Life lessons..

[Neriifur]

One thing I've learned in life is if there's something you love and enjoy doing, don't let anyone talk you out of it.

You know, growing up I had a large interest in various artistic activities. I loved the idea of cosplay, because to bring a 2D image into reality simply seemed so amazing to me, so beautiful, and almost unbelievable.

..However people would tell me being interested in it was dumb, that it was a waste of time, waste of money, and pointless to take any interest in.

..So I believed everyone. Even as passionate about the idea I was, even as much free time as I had, and even with all the money I had at the time (working and living rent free), I never bothered to try it out, because I was brought down for loving something so much.

8 years later I still regret the day I gave in and what I could have been doing back then, and since then I honestly have never had the opportunity to take part in it again.

Ask yourself, what is a waste of time? If there's something you love doing and it's harming absolutely no one else in the world, then that isn't a waste of time. That is who you are, and what makes you, well you. If you do the things you know will make you happy, then in the end you'll be a happier person and you'll feel so much better about the world around you. If someone is bringing you down for the things in your life, because they don't agree with it, then let me just say--

They're not a good friend. They're not worth keeping in your life. You'll find people in your life as you grow older that will cherish who you are, what you're interested in and will help guide you along your way.

I know I have.

 

[MadisonCrossing]

*claps*
I have one or two friends in mind that are people that might put me down or say something like this, sadly. Thankfully, I *****might****** be moving soon so I won't have to deal with it. ^^

 

[Xanarcah]

Well said. I hope you have found something else you enjoy and love doing, even if you missed out on cosplaying years ago.

If the opportunity arises again in the future, I fully support you venturing into the world of cosplay. : D I've been cosplaying for the last decade or so, and it's been an amazing journey. The hobby has come a long way in that time, and it's easier to get into than ever.

 

[Neriifur]

Well said. I hope you have found something else you enjoy and love doing, even if you missed out on cosplaying years ago.

If the opportunity arises again in the future, I fully support you venturing into the world of cosplay. : D I've been cosplaying for the last decade or so, and it's been an amazing journey. The hobby has come a long way in that time, and it's easier to get into than ever.

I hope so too in the future. It just always seems to be out of my budget, as proven to me for the 8 years I've been wanting to do it ..and never having the money to do so. I love the hobby though, and it's always been something so amazing to me. That's awesome you've been doing it for so long. I'm also glad it's more accepted than it used to be. Back when I took interest in it, people thought it was weird.. then again back then video games weren't mainstream and people got laughed at for playing video games as well, so xD It's glad to see a lot of things being more so accepted in life than they used to be.

 

[Xanarcah]

I hope so too in the future. It just always seems to be out of my budget, as proven to me for the 8 years I've been wanting to do it ..and never having the money to do so. I love the hobby though, and it's always been something so amazing to me. That's awesome you've been doing it for so long. I'm also glad it's more accepted than it used to be. Back when I took interest in it, people thought it was weird.. then again back then video games weren't mainstream and people got laughed at for playing video games as well, so xD It's glad to see a lot of things being more so accepted in life than they used to be.

I admittedly have no idea what your budget is like, but if you do some serious long-term planning, simpler costumes end up not being too expensive. Never buy fabric without a 40%+ coupon, use whatever free materials you can find, getting decent non-party wigs from Ebay instead of one of the major US sellers, volunteering for a number of hours in exchange for a free con badge, buying clothing from thrift stores and modding it, etc.

It's definitely become more mainstreamed, for better or for worse. Most of the time it's not nearly as dramatic or fast-paced as the TV shows make it out to be. There's also more of a market for cosplay stuff, which is really nice.

(It might actually be more amazing I haven't up and passed away from the sheer stress of some of those pre-con nights when nothing is finished, than sticking with one hobby for this long...)

 

[Neriifur]

I admittedly have no idea what your budget is like, but if you do some serious long-term planning, simpler costumes end up not being too expensive. Never buy fabric without a 40%+ coupon, use whatever free materials you can find, getting decent non-party wigs from Ebay instead of one of the major US sellers, volunteering for a number of hours in exchange for a free con badge, buying clothing from thrift stores and modding it, etc.

It's definitely become more mainstreamed, for better or for worse. Most of the time it's not nearly as dramatic or fast-paced as the TV shows make it out to be. There's also more of a market for cosplay stuff, which is really nice.

(It might actually be more amazing I haven't up and passed away from the sheer stress of some of those pre-con nights when nothing is finished, than sticking with one hobby for this long...)

That's awesome =D What's sad is I actually just haven't had the money. I don't work right now, so I don't have any income, but when I did work, I'd have to decide between buying a couple new shirts or spending money on a hobby.. or spending money on replacing things that were going broke. A lot of time I chose new clothes, because clothes only last so long, like.. I was wearing stuff I bought 3 years ago xD So iunno it's been really tough. There were just more important stuff in my life that I had to fix as opposed to being able to enhance my hobbies. Maybe I'll be able to some time xD I'm only 28, so yeah things could always change at anytime. As an artist and someone obsessed with 3D and real life art, it's been kind of a dream of mine. Thanks for the tips though. They'll definitely come in handy when I get around to being able to create all kinds of cool stuff.

 

[Xanarcah]

Well, that is totally fair. o: Choosing between necessities and hobbies is a no brainer. It's a lot easier to live without a costume than it is to live without a working stove. Hopefully life starts looking up! There's still plenty of time for things to change for the better~

Feel free to send me a message if you ever decide it's time to get into cosplay. : D Or even if you haven't and just want to talk. I'm Xanarcah on the Cosplay.com forums too. Haven't been on in a while, since apparently I can only manage keeping up with one forum at a time...