There's a lot going on these days. At least that's what it feels like. I'm not 100% sure if that's accurate or if that's just feelings, but it's what I'm going with at the moment. There are people I love who are going through some really rough stuff right now. I want to be there for them, but I'm struggling with some personal things, as well. It makes me feel a bit like a selfish attention hog lately - "please, look at me and realize I'm struggling, too - help". And when that doesn't work quite like the annoying 5 year old in me wants it to, I turn to my projects and bury myself in the work that takes over my mind and makes me happy (to a point).
That's a rather depressing introduction to a post that's meant to say...I finally finished my River Song costume. (Is a blog that promises to focus on Disney and Star Wars allowed to be depressing and get off-topic by discussing Doctor Who? You know what - I don't care. Sure, it can. Because it's my blog. So there. ;p)
There are elements of this costume I'm not 100% happy with, and I think that's all right for now. All of my cosplay (I still have a hard time with that word because I used "costume" and "costumer" for years because that was when I started out this entire journey) is done simply and on a certain budget. I like to try to make things from other things instead of spend my time tracking down screen accurate fabric for $40 a yard that requires me to then buy 3 packages of RIT dye to make it the right color. I have nothing against that sort of thing, and I have a great deal of respect for the folks who go through it. It takes a heck of a lot of work, and the results are impressive. I get caught up in this mindset now and then - "how accurate do I need to make this?" or "should I buy this so it's 'right'?" It's a very easy place to fall into, and it's not a bad thing if that's who you want to be.
However, I've come to believe that my real place in his cosplay world and my calling here is to prove to other people that they can do it. You don't have to be a genius. You don't have to break your bank. You don't even have to have knowledge on how to sew. And honestly, if you're out to just have fun - you don't need to be accurate. You just have to be willing to try, to learn, and to work with what you have when you have it. I want to encourage those people who are starting out - the people who feel like crap because someone told them something was "wrong" with their costume. I've had younger folks come up to me at a convention, fangirling or fanboying out over something I've made and then degrading their own work as they're wearing it in front of me, feeling horrible that they can't be as good as someone else. That's when I try to point out to them what I actually have here - a PVC pipe from Home Depot, some silver spray paint, a rubber inner tube from a bicycle tire, a thumbtack, a cell phone clip, some washers, a plastic cable clip, and some glue. It's not much different from what they have at all. And it's certainly not impossible to do with just some time, practice, and a new way of looking at things.
Wow, does this blog entry have a point? Because if it does, I seem to be taking an awfully long time just to say I finally finished my River Song costume. ;) The costume is 100% complete and ready to go for the comic expo I'm attending this weekend. I'm uncertain if she'll go out for one day or two because I anticipate this will be a fun one to walk around in. I guess we'll just wait and see.
And since I'd like to try and follow-through what what I said above (about helping people realize they can do this sort of thing, too), I'd like to follow-up this post with another post talking all about the costume and how I made it work. Look for that to come soon.
In the meantime, just remember that you can do it - whatever "it" is. I know it sounds corny and awful, but I believe that if something lies within our realm of power to change and learn, then we can accomplish it. I think it's easy to forget that because the world like to buck up against us and tell us we can't move. Sometimes, it's true - we can't. Sometimes we're just stuck. But even in those times, your ability to fight forward and keep moving is a blessing, even when your heart, mind, and body are tired. Keep going. Keep moving. Because it's getting closer.
Whatever "it" is.
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