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Time is a subjective concept; what constitutes enough time to be excellent at something depends on the individual. Cosplay is an art form that requires varying facets of skills to create and complete the various characters. When speaking to cosplayers, we love to ask how long they've created art in this format, and we're always greeted with various answers, which is always interesting to know and see the growth.
We spoke to Nya, who recently started cosplaying in 2021 but is already turning the cosplay scene on its axis. She began cosplaying after she went to Anime NYC, which she planned on going to in 2020, but COVID happened, so she jumped at the opportunity to go in 2021, and she's been cosplaying ever since.
Although she doesn't make intricate pieces for her cosplay, she upcycles items and uses a lot of stuff from her closet; Nya recently handmade the sword for one of her cosplays and has been looking forward to starting to make more props by herself.
The freedom of expression that comes with cosplay is one of the many reasons she began cosplaying; it's been a form of artistic expression for her dressing as these characters she loves. The best part of cosplaying to Nya is the connections and people she has met through this journey. She has been a part of the anime scene in New York for a while, but through cosplay, she has been able to make more profound and more meaningful connections with cosplayers and other people who genuinely love these characters and share the same love for the art and expression that cosplay is about.
Nya's very understanding and supportive friend group encourages her to cosplay. "My friends are a big part of my support system; they're very encouraging and always checking on me to see what I cosplay next, both those that watch anime and those that don't take an interest in what I do to be supportive", she said. Her family are also a big part of her support system; her mother and sister are the biggest cheerleaders in her journey.
When choosing characters to cosplay, Nya usually goes to characters she truly loves both in personality and costume designs; she also decides on characters that she has pieces for and would be able to cosplay. The 23-year-old favourite cosplay she has done is her recent recreation of Gyome from demon slayers; the best part is putting the pieces in the cosplay and seeing everything come together to create her favourite characters.
The New Jersey Native loves to have fun cosplaying; at this time, she does it just for fun and doesn't take it too seriously.
Nya is definitely a cosplayer to look out for and proof that it's the effort, not the time, that matters; she has only been cosplaying for a few years and has come up with very impressive cosplays without much help. She's definitely someone to look out for when it comes to cosplay, and we're excited to see where it takes her.