This past weekend I attended Emerald City Comic Con.
I should preface this post by saying that I adore ECCC – I don’t attend a lot of conventions and ECCC is absolutely, positively my favorite huge convention. And, if I’m being completely honest (which is definitely my thing), I have a hard time wrapping my head around the size and scope of ECCC. It’s completely overwhelming in a really really good way.
So, this past weekend I attended Emerald City Comic Con. I considered this convention a “working convention” – I really wanted to get out and show some of the costumes I’ve made and showcase the cosplay that I’ve as-of-late been pouring my blood, sweat and tears into: the queen xenomorph.
I expected to sacrifice my time to costume changes and maintenance. I expected to spend my days dealing with cosplay malfunctions and discomfort. What I didn’t expect was the AMAZING experience I had connecting with my fans and those I’m a fan of.
So, this blows my mind: I have fans.
I can’t even begin to express the depth of my gratitude and admiration to the people who approached and chatted with me. The experience was absolutely humbling – and I was awestruck by the kindness of those supporting me from afar. Being able to talk to people who not only recognized me from Rose City Comic Con, but also had kind words to share — the experience was absolutely life changing.
On the flip side, I had a chance to meet some of the amazing cosplayers that I seriously admire.
Steven of SKSProps was so incredibly kind. He let me talk his ear off for a full twenty minutes about costume building, his experience drawing the Wasteland Alice art and anything else that popped into my overactive imagination.
Bill and Brittany Doran from Punished Props found me to take a picture in my queen xenomorph costume. I even met Rob Doran and had a great time bonding over our mutual experience as chemistry teachers.
I had a chance to catch up with Nick from Modulus Props, Eric from Coregeek Creations, Thomas from Rawrbomb and Alan from Kato’s Cosplay. I chatted with Brad from BHCosplay Scott from Wildekarde and Aliya from HuntressCraftandCosplay. And there were so many other cosplayers I had the opportunity and privilege to talk to – IT WAS AMAZEBALLS!!!
In addition to the seriously amazing networking, I had the chance to wear the queen xenomorph in public and on stage.
I’ve never worn a costume like the queen xenomorph before. I knew going into the convention that I would need to take frequent breaks, I was going to sweat (a lot) and she wasn’t a costume I could wear all day. Honestly, I experienced a ton of anxiety around the whole convention. Before I show any costume (for any reason) I always get super nervous. Privately, in my hotel room, I completely melt down ahead of time. It’s my ritual. I’m a really concrete, linear type person and creative stuff comes with a lot of “what ifs?” that I love, but also set me on edge.
What if people don’t like the costume?
What if people laugh and point?
Or worse, what if people think my cosplay is bad?
These are the “what ifs” that terrify me most – which, in my mind, is actually pretty human.
But then, at the end of pre-judging, Ivy Doomkitty took a selfie with me. It was marvelous. And when I walked outside to get to the convention building, I was mobbed by picture requests and astonished gasps and people stopping to stare. I even stopped traffic for a little while.
When I wasn’t looking, someone gave me a pin that read “Achievement Unlocked.”
The costume itself wasn’t all that uncomfortable to wear and my visibility was surprisingly good so I had a great time posing with kids and cosplayers alike. It took me over an hour to walk to the ECCC sign in the main convention hall and another hour to walk back to the elevator – so many picture requests!
And the truth is: the experience was a dream come true. I had so much fun interacting with people on the convention floor and again on stage that night. With the queen xenomorph, I set out to do something that I had never done before and improve my performance/stage presence. I think I accomplished my goals – but best of all, I had a chance to interact with so many other attendees and cosplayers.
I felt and continue to feel such deep gratitude.
The queen xenomorph was the most complicated, complex costume I’ve ever made. I was so scared to wear it in public, but I’m so grateful that I pushed past my anxiety and fears – the experience inspires me to keep cosplaying and to continue to seek out challenge in my future project. So, stay tuned.💗