Cosplay...on your CV?

Hey guys, long time no see!

I apologise for the lack of activity as life has been pretty hectic lately. It was a jumble of volunteering, costume making, attending Em-con and stuff. Hopefully pretty soon things will settle when I get a job and I can post more again.

Warning: This is written way past midnight so forgive me if any of this sounds like gibberish.

While I have been on-topic a common question that cosplayers ever ask themselves is: is it ever okay to put 'cosplay' on my CV?

What is the purpose of a CV (the UK equivalent to an American resume) is to give an employer an insight to who you are as a worker. This will include you personal details, work history and education and is often a first step for employers to determine your suitability for the role.

We are talking serious business here but at the same time you want to show that you do more in your life than watch Jeremy Kyle and drinking cheap ciders on street corners. As a cosplayer that may be the unlikely case but for someone to just know you on paper they may be unaware that your life is far more exciting that that.

On the flip side, many outsiders are very unaware of the nerdy side to this. Not aware of the many hours you have spent behind the sewing machine getting the seams right or the hours of emboldening they might only see cosplay as a childish and unprofessional hobby. The media shows mixed and sometimes even distorted views on the hobby so watch out!

There is no definite right or wrong answer to this, and the decision varies from person to person. However if you do decide to proceed with it you may want to consider the following:

Be smart! What exactly are you applying for?
Consider how it fits into the job description. If you are going for a seamstress job, theatrical costume designer or a haberdashery/fabric shop then YES!!! However, if you are going for something more serious and reputable like Law or Science then that might be another case.

How would you word it?
One common idea concerning this is that you should avoid using the word 'cosplay' and use something more universally understood such as 'sewing', 'dressmaking' and 'theatrical costume design'. 'Cosplay', to someone who is unaware of the hobby, might sound ludicrous or even a fetish scene so it could be off putting to some potential employers considering that the term is not widely used and understood.

Would you feel comfortable explaining it?
You might be asked to elaborate on that hobby at an interview at some point. While I like to tell my none anime-fan friends that it is simply 'the recreation of attire sourced from fiction', the way I would word it elsewhere may vary depending on how comfortable I am with that person. I often say that 'I do a lot of sewing so I am familiar with different types of fabrics and textures' at an interview for shops that sell soft furnishings or clothing.

Cosplay involves the following:

• Careful planning and initiative; ability to plan ahead, budgeting, research and working interdependently. 
• The drive to meet deadlines, priorotisation, concentration and working under pressure.
• Problem solving and creativity.
• Ability to use various tools and materials.
• Ambition, challenges and confidence.
• Willingness and confidence to be around people, especially strangers.
• Mathematics.

Actually many jobs will require most, if not all, of the above skills!

With caution cosplay can show that one can be a promising and determined employee. Cosplayers come from all walks of life, many are students and many work too. I'd strongly advise that playing around the terminology and thinking about how you can make sewing sound as if it is in a professional light.

How to rock an intimidatingly revealing costume?

Sometimes you need time to decide on your next costume. Considering time, money and resources it can be at times quite a difficult choice. Their may be numerous costumes you would like to attempt but at times you may need to weigh up the pros and cons of making a costume, such as learning curves and what features of your body you are willing to show.

The good old Sailor Scout uniforms are
excellent examples

Some costumes, while they may seem beautiful on the character, might be a challenge in itself trying to figure out how to make them look good on yourself. Most of us of this world are not born with long and slender legs, eyes the size of dinnerplates and completely flawless skin so if we strive for perfection there are many challenges that we must consider to make the costume look best on yourself.

Despite all of that a common misconception is that a perfect cosplay is in perfect proportions to the character. That on the other hand this is not quite the case as we are born with many body shapes and sizes so it is up to us to decide what looks best for us as we are the ones wearing the costume. If it is the case that the'one size fits all' rule applies strictly on costuming then lots of opportunities to make a costume look even better for yourself becomes wasted, or even not attempted as 'visual perfection' would not be possible in the 3D world.

If you are cosplaying a character that shows leg or stomach and don't with to put these on show as much then you are more than welcome to add a few more inches onto your clothes to better cover problem areas.

Revealing costumes don't just apply to those that are showy on the skin; they can include skin-hugging costumes too. Although they may mimic your own natural body shape it is often pretty easy to wear some foundation garments under the costume to prevent unwanted jiggling and panty-lines. Some fabrics may be more flattering to certain body types. For example, T-shirt fabric might be a possible alternative for spandex for those who are not quite as confident with their bodies as it is thicker but still has a nice stretch. Make sure you don't make anything too tight as fat would bulge, and if they are too loose then the costume would look unfinished.

Now we have gotten the types of costumes I wanted to take a look at, the number one rule rocking any costume is to be confident! If you don't feel comfortable with what you are wearing then it would show and affect your posture and mood, making you appear worse than you feel. Confidence and generally feeling good about yourself would often make any costume look (or at least give the illusion of it) better where slouching and generally being unhappy would make even the most well made of costumes look bad. Don't stress yourself and certainly do not be afraid to challenge yourself every now and then, bring back ups when in doubt and wait until you feel more at ease if you need extra time for weight loss or confidence.

From experience I find, although very uncomfortable, that heels are often a great asset to making a costume more visually appealing. This creates an illusion that the legs appears longer than it seems, making them appear slimmer. However, I suggest that unless you often wear them that they should only be worn for short periods at a time or changed to flats regularly/while going for long walks. Most people will understand if you need to change back into them for photos. Consider putting some time aside that night to pamper your feet as they deserve a break and they would most likely ache that time. Gel cushions work wonders so be sure to prep some before to go to the event! Pantyhose/tights will give your legs a nice sheer and will also give your legs support and hide away imperfections.

At the end of the day, costume making is basically your own interpretation of the design. It is your creation, a result of your own hard work. In other words, be happy with what you do!

Do your best in life! Part 1-Exercising to promote positive thinking

Cosplay can test the boundaries of your self-confidence. It seems that just a few inches of body fat can make an impact to whether or not you should cosplay a certain character. Unlike traditional dress up, cosplayers often feel that they need to look the part yet it is considered the preference to choose based on what you want to do. Anxiety and your image can really make an impact on lots of things in life, not just cosplay.

Everyone that knows me well will surely be aware by now that I probably, in fact, suffer from many anxiety disorders. I have Social Anxiety, which I am slowly leaning to cope with, and I also have Generalised Anxiety, Anticipation Anxiety and a few minor OCD tenancies.

In all honestly, I never had any professional help, not even a diagnosis; yet its still obvious that the listed above were the roots of the many problems I have to face such as anticipation worry, social nerves, depression from workplace bullying and giving TOO much of a **** about anything and everything that goes on around me. I proved to myself many, many times that its all in my head but still getting my mind off such things are not quite this easy.

I always thought that as a constant worrier maybe that would be the path to gaining more endurance to handle such negative thoughts. I always do manage to get back on my feet eventually but lately I have noticed that should be the last thing I should worry about since what is more of a problem is how I tackle worry on foot. It wasn't until I started working that I realised how many problems this could lead to. In fact, most of my worries until that point were more dwelling into my thoughts rather that coping with stressful situations on the spot and coming up with a solution immediately. Depression and anxiety does far more harm than good, and just sitting around behind the computer all day wouldn't help all that much so something needs to be done.

I was toying with the thoughts for years to whether to see a doctor or not as I don't want to keep handling all of this for the rest of my life. I spent a few days Googling solutions to try and beat my stress levels as I don't want to be on anti-depressants (I can't stomach tablets well and I like to enjoy drinking alcohol). I found out that exercise turned out to be one of the best solutions for it.

The problem is, although I am not afraid of moving and I can spend quality time away from the laptop, is that I am very, very unfit. My PE lessons at school got it into my head that because I was a really, really fast developer in my late childhood/late teens that having curves is not practical at all on the sports field and its true when people say it hurts running around with quite a colossal sized chest. I never considered myself to be fat but I have always been a little chubby in places.

About a decade later, although I still lack stamina and flexibility, I am starting to think that maybe I shouldn't compare myself to others in terms of physical endurance but try to become more active to enjoy the many other benefits such as stronger bones, improved cardiovascular health, faster metabolism, improved thinking and a depression/anxiety beater. Oh, and sports bras really do make a difference in performance!

On New Years day I just on a whim decided to go on a gentle jog around the block. Nothing intense, just wanted to test the waters. I noticed although it did hurt a bit at the time I felt better shortly after. I jogged again tonight and been asking around for tips to improve my endurance when I was done and found out all that jogging requires is some perseverance and some weight training would help too. I want to lose a bit of body fat. Maybe I should make it into a habit, now the new year has begun.

KitaCon has a group called Fita4Kita that is designed for the congoers that wish to improve on their overall health. Cosplay seems to be a common drive for a healthier lifestyle and looking at their Facebook page is very inspirational and full of help. I have been working on my make-up skills for the past year and that alone gave me a esteem boost so

I have a number of cosplays for the year that will be mostly made out of spandex, including Rock Lee. I dont want my weight to be the deciding factor for who to cosplay. Now is a good time to stop worrying and start doing something about it!

How cosplay has changed me as a person

Before going into cosplay myself I had never imagined it to have such an impact in my life. My life pretty much resolved around the arts back then and now it made me realise that it is pretty much my lifestyle too, not just a phase. I always enjoyed Graphic design, gaming and drawing, and before I knew it I have gotten into costume making and crafts. Now it branched into fashion, game design and make-up too!

Back in late 2007 all I wanted was a friend that I felt could relate to me over my love of art and anime. Thankfully back in the early-mid 00's I was an active member of the AZ:UK forum, a close knit on-line anime community back in the day where anime was relativity unknown to most people in the UK. I have made lots of friends at the time so I was overwhelmed to find out I was not the only one. Although there were plenty of my own species in the virtual world it wasn't until much later where I had found others in my own home town. Sadly living in a small Nottinghamshire village made it very difficult to be myself at times and even when I was in my last job recently there was no way I can be my dorky, silly self without people thinking I am some sort of weirdo.

Thankfully years ago I have found out about AmeCon 08. Like the reckless dumbass I was back then I registered and paid for my space but there was one problem; I still didn't know any anime fans! I have always been a forum nut (still no different today!) so I have spent countless hours getting to know what others and out of a blue found out there was a local cosplay event happening. To make it even better there were a number of people going to Amecon!

May 27th, 2008 just a few minutes after 7PM...that was a the start of meeting some of the best friends I have ever made and 6 years later I still meet a lot of them, at the same place at the same time every week.

I was always socially awkward to the max. I still am pretty shy now but back then much of my life was either at home or at school trying to keep up with my A-levels. As soon as I have gotten to know these people I begun going into town, having cinema trips, helping to organise picnics and even attending other anime conventions during the day. It was a massive leap and looking back I genuinely wonder how I managed to muster up all this courage to meet all these people. Maybe because we have all these geeky things in common I no longer feel like a foreigner in my own country. I now can deal with public transport on my own, go around town without feeling judged and I even had a few retail jobs; that in particular I thought I would NEVER do.

Breaking this social barrier was only the start. It was only the start of the battle to fight against something much greater; my own self esteem!

I was happy with my social life, I attended my first convention and I felt that I am becoming much more independent but I had never realised that being in the convention could be such a double-edged sword.In a way my anxiety levels around people were still an issue. I am bad with crowds and I have begun questioning my sewing skills as most people outside my own circle seem to have been in the scene for years. Being a timid newcomer surrounded by many veterans can be scary for some. Maybe that is what driven me to make this blog as I knew all along I would be completely lost without my friends. I remember watching the masquerade and being in awe as every single entrant looked like they belonged to that stage. No chance I would be able to show off my work with such confidence.

I carried on attending smaller conventions with friends that were more relaxing. As time went, so did my social anxiety and began to feel more comfortable in crowds. I began talking to more people, made some friends from outside my home town, and been inspired by a close friend to begin entering masquerades myself. I never thought that being on stage would feel so...so fantastic! My name gets called and the stage...no, the world becomes my own! People cheering for me, camera flashing everywhere! Oh my goodness I feel like a celebrity! Everyone can see the hours I put into this costume and the cheers completely any negativity in the room. It is wonderful!

Friends, check! Learn to manage social awkwardness, check!

What more can I do? Ah yes! Learn to love myself!

Strangely enough, that was the part that was the most difficult to motivate myself to do, but seem to have the fastest progress once I got into the zone. Much of my previous insecurities was due to my low self esteem. How does one raise their self esteem? Is there a globally agreed way of doing it or is it just simply a result of always doing your best in life.

I began becoming more ambitious with my cosplays, dedicated more time and effort to get things right and even been taking make-up into account. In fact learning cosplay make-up has taught me to become more fashionable in my everyday life and begun experimenting and explored my feminine side. Now I have learned to love myself, my body, my personality. It is very empowering and I am starting to struggle with deciding what would be my next move.