How to Motivate Yourself to Work on Cosplay

I am absolutely terrible at motivating myself, but recently I feel I have gotten better at it. I know myself and many other cosplayers always have difficulty when it comes to finding ways to push ourselves to work on cosplays. It is a tedious task that many of us want to push back…until it comes close to a convention! So, I am now writing various ways that we can attempt to motivate ourselves to work on our cosplays so we are not crunching before a convention

Look at your favorite cosplayer

Any time I feel unmotivated I look at pictures of other cosplayers, especially the fantastic Yaya Han. I admire her work greatly and I want to, someday, possess the skills that she has and the patience. Every time I see her cosplays I get a push to work on my own. So if you have a favorite cosplayer, or multiple cosplayers, I suggest going through their cosplays and looking at them. Look at every detail and think about how you would go about making that cosplay.

Watch cosplay music videos

I adore watching CMV’s, especially Ackson’s, MLZStudio’s, and ChillyWillyTube’s. It is a great way to put yourself at a convention again without actually being in one. Look around at all of the cosplays in the background, the pictures being taken, and of course the cosplayer(s) being showcased.

Sit down and plan your cosplay

Take a few minutes to sit down and think about how you are going to make your cosplay(s). Picture yourself wearing the cosplay after working hours upon hours to complete it! It can help motivate you if you think about the finish product and how excited you are for it.

Take W.I.P (Work in progress) pictures!

What is more motivating than watching your beloved cosplay slowly become pieced together? Take pictures of your work periodically so you can see how far you have progressed. By reflecting on all of the progress you made, you can become motivated to finish what you have started so you can see the final outcome!

Talk to friends while you work!

I ALWAYS start a Google Hangout with my friends when I am going to work on cosplay. Sometimes we all work on cosplay together, and sometimes we just talk about various things. It’s a great way to have fun while working. Plus, once you finish something you have an immediate audience to show it to! Your friends are also fantastic people to bounce ideas off of and to ask advice. If you are stuck in a ruff, who better to ask than your friends?!

Featured Image Taken By Ithlia Lin