends even after the costumes come off.
But when those costumes are removed, there’s always another event on the horizon, which means there’s endless opportunity for cosplay crafting.
