I was honestly going to leave this whole #TBT thing as just that, a cute little update for my social media accounts. And it's not like it's gone viral with hundreds of thousands of hits/reshares etc or anything- BUT the small group of friends (close and new) and fans who have shared THEIR photos with me made me want to post this.
| 2002 Rikku (first cosplay I "made") | 2015 Rikku (recent remake) |
The differences and upgrades are pretty obvious. In 2002 I had no idea what wigs were, I had no idea how to do my OWN hair, no idea how to do my makeup, how sew.... The majority of this cosplay was made from pre-made clothing I tracked down in the mall. Anything that had to be sewn/modified I had my dad and the woman I used to baby sit for help me- cuz let's face it the sewing machine scared the hell out of me at first! (It still does when needles snap in my face...) Basically I was what people call a cosplay n00b. Little to zero skills on crafting/sewing but I had a passion there and I was liking the process of researching the design and trying my best to put it together. When I finally got to wear it to a convention I was so excited! Bouncing off the walls excited because people knew the character, I was taking pictures with others who were cosplaying from the same game, meeting people who were into the same stuff I was into. It was the beginning of so much for me.
Fast forward to 2015 and I've debuted my official remake of my FFX Rikku cosplay! This time, I styled a wig, I knew how to do my makeup and even went the extra step with some green contact lenses, and I made the entire thing from scratch! When I had the majority of the cosplay on in the hotel room I walked out of the bathroom to my roommates with the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. I WAS RIKKU AGAIN! And this time, with some serious upgrades!
When I posted this to FB/Instagram/Twitter I was nervous because who doesn't feel a little awkward when they look back on a photo of themselves from 10+ years ago? But then people started showing me similar photos from when they remade their first cosplay. Or they told me that they wanted to do this now. Or even that this photo gave them hope for their own cosplays in the future. And it made my heart swell! It reminded me that we ALL start some where with this hobby. It's when you take the time to learn from others, or your mistakes, or take a class, and give yourself some practice and time to get better that you start to see improvements. It can be frustrating along the way, boy do we all know it, but if you're having fun in the end it's all worth it. Then if you do something like I did above, and go back years later and remake something, you get to step back and look at how far you've come. And it really blows you're mind to see it. Never in a million years did I think, back in 2002, that I'd be remaking Rikku in 2015 and that it would turn out as nicely as it did.
And now you guys are showing me yours! And again, it's blowing my mind!! Look at how far we've come! Think of how far we'll go if we just keep at it! Even if you're just starting out, never feel discouraged if something doesn't turn out the way you want. Try again. Ask for help, tips, take your time. Never give up and never let anyone tell you that you can't, because you can. With practice you WILL get better. And you'll be able to blow your own mind years later to see how far you've come!
Fast forward to 2015 and I've debuted my official remake of my FFX Rikku cosplay! This time, I styled a wig, I knew how to do my makeup and even went the extra step with some green contact lenses, and I made the entire thing from scratch! When I had the majority of the cosplay on in the hotel room I walked out of the bathroom to my roommates with the biggest, goofiest grin on my face. I WAS RIKKU AGAIN! And this time, with some serious upgrades!
When I posted this to FB/Instagram/Twitter I was nervous because who doesn't feel a little awkward when they look back on a photo of themselves from 10+ years ago? But then people started showing me similar photos from when they remade their first cosplay. Or they told me that they wanted to do this now. Or even that this photo gave them hope for their own cosplays in the future. And it made my heart swell! It reminded me that we ALL start some where with this hobby. It's when you take the time to learn from others, or your mistakes, or take a class, and give yourself some practice and time to get better that you start to see improvements. It can be frustrating along the way, boy do we all know it, but if you're having fun in the end it's all worth it. Then if you do something like I did above, and go back years later and remake something, you get to step back and look at how far you've come. And it really blows you're mind to see it. Never in a million years did I think, back in 2002, that I'd be remaking Rikku in 2015 and that it would turn out as nicely as it did.
And now you guys are showing me yours! And again, it's blowing my mind!! Look at how far we've come! Think of how far we'll go if we just keep at it! Even if you're just starting out, never feel discouraged if something doesn't turn out the way you want. Try again. Ask for help, tips, take your time. Never give up and never let anyone tell you that you can't, because you can. With practice you WILL get better. And you'll be able to blow your own mind years later to see how far you've come!
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