All right, so I’ve been doing this
convention/cosplay/modeling thing for about a year and a half. I’m not a
supermodel, and Dragon*con hasn’t sent me an email begging for my attendance. I
made a bit of money this year, most of which went straight back into costumes
and travel expenses. I moved twice, pulled off the most difficult cosplay on my
“to do” list, got into a minor internet scuffle over an ill-conceived gaming
company’s marketing scheme, and I did more paid photoshoots this year than
since I started modeling. I met a lot of amazing people, and got to know many
acquaintances better. Several people made artwork of me, including this badasslittle statuette I am now referring to as my action figure. I drove a 22 hour
round trip by myself, I started selling my own pictures, and I began guesting
at conventions.
I also made a mess of my personal life and my (now ex) boyfriend
and I separated. I occasionally offended people by not knowing their names (names and faces
have *always* been a weak spot of mine). I stammered at dinner parties when
nice, normal adults asked me what I did for a living because "professional bikini wearer" did not seem like a respectable response (default answer: I
do…freelance…sales?). I lost a few friends for not being more in touch.
So…what did I learn? Was it worth it? Should I keep pursuing
this crazy career? Let’s do some Q&A, which is really just me talking to
myself, and figure it out.
