How’s everyone doing today? I want to discuss a very important
aspect of the cosplay community that is commonly overlooked. No,
I am not talking about tutorials or keeping track of the release date
of the next season of your favorite anime. I want to talk about
NETWORKING. This aspect of the cosplay community is commonly
overlooked and put to the side in place of focusing on yourself. I
have written some similar articles relating to the topic so check
them out HERE. So with that said lets dive into it!
Exposure
Lets start with the top 3 reasons to network, the first being
increased EXPOSURE. Most cosplayers desire both exposure and
recognition. Promoting yourself and your own work has its
benefits but also its limitations. There’s a reason companies,
countries and employees ban together, improved odds of success.
When you link with other cosplayers you not only gain access to
their followers, but also their followers, followers.
Using this method, you can increase your experience by hundreds
if not thousands of viewers. Simply offer to feature other
cosplayers in your stories, blog and IG. You have nothing to lose by
trying and everything to gain. These friendships can grow into
something much larger and eventually lead to both of your
successes. I have had the pleasure of working with several
cosplayers including My_Neverending_dreamz and Alliyah Stellara
Nebula. When they host my work it always leads to more follower.
Definitely experiment with it.
Tricks of The Trade
Next up we have access to EXPERIENCE. Several cosplayers have
been living this cosplay life for a very long time. They were there
when the conventions were nothing more than a few groupies
watching poorly translated cartoons. They have been
accumulating knowledge regarding Worbla, Eva Foam and anime
series and much more for years. Not cashing in on the wealth of
knowledge would be foolish. Im also sure they also know tricks to
increase your following base which is of course what we all want.
Other elements that such veterans can offer is advice on where to
purchase cosplay items for below average prices or which cons to
avoid. They are literally walking libraries full of information just
waiting to be unlocked. Please, please, please if you take nothing
else from this post invest in some EXPERIENCED
cosplayers. Im sure they will not be disappointed.
Financial Gain
Last but not least we have arrived at FINANCIAL GAIN. What do I
mean exactly, well im glad you asked, let me explain my friend. As
a cosplay photographer, I commonly receive more requests than I
can fulfill. This is where friends come in. By having several trusted
cosplay photographer friends I am able to pass excess work to
them which im sure they appreciate if they are not
booked. Its basically a scratch my back and ill
scratch yours relationship. So many believe they have to
monopolies certain aspects of the cosplay industry but this
couldn’t be further from the truth.
By networking with others in your field you gain access to several
other lucrative opportunities. For example, say a photographer
wants to do an overwatch shoot. Well, he will
obviously needs more than one overwatch cosplayer to create his
image so this is where you come in. Your friends reach out to you
and now you both gain exposure leading to more images which
can be sold for FINANCIAL GAIN. It’s a very simple concept but
when used effectively can yield great results.
Well that wraps up todays post. I rarely get to hear from any of you
and would love to change that. Please let me know what you think
of this info in the comments section below. Anything I got wrong
or missed please let me know. I appreciate any constructive
criticism. Well that’s it for today, until next time STAY
BOUNDLESS!!!!
