It came to my attention recently, that there are some young cosplayers who aspire to cosplay full-time. And while the hobby had took root almost 15 years ago and our community has grown considerably, that idea made me sat up and frown. Are cosplayers considering this as a viable career path? I agree that everyone should be able to dream, but everyone needs a wakeup call to prevent falling into some coma, only to wake up many years afterwards wondering what the hell happened. And while I am not the expert in this topic, I thought about some basic questions that I hope all aspiring cosplayers should ask themselves before making such a decision: How old are you now, and many years do you see yourself cosplaying full-time? What do you think you need to do as a full-time cosplayer? Does it mean cosplaying more than you already do? Singing? Performing? Modeling? Signing autographs? How much do you expect to earn?(don’t claim you’ll run on passion, the money you get to take back is what will sustain you) How much do you spend to make the average number of costumes per year? Will you need to continue doing it if you go full-time? Are you popular enough for cosplay conventions, photographers to engage you? If you’re not already well-known, do you have some plan on how to promote yourself? How long will it take? Will you need another job to sustain yourself when there are no events or projects? Do you know which jobs can allow taking leave whenever you need for attending events? With all the makeup you need to pile on your face, are you prepared to invest on proper cosmetics and skincare? Do you need to support your family? Do you have an insurance plan? Is it enough? Do you have a savings plan? Is it sound? Do you have someone to manage your flights, hotels, schedules, costumes, PR activities, nasty event organizers, rabid fans? Can you afford to pay for someone to do so? Should you decide to quit doing it, what other career options do you think are available to you? Surely there can be more questions if one carefully considers, because as dreamy and fairy-tale as it sounds, even if one can already envision your success at the end, what if one should fail? What can he/she fall back on? There is a reason why cosplay is a hobby. Youth is a very valuable asset one can have, and it should be used wisely on what is most important. To enjoy cosplay for relieving stress from work or studies and make friends, that’s quite ok. To work the hobby that doesn’t guarantee stability and sustainence, I’m not so sure to encourage. If one insists he/she has thought everything out already and can be sure the plan will work, good for him/her. I just hope whichever choice that was made will not lead to regret later in life.
Posted on: Sat, 15 Mar 2014 08:00:47 +0000
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