I've lost the Cosplay spirit

Bored with costumes?

Start making props and sell them.

>>8713772
Never too late to pick up a new hobby. :)

I've been cosplaying for 12 years too, and I know what you mean. Used to be I would get super hyped for cons, making 2-3 new costumes for each con, bringing up to 6 (?!?!) costumes per con.

I guess it's like drugs - once the rush fades after you've been using awhile, the effect fades. It gets stale. You're used to the attention, you don't need to make new friends because you know most of the people there, the novelty is gone.

I make one costume per year now, and even then, I wear it a few hours on a Saturday and the rest of the con I'm in regular clothes hanging out with friends I've made over the years who have also pretty much given up cosplaying.

>>8713772
This past year, I have had no drive to make new costumes, and even going to some cons felt like more of a chore than anything. But just recently I got a resurgence and found a whole bunch of new costumes I want to do. And then some friends told me their plans and I got excited for those. And then we started thinking of group ideas and I am back to being excited about it again.
So, I guess it can come in waves? Take a break for a bit and see what is happening later on and see if there are any new costumes or ideas next year that you are interested in.

>>8713774
I try to sell many of my costumes and props. But some costumes I want to keep because I like it so much and still wear these. I keep only 5 or 8 costumes and the rest (20+ I think...) I don't need it anymore.

>>8713847
Sure? I am now in my end 20s (29 now, but many people say I look so very young) and it is so frustrating when I see so many young people they can draw so fucking good! Like gods! Ok, ok... these artists started early with drawing. Sometimes I think, I am too old for learn new things. I want to draw! I want to be a good artist!

File: 1348413763572.jpg (41KB, 500x375px) Image search: [Google]

41KB, 500x375px

I've been cosplaying for 8 years. I still like it, but I know what you mean, OP. Cosplay isn't the bright ball of fun it was at the beginning. I've also gotten lazier when it comes to making new costumes. I still sew myself, but I also bought my last 3 costumes (something I would've never done a few years ago).

Anyway, I plan on maybe getting into sewing historical clothing/Renfair as a hobby when I stop cosplaying. Looks pretty fun and the clothes are so nice. Maybe this could be something for you?

Growing up sucks. I still have lots of things I'd like to make but I really should be focusing on my career which I enjoy but is pretty competitive. Meanwhile my best cosplay friend pretty much lives for cosplay. Has a manager job at Joanns and probably goes to 10-12 cons a year. I always feels shitty when she has lots of costume ideas but I can really only commit to one and maaaaaybe two a year.

>>8713900
I am very picky about cosplay. I choose only something I have the look/body for this and also I must like the character and series. The last time no characters they fits to me and I like them. Some people said I can make a good as this or this character but I don't like these characters and/or I am not a fan of this stuff.

>>8713915
Start drawing. Take some lessons or tutorials and practice a lot, every day if you can. You can learn to draw if you will study and practice. Many people start in their old age at art, for the retirement hobby, so it's never too late for art.

>>8714481
Thank you. That motivates me a little. I had too often the feel I am now too old to become good in something. I want to be a manga/doujin artist like many awesome japanese artists on pixiv. I would draw many fanart to my favorite series, characters and other things. Also ecchi and hentai stuff. I like cool mecha stuff too. The best way to start would be ecchi stuff, to learn how to draw anatomically correct bodies. I would do only nice fanart stuff. Random or OC characters are not so my taste.

This is the best time to cosplay for /cgl/. Hollywood has started to run out of materials and so has started to make live action movies of anime. For too long has /cgl/ been criticized improperly that they aren't Asian enough by those who are jealous, but the Death Note live action movie by Warner Bros. removes that criticism and is forward march for /cgl/ through affirmative action.

>>8713772
Used to con with wife since jr high loved going ever chance we could. Even after we had kids. Now just overworked widower of two kids with autism. My free time is spent watching crunchy roll and building gundam cosplay

>>8717096
That was a lot of story and an emotional rollercoaster in just one line of words. Damn. You should write a book

I appreciate the feels and all but dont worry about this seagull. To those of you who have lost your luster for things you love dont worry it happens just remember you enjoy these things for a reason. You have fond memories of friends, experiences, good or bad their yours forever so dont let yourself get down and remember there's always something fun to do.

P.s. dont accept free pie from anyone cosplaying as m. Bision. Just from personal experience.

I lost my cosplay/con spirit when the costumes I wanted to make started getting more expensive, and the con expenses started really adding up. I've decided after I'm done with my current costume, I'm just going to keep wearing my old ones each year. I really like them, so it's alright.

Some people change their majors dozens of times, so changing your hobby should be even easier. I do art on the side, and it's so much cheaper to practice drawing instead of costuming. Look up drawing tutorials and just practice.

>>8713900
I find it way easier to be excited about a hobby if you have friends to get excited with. Kind of like how much less of a chore studying is if you have a study group. You feel me?

>>8717330
>I find it way easier to be excited about a hobby if you have friends to get excited with.

For me it was the opposite. My cosplay group was a a ball of drama that exhausted me with constant emails and weird snarky behind-the-back fighting over certain characters. I was so happy and rejuvenated when I bowed out of that clusterfuck.

But it sounds like you have great friends unlike I did. :)

>>8717334
Well, I don't have a "group," I just have a couple of friends and we do our own things. At the most I've done a few cosplay duos with one of them.

Were you around high school age during this? Because I try to stay far away from people who are really stuck in the high school mindset, they're real fuckin' annoying and never communicate well with each other. You'd probably enjoy cosplay way more with different people.

You're supposed to start cosplay because a comic book/manga/game/anime character inspired you so much to do so. You don't cosplay for attention, or to make superficial like minded friends; it's because of the work that originally inspired you. Once you start losing the love for comic books/manga/games/anime then you lose the love for cosplay. You don't belong on this board.

>>8717506
Dude, what does this have to do with anything?

>>8717506
Lovely sentiment but to much troll hate. Why dont you go find a more agro place like /k/ or shit [s4s] or how about rants and raves on craiglist theres lots of self hating internet trolls who would like to hear
You bash on other people but what makes you extra pitiful is your free flowing hate for people who are asking for help. Soo fly away seagull and go find some other place to squawk

>>8717506
>Once you start losing the love for comic books/manga/games/anime then you lose the love for cosplay. You don't belong on this board.
Eh? What? I still love anime/manga, videogames and other otaku/nerd stuff. Is only the cosplay part I lost my spirit and interest. I have now more the opinion "2D > 3D" and love anime/manga and drawings more than cosplay. That's why I want to start drawing.

>>8713772
It's the people bro. Cosplay in the last 4 or 5 years has gotten a lot more mainstream and has caused a lot of BS in the community. It's not so much about having fun and dressing up, it's about being cosfamous.

>>8717643
Oh, this is pretty true. Cosfamous was also in the past a big thing but on these days is this maybe the only thing why people do cosplay. I was in the past a some kind of semi-famous cosplayer and had often a good feedback about my costumes. Be famous was never important for me. I had only fun in my hobby and make nice costumes. Cosplay is just a fun hobby and not more. I never understand these people they take cosplay so serious and always jealous or what ever...

File: il_570xN.398231652_m9yy.jpg (56KB, 570x570px) Image search: [Google]

56KB, 570x570px

I feel the same way. I don't feel like spending 300 dollars and going through weeks of work and stress for something I'll wear once. Haven't been much into anime lately either, and only some vidya. I want to just sew clothes for daily wear, maybe some vintage stuff.

Same feeling here too. Nowadays I watch anime very rarely and have moved to asian dramas. For cosplay, I haven't sewed any costumes this year since I haven't gone any cons. I don't even feel bad about it. For me cosplay is changing to lolita since I like to sew something but cosplay isn't the thing right now.

I finally came to terms with the fact I'm not into cosplay anymore a year or so ago, but was in denial because I loved it for 9 years. I still like cons and appreciate exceptional costumes, but I don't really want to do it myself anymore besides maybe one more costume to say goodbye. I'm a Lolita, so I still have stuff to wear at cons and it just means money toward my wardrobe.

>>8718520
>I'm a Lolita, so I still have stuff to wear at cons and it just means money toward my wardrobe.
As a male cosplayer I do now more Reenactment costumes about military stuff like WW1, WW2 and many more.

>>8713915
>>8714547
Artists (visual, musical, etc.), directors, actors and writers who started late:
- Van Gogh (late 20s)
- Andrea Bocelli (first major role at 34)
- Monet (first successful art piece at 33, majority of famous work created in early 40s)
- Cezanne (mostly famous from his work in his 40s to 60s)
- Toni Morrison (first published at 40)
- Robert Frost (published first collection of poems at 39)
- Alex Katz (destroyed a thousand of his own paintings in his early years, finally noticed by the public in his 30s)
- Edward Hopper (didn't sell a painting until he was 31, received recognition in his 40s onward)
- Mary Delany (began at 71)
- Alan Rickman (first major role at 36)
- Dr. Seuss (first book written at 34, successful writer in his late 40s)
- Ang Lee (first big movie in his late 30s)
- Louise Bourgeois (sculptor famous in her 70s and 80s - her giant spider sculpture "Maman" has castings that have been installed in cities around the world)
- Mark Twain (wrote Tom Sawyer at 41 and Huckleberry Finn at 49)

Like cosplay, creative fields involve a lot of hard work. Don't be too quick to dismiss your own abilities. You've still got plenty of time.

File: misako_5.jpg (42KB, 533x297px) Image search: [Google]

42KB, 533x297px

>>8719271
not OP, but thanks anon. i really needed to read something like this right now.

im in the same boat, i havent been motivated for cosplay anymore, even though i have 5 started cosplays laying around, i just dont have the motivation to finish. watching anime now makes me feel weird cause most of them take place in school, so theyre all like kids to me now. and lolita just seems to be so competitive and show-off-y ?? i am just disappointed in everything and have decided to focus on my future career instead. i also get easily discouraged since i feel like im a very slow artist, so this post encouraged me a bit, thanks again anon

>>8718520
I got into cosplay kinda young and I still have them lying around. I used to love wearing them and had so much fun at conventions, but last con I went to I was in Lolita and I had no fun at all.

Lolita makes me so much happier than cosplay but I just don't enjoy cons as much as I used to, and it makes me sad because I still have those nostalgic feelings of being really excited at going to cons and being sad leaving. I really want to feel that happiness again but now it's just kinda cringey to me, is it a normal part of getting older?

>>8719318
>is it a normal part of getting older?
Tons of people are going through this. We're all growing out of our cringy, weeby, ignorant stages and discovering what actually looks good. We're incredibly worried about how others perceives us and how good we look rather than meeting Vic Miggydig and thinking about what merch we'll buy.

So, yeah, I guess it is.

I'm the opposite of OP. I'm getting too old to cosplay so I'm losing my spirit to do it.

>>8717690
Are you me? Yes, being well known in the scene was good but it was moreso demonstrating a skill and being proud of it as opposed to being an icon or some shit. Hell male cosplayers don't get shit these days regardless of how good their costumes turn out.

>>8717740
>>8718520
>>8717643
>>8719334
All of this.

And I just feel like I have no reason to go to cons anymore- don't talk to any of my old con friends anymore (was never especially close with any of them though), merch I can buy cheaper online, guests don't interest me these days because I barely watch anime or read manga anymore and don't really know any of the current series. The last fandoms I'm into are dead/obscure or hang in different venues than cons (gaming communities, etc).

But it's really depressing to think about moving on from something you've been invested in for a decade.

>>8719451
On small events and cosplay meet-ups I think "I am too old for this shit!", because the most people are young and behave very annoying childish. It is the behavior of the scene! Not exactly the Cosplay thing! I visit only the big events. No more the smaller events. The big events are visited by more older cosplayers/people than some small events. That means more cosplayers/people they behave more mature and also the cosplay quality is higher.

>>8719744
For me is it only the cosplay thing. I still watch anime, read manga and play some videogames. I make no more new costumes and the interest for cosplay is weaker. Now I love 2D more than in my time as active cosplayer. This is why I want to draw!

>>8713915
do you still have any cosplays you want to sell?

>>8717690
I'd like for this to be true, but I guess I want to know what you mean about cosfamous. They only people I've ever heard say they don't care about attention or say don't care what others think are the ones that already have a following and were/are cosfamous. It's nice to get recognition for your hard work. It could be a "grass is greener" situation, but I'm not sure.

>>8717506
>you can't fall out of love with cosplay without falling out of love with your fandoms
What are you on and can I have some?

>>8717506
people cosplay for different reasons, anon.

>>8726107
I still have all my costumes I want to sell. But hard to find a buyer.