Ever feel like you just dont wanna cosplay anymore?

[bou12345318]

Am I the only one who feels that way?

[reppy]

It can be pretty stressful, time consuming, and costly.  But it's so much fun. XD

[bou12345318]

It can be pretty stressful, time consuming, and costly.  But it's so much fun. XD

yea but what if thats not the issue and you just grow tired and don't think its fun anymore? I don't understand why but lately thats how i'v been feeling is it just a phase???

[reppy]

It may be the case that you no longer find it fun.  You don't have to cosplay.  There are plenty of things I don't partake in because I don't find them fun. 

That said, you may also find that taking a different look at cosplay may make it "fun" again.

Just think about it and when con season starts to get close .. see if you still feel the same way. ^^

[~boogiepop~]

All the time.

It's very time and money consuming. I should be focusing more on school but if I drop cosplay I don't really have a hobby anymore.

[Saki-the-cat]

Well, considering i've been dressing up sence i was 4 (i only learned a few years ago that there was an actual word for that) and i love doing so, I don't think i'll ever want to stop. But i have had those times where i think, "man...maybe i shouldn't get a new cosplay this year and stick with what i already have"...that never seems to work though.

[RemSaverem]

There have been times I have felt I wanted a break from it because others were being either judgmental or competitive (outside of actual contests); times I have had to take a break from *adding* to my wardrobe, for financial reasons; times I wore Loli instead of character cosplay because it was easier / less stuff to carry / less restrictive than corsets, etc....But never a time I stopped enjoying dressing up. But that's just me. It is totally normal for anyone to take a break from any given hobby or even from any given lifestyle, from time to time. That could be all this is.

However, if you happen to find that you are having difficulty enjoying other things you normally enjoy, from foods to music to the company of friends to whatever else, you might want to talk to a pal or a counselor to see if you are affected by a situational depression. If there is not any specific thing you think could have prompted such, it could be you are experiencing the onset of a mild seasonal depression.

[bou12345318]

There have been times I have felt I wanted a break from it because others were being either judgmental or competitive (outside of actual contests); times I have had to take a break from *adding* to my wardrobe, for financial reasons; times I wore Loli instead of character cosplay because it was easier / less stuff to carry / less restrictive than corsets, etc....But never a time I stopped enjoying dressing up. But that's just me. It is totally normal for anyone to take a break from any given hobby or even from any given lifestyle, from time to time. That could be all this is.

However, if you happen to find that you are having difficulty enjoying other things you normally enjoy, from foods to music to the company of friends to whatever else, you might want to talk to a pal or a counselor to see if you are affected by a situational depression. If there is not any specific thing you think could have prompted such, it could be you are experiencing the onset of a mild seasonal depression.

ahh ok thanks for the info

[TurboSaiyanJason]

In my position, I have two groups that hold costumed events. Granted one sits around and talks, while the other gets up and runs around a field with with pocky shaped pillows. Though I would choose the active one over the other if I had to, both are good excuses to wear costume and clothing that I may not normally wear. Some people do get burned out of cosplaying, like other things, for a time but later on they may pick up something that sparks the urge again. In my case I can't find the pieces to most of my old cosplays nor do I have the money to buy new cosplays. Yet my LARP outfit is always ready since I use it twice a week.

It just depends on what makes you happy, what you enjoy doing, and why.

[soundninja12]

OHGODYES
Every now and again I feel like it's boring, stupid, too time consuming, weird, and will have no benefit for me in the long run.
Then I get on a costume and I like it again.
I totally know how you feel, though.

[MiriaRose]

That's how I tend to feel a few months after Kumoricon up until Kumoricon, actually.

[Wuntvor]

I was looking at your profile, you're fifteen right?  At that age I would ask myself, "Why am I cosplaying?"  Is it because I like getting into character and acting like my favorite anime charater?      Is it because my friends do it and it looks like fun so I am doing it as well.      Or, because my friend went to an anime convention and asked me to come along dressed in this embarrassing costume they lent me.   

It may not be the cosplaying itself that is the problem but the circumstances that instigated your becoming a cosplayer in the first place.  At the age where you are leaving Middle School and entering High School you start to want to evaluate your lifestyle.  You want to not look like a little kid and to act more adult, at least what you perceive being more adult to be.  Peer pressure and your own sense of viewing the world may have you questioning yourself about wearing cosplay, especially wearing it to school.  Maybe your friends or even you like wearing nekko mimi (cat ears) to school, or anime styled hats, T-shirts or gothic lolita dresses.  Maybe you get comments from classmates that make fun of your appearance and categorize it as being geeky or weird.  Believe me when I say that Junior High and High School aged people can be some of the cruelest individuals on the planet.

If you are deciding that you don't want to cosplay anymore because of peer pressure at school, then I would ask you to really look at why you cosplay in the first place.  If you have been doing it because you like to act out your characters.  Because you enjoy getting with groups of other cosplayers and playing games and having fun.  Because you like having pictures taken of you, and enjoy being in the spotlight.  Then I suggest you continue doing cosplay.  Maybe not at school, but at cons and events.  You may also try getting into drama classes at school so you can have a reason to dress up, and act, and be in the spotlight, and make new friends that enjoy the same thing.

If on the other hand you have only been cosplaying because your friends asked you to, and you don't really enjoy it all that much, and people look at you weird and make you feel uncomfortable.  Well, then maybe you should consider stopping.  The choice is always going to be yours.  Only you know how you feel about cosplay, and only you can decide if you want to continue it or not.

I am over three times as old as you are, and I cosplay.  I do it because I enjoy going to KCon and I enjoy the attention I get when people recognize my character and yell clear across the lobby "OMG, It's Hohenheim!"  I also sing, run Anime Friday at my home every week, and was in a college production of The Sound of Music.  I also did a bit of VA work for an on-line comic.

You never know where your interest in cosplay may take you.  Think about it hard, and make your decision.  I hope to see you at KCon again someday.  If you see Hohenheim walking around say hi!   

[tofutakeout]

I understand how you feel. I've felt like this before in the past as well. None of the other problems clued in, it was just this weird feeling of not enjoying it anymore even though I wanmted to finish whatever I was working on. But then something brings me out of that slump. Whether it be a friend or a new thing to enjoy about cosplay.

[makichan]

I mean I definitely love to dress up. That will never change. I do, however, feel that conventions might not be my thing anymore because of all of the stress, time, and money it takes to throw something together. Dividing the cost for a room and making sure everyone can pay is also stressful. It wasn't so much a problem when I was in high school, had a job, and I lived with my mom. Now that I have to pay bills, take college courses and make it on my own it's been too much for me to even think about. I guess I just don't have time for hobbies anymore, unless if they're costume parties. Luckily a lot of my friends are either cosplayers or theatre folks so I still have excuses to make costumes... they're just not as elaborate, I suppose.

[Kimiski]

I mean I definitely love to dress up. That will never change. I do, however, feel that conventions might not be my thing anymore because of all of the stress, time, and money it takes to throw something together. Dividing the cost for a room and making sure everyone can pay is also stressful. It wasn't so much a problem when I was in high school, had a job, and I lived with my mom. Now that I have to pay bills, take college courses and make it on my own it's been too much for me to even think about. I guess I just don't have time for hobbies anymore, unless if they're costume parties. Luckily a lot of my friends are either cosplayers or theatre folks so I still have excuses to make costumes... they're just not as elaborate, I suppose.

This is why I always go to only one anime convention a year, so it's more a special once a year thing as opposed to hitting up three to six conventions and what not. Then I got a whole year to get money, cosplay, and find reliable friends to room with and create a cut off date for when people pay for the room.

[fleur_fraise]

Yes, a lot. I feel like if I just stopped then it would give me a LOT of time to do more productive things, not to mention I'd be able to save a lot of money.

...But it's so fun and I've met so many friends from it that I can't stop.

[Cyprus]

I haven't been doing it as long as most of you but even I get that feeling (usually after wearing Repoman for hours on end lol). But I still have fun doing it & planning other cosplays to put together. It's really fun when you find other people that are excited to see your character & want nothing more than to just hug you &/or take your picture. To me, those kind of reactions are worth it...even though it's expensive & time consuming. The very idea that my costume might bring a smile to somebody that might have been frowning before they see it...good enough for me. I consider my time away from con my break from wearing cosplay (I don't have any casual, easy to wear costumes), so when I am at con, it doesn't bother me to get dressed up. Not to mention, I have made several friends because of a conversation started due to a cosplay.

[superjaz]

My die hardness tends to fade the last day like i will wear a t shirt under my cookin mama cosplay.  some costumes are out matured almost like a shirt you would wear in your teens but not in your 20s.