Heroes of Cosplay Sanctuary

Selling yourself as the product to a fan is unsustainable and only works short term – you create more anti-fans in the process – focus on what’s sustainable – keep your distance if this is what you want. It doesn’t scale like a product or service would – make the thing – video series, book, mass produce patterns, entertain, but don’t sell friendship. Find the product or value-add service that you...

Just because you exist, doesn’t mean anyone owes you and it really isn’t a good reason to pay you – skills, knowledge, experience, expertise – sell that and use your personality to sell it. Chose ethical money making – coning people, pandering to likes, feigning interest and leaning into obsession – all dangerous.  There is inside the community a slippery slope.  Make sure you want to jump in to t...

Remember, you started this because you wanted to be with the people, not high above them – celebrities never interact, and when they do we go crazy – but this isn’t how it should be for us in Cosplay – we’re not Hollywood Actors... Non-response, never interacting – it’s not social – if it’s just to talk about the next thing you’re doing and you ignore your best people because you’re always busy ch...

There are a few Cosplay traps that we haven't talked about yet - more to do with cosplayers supporting cosplayers or those outside of the community who think they're doing the right thing by over-extending themselves to buy other people Cosplays.  Do not become a “Fan” and carry a torch – have friends, collabs, but do not de-value yourself into having someone be above you because they ca...

Do not go to Cons just to con people.  Do not hustle to see what you can get for free. Diminishing the community, your value, and only seeing others for what they make and how many followers they have reduces you.  Avoid being the gatekeeper, or the cosplayer that bait and switches everyone for some personal issue that isn't being addressed within yourself. Find the Sanctuary on Social: With...

The fame monster is real and cosplayers chase it. Eventually it traps you and you're just as stuck in your online world and it's customer service as you were when you were answering the phones at work and getting yelled at by customers. You begin to feel trapped. Staying relevant, getting validated, feeling the good and bad of it – dopamine either way and that rush is what got you into y...

Avoid the authentically fake influencer, cosplayer, or person.  Also, don't become this person. Selling and promoting the "fake" life on Instagram just leads to so many issues with yourself, with your following, and eventually - unless you have a PR department - it comes back to find you. You can't sustain a "fake" persona unless it's all you do and that is your...

Do you have Con Friends?  The people that only talk to you because you go to conventions and might see them there with their other friends?  They might talk to you online, but ONLY about cosplay and they seem like they'd not even bother with you if you weren't gaining followers week by week?  Maybe they just want to use your platform to gain more Insta-fame or for some other made up &apo...

We’re only showing so much of ourselves, and that self is based in fiction – graphics, effects, quotes – it’s all made up so that you like it. Going overboard with "fake" – beyond makeup into alteration for validation and so much lack of authenticity in just being what you THINK you have to be in order to gain attention.  You use terms like 'higher self' to describe what you do...

Is there a downside to keeping your regular job when you gain some ground in the cosplay community?  The short answer is yes, but there's just so much pressure to be in the space and be "the best" or rub elbows with celebrities, or get the best deals as an influencer with name brands.  Whatever put that into your head, let's try and unpack it and have it make a little more sens...

Cosplay doesn’t need to be your full time thing – you don’t need to run a business small or otherwise - you can just enjoy being a cosplayer.  Despite the online world and the pressure it places on you to make money as a cosplayer and an influencer, take a step back and think about how Cosplay can be fulfilling without being your full-time all-in career. Find the Sanctuary on Social: With Co-Host...

Being independent can make you really dependent. Everyone idealizes the "ditch the 9 to 5" without really telling you how hard things are to replace when you do. For someone starting out, it might be a little easier, but for all cosplayers - listen in before you decide that jumping out of the corporate life and into entrepreneurial dress up adventures, consider what doing part time can m...

There’s a difference between laziness and doing less – create space for creative ideas and projects. When you're just rushing and freaking out to get more content up to produce more reactions, you're not in a very creative space. Pick your battles and focus your time – relax and do.  It's not a race, and it's certainly not a rush. Never feel like you HAVE to cosplay – especiall...

Time is your most precious resource – don’t waste it just to increase metrics. Being productive is great, but is it always necessary and what good is always checking off boxes if the boxes being checked don't move you towards anything.  You just keep treading water in the Cosplay world. Find the Sanctuary on Social: With Co-Host @astravoidcosplay Join Her Twitch Community ! Follow Her On Inst...

Just keeping busy isn’t the answer.  Constant scrolling, fear of sitting still, fear of being passed up or passed by or just...in the past - obsolete seems to wear on us as adult cosplayers.   You can actually do a lot less and receive far greater gains and productivity out of what you do. The problem is that when you constantly push and grind, you're doing it from a weak mindset, and one whi...

You can have an opinion, but if it’s not part of what your brand is about, then…it needs it’s own space. Don’t hide behind the causes and injustices. Save your energy for the battles that matter, not an ongoing never ending battle against ideas.  Listen in and see if what we're talking about today is a soapbox in and of itself. Find the Sanctuary on Social: With Co-Host @astravoidcosplay Join...

The confusion about sales and marketing online and inside cosplay can lead to More followers – more justification – more arguing – more deciding who is right and who is wrong.  It can get really political and have nothing to do with Cosplay at all - it can have a lot more to do with gaining ground on a free to use platform (mostly...free to use).  Today let's think about the real reasons why...

Cosplayers get on soapboxes. It happens. Cancel culture – you’re against it…so why are you on a soapbox? In this episode, we're going to talk about Cosplayers getting outside of cosplay and using their platform to discuss topics for which they may or may not have much information and facts to discuss, but form an opinion and use their following to change belief and values. Find the Sanctuary...

There's a method and a formula to making your budget work for Cosplay.  There is a definite discipline when looking to invest into yourself and into Cosplay. It's an expense. It's not always necessary to gain something or break even on a Cosplay hobby, but one thing you do not want to do is go into debt just to try and compete with the mainstream cosplayers out there. Find the Sanct...

Anyone? Anyone?  Cosplay Economics. The rising costs of well...everything...have made it more difficult than ever to break in and create anything in the maker space.  Our hobbies are usually the first thing to go. Let's break from that mindset and see exactly what you need to do to scale, maintain, and work towards the most important return there is in cosplay - being happy with what you&apos...

Cosplay is expensive in every way – it takes its toll on YOU, not just your finances! We spend on so much just to learn how to do something that makes our need to dress up like our favorite fandom come true.  Of course we don't stop there - it's a whole platform and feels a lot like a business, being in the public eye, an influencer, a creator, and a Cosplayer. Let's talk about the...

Today, we're talking with McHeretic, and sharing many of her amazing talents. Active in the cosplay community, she's created many award-winning and impressive builds in many fandoms and been recognized in trade magazines and by the industry on many occasions.  We're happy to have her on the show to share her origin story and everything she's been working on from cosplay, to gam...

We're excited to have Sam back on the show! Join us today for a very special Ask Me Anything where we dive into many cosplay topics with Sam, talk about validation, Star Wars, and everything that you wanted to know!   Thanks so much to everyone that sent their questions in.  We did our best to give you a shout out and Sam gave her best in answering everything that you wanted to know! Support...

AI has a chance to take over the online space, and render all of us creators obsolete. We can use tools to enhance our platform, and there are some really awesome solutions coming our way. The trouble is, being stubborn, and rejecting the changes could lead to becoming irrelevant in a space that wants to jump to the cutting edge to get more and more content to larger and larger audiences.  You wan...

Are we reaching a time when AI will replace cosplayers in the digital space? Can you be replaced by a computer that can produce content faster, appealing to more people, cheaper, and without any real cost? That's what we're talking about in today's episode. There's nothing to fear - AI can do many things, but the maker space looks to be here to stay.  There is an online shift c...