#FeatureFriday with "Burdened with Glorious Cosplay"

Finally back with some #FeatureFriday posts, and kicking stuff off with Megan! Check out her full interview below!

My name is Megan, aka burdenedwithgloriouscosplay. I am a cosplayer of many fandoms, but mainly Star Wars and Marvel. I'm a self-taught seamstress and just making it up as I go along with just about everything else.

How and when did you get into cosplay?
I always was super into dressing up for Halloween and went all out. I learned about cosplay when I was in college and in 2014 I started putting together the first costumes I would officially call cosplays. My cosplay name is a play on the Loki quote from The Avengers, "I am burdened with glorious purpose". The first cosplay I really wanted to do was Loki, so it felt fitting, plus I like being clever ;)

What do you do when you're not in cosplay or geeking out?
Honestly, most of the things I do are pretty geeky. I read comics, I watch shows and movies, I write. Even my day job is geeky (I work at a store that sells a bunch of nerdy licensed stuff). 

What is your proudest cosplay accomplishment?
Probably a tie between Resistance Rey and Ragnarok Loki. I did a lot of the patterning myself for both of those. They've both got a ton of detailing that I'm super proud of. Loki was my first venture into foamsmithing and putting together 3D print kits, not to mention I finally got to do a version of my dream cosplay.

What cosplay(s) are you working on right now?
I’ve always got so many projects going on, but right now I’m starting to get into my Emerald City Comicon builds. My main WIPs currently are Poe Dameron (his Last Jedi outfit), Qi’ra from Solo, and DC Bombshells Harper Row/Bluebird.

Who is your cosplay idol/inspiration?
I honestly don't know that I've got just one. I'm so inspired by all the people I follow and am friends with in the community. They've all got such talent and skill in so many areas and their passion for our craft is inspiring. Just scrolling through my feed and seeing their posts gets me excited about cosplay.

With all the negativity in the cosplay community these days, what's a positive message you would like to enforce and encourage others with?
We are all doing this for love of the same stories and characters. We're doing this for fun, because we want to and we enjoy it, because we want to build these costumes and transform into our favorite characters. Hold onto that. There's always gonna be assholes who want to tear people down for no reason, or who think their opinion on your hard work is so valuable they can dump it on you unsolicited. Yeah it'll hurt for a bit, but those people are few and far between. Those of us who love what you do are far more prevalent. And remember that most of all, you're doing this for YOU. Because YOU enjoy it. And if those haters get you down, there's always a block button.

What is your dream cosplay?
My biggest dream cosplay has always been Avengers Loki. I am a huge Loki fan and that costume is just magnificent. I've still got a ways to go before I feel ready to tackle it, but someday.

What is your favorite convention to attend and why?
Emerald City Comicon. It's a huge exhausting con, but it was my first con and is my "main" con so to speak. There's just so much to see, both in the exhibitor and artist halls and in the cosplay scene. I love just sitting on the Atrium steps and people watching at ECCC, it's such a perfect place to relax from all the crazy convention stuff while still being right in the center of things.

Do you have any cosplay or convention pet peeves?
People who get overly competitive, especially when seeing other people cosplaying the same character. This goes both directions too, not just the "I'm better than they are", but also "they're better than I will ever be, I should stop cosplaying this character". Take inspiration from your cosplay twins, because that's what they are. Your cosplay siblings, not evil doppelgangers. 

Do you have any horror stories or mistakes you've made that others can learn from?
Always check the measurement of your waistband pieces when making pants. Don't trust the pattern piece to be magically the right size, even if you cut out the size supposedly matching your measurements. Test the piece around your waist. I've had to struggle with two separate waistbands after making the entire pants and discovering they were way too big for me. Even with all the fixing, both pants are still a little too big. Maybe I'm just bad at making pants. But yeah, check your waistband pieces before building the pants.

Do you have any tips or words of encouragement for other cosplayers?
If you want to cosplay a character but don't think you could pull it off/build it with your current skill set/etc, ignore those doubts. If you don't think your skills are enough, hone those skills until you're ready. If you don't think you can pull it off for whatever reason, you absolutely can. You don't have to look one iota like the character you want to cosplay. You like a character, a costume, whatever? You can cosplay them.

Where can we find you on all things social?
Instagram: @burdenedwithgloriouscosplay
Facebook
Twitter: @burdenedwithcos
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Photos for this interview provided by @charlieuphotography, @luciferiphotography, @captain.m.photography.

What a great way to kick this off again! We will be back to weekly (or bi-weekly) features starting today! Get your reading glasses ready, and if you know anyone who deserves to be spotlighted on the blog, head to my contact page to recommend them!