I always tell people that I made a big mistake in terms of cosplay competing. I made the mistake of going from novice to masters in one year. Yeah I know that sounds weird. I get plenty of odd looks with that statement. But its true, my entire first year of cosplaying was dedicated… no, consumed with competing. I wasn’t alone either, my entire team was pushing forward right along with me. At the time we thought “this is what cosplay is all about!”, looking back, its kind of humorous. We were all so new, a little too green and way too confident. Even when they fell off, I kept going. They gave up when we reached the intermediate division, but I kept going. I wanted to say I was a “Masters level cosplayer”. I got there, and I did it within my first year of cosplaying. I don’t want to say I regret rushing through the ranks, but I wish I had focused more on the cons and less on the competitions. Knowing what I know now, that I didn’t know back then… the awards don’t mean anything. The titles are just a vanity. And the “fame” does in fact not last forever. And the most important thing of all, Cosplay, conventions, everything they encompasses and represent it only means as much as the people. The friends you make and the friends you have yet to meet. They matter the most. So take your time and enjoy everything.
