WANT: The bragging rights that come with "Yeah, I made this myself"
WANT: To enter craftsmanship contests and WIN, BABY!
You like learning. You like making things. You have an eye for detail. You like hoarding materials and have lots of space. You like dripping hot glue on yourself. You like making original renderings of characters or value screen-accuracy. You like torturing yourself.
Remember when we talked about entering costume contests? This is where you get to shine as a costume fabricator. Keep in mind that costume contests often require pre-registration as well as photos of your work-in-progress.
OK BUT NONE OF THESE OPTIONS ARE POSSIBLE FOR ME RIGHT NOW. CAN I STILL COSPLAY?
Closet cosplay: Go to your closet or storage room. Find things that resemble what your character wears. Put them on. Voila, you're transformed!
Borrow a costume: Ask your cosplay friends if you can borrow that one costume shoved away in storage collecting dust.
These options are for everyone. Whether you're new at this or have been making your own costumes for years, you can switch it up. There are so many ways to do this cosplay thing!