I’m often asked how I got into cosplay, so I thought I’d share a little about my journey of finding, and falling in love with the art.

I Started Young

My own journey into the world of cosplay began when I was very young. I started making costumes when I was just 4 years old, the first thing I ever sewed being a little wizard’s hat. It fell apart shortly after production (I was only 4 years old after all, and hadn’t exactly perfected the technique of tying knots), but my love of costumes continued to grow.

I didn’t start calling myself a cosplayer until attending my first comic convention several years ago. Before that I simply referred to myself as a costume maker. For the most part I started out focusing on simple Halloween and Renaissance festival costumes, which I sold or rented. (Back in those days I tended to make everything out of broadcloth because I hadn’t yet encountered the wonderful world of alova, satin, and distressed fabrics)

As the years progressed the “simple” Halloween and Renaissance costumes I created every year got more and more elaborate. Eventually I was putting in more work than any sane person probably should on a single Halloween costume. For my own family’s costumes, it seemed such a shame to only wear once something I’d put so much effort into. That was where the comic conventions came in.

One Day I Heard About Something Called a Comic Con

Living out in the boonies, there wasn’t a lot of cosplaying going on near me. Most of my friends were pretty “normal” and not very geeky friends, so I’d never heard of a comic con. Then one night I saw a piece about comic conventions on TV, where people would dress up in elaborate costume as their favorite characters every year. To a costume lover like me, it was like looking at Heaven on Earth. I’ll also admit to having a bit of nerd within me (particularly when it involves Star Trek or Lord of the Rings), so the idea of a comic con appealed to my nerdy side as well.

Sadly, I knew that amazing experience was out of my realm, however, because comic cons were in big cities like NYC and San Diego. There was nothing like that for a little country-bumpkin costume maker living over in my area of the sticks (seriously, the nearest “town” is 3 miles away and has a population of about 600 people). So I let the idea of actually attending a comic con slide to the back of my head like one of those dreams that’s fun to think about, but that you’ll probably never attain.

A Comic Con In My Neck of the Woods

A few years later, I was listening to the radio while working, and I heard about a new little comic convention called RocCon! opening in Rochester (only about an hour from my backwoods part of the world). Barely able to contain my excitement, I looked up the convention first chance I got. I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it that year, but I kept it in my head and on my calendar. The following year my brother and I suited up as Thor and Loki in costumes that had taken me 4 months to complete (granted it was farm season, so I wasn’t working on them straight through, but at that point it was longest I’d ever spent working on costumes), and we drove up to Rochester for the convention.

It was love at first sight. Unlike a Renaissance festival where only about 50-60% percent of the attendees are in costume, at the comic con, 90% of the attendees were in costume. Even if not full costumes, people made the effort to put on elf ears, dragon horns, or fairy wings, anything to get in the spirit. It was absolute paradise; I was hooked.

The Switch

From then on I started focusing more on cosplay costumes, rather than Halloween costumes. I love the extra detail involved in getting a cosplay costume just right, and how a person can take a little artistic license to make the character their own. I also found it opened up a new business avenue. Instead of only taking costume orders during Halloween, I was able to take them almost all year, as there are different comic cons going on in different places at different times of the year. I loved every minute every of it.

In 2013 I started sharing my cosplay endeavors on my Youtube channel (previously I’d only been doing craft tutorials on Youtube). I found people were very receptive to my cosplay tutorials, so receptive in fact, that I even began getting requests from people asking me if I could do a tutorial for a specific character. Now about 75% of the how-to’s I post are cosplay tutorials, many of them in response to followers’ requests.

I’ve also managed to keep it within my beliefs of being as eco-friendly as possible. I get a lot of my costume bases and material from 2nd hand stores. I’ve found gorgeous pieces of linen, satin, and velvet in the Salvation Army and VOA for many times less what they would be new from the fabric store. It’s a form of recycling.

It’s Not Just a Hobby, It’s An Adventure

Cosplay is a great form of self expression. I find you develop a special connection with your favorite characters when you dress as them in costume. Instead of just getting to watch or read about them, you actually get to become them. It’s exhilarating to actually be Wonder Woman or Legolas or whoever you want to be, if only for a few hours. Also it’s great to go to a convention and be among so many fellow geeks sharing the same cosplay love.

So that’s how my journey into cosplay came about. I never tire of the cosplay world and am so grateful to have found it. And I love being able to share what I’ve learned with the newbie cosplayers. If you’re a newbie looking to get into cosplaying or someone who’s just beginning to step into that wonderful world, check out my costume making tutorials and see if they inspire you in your own costume making adventures.

If you’re already a seasoned cosplayer, then what’s your story? When did you first discover the wonderful world of cosplay?

Written by Amber Reifsteck, The Woodland Elf

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