How do you guys deal with discouragement and lack of motivation?

[FANGS]

I've been sewing for a LONG time but when I recently bit the bullet and bought some very expensive fabric used in a show to replicate that costume, I was totally nervous about those first cuts. In the end, I had a friend come over and we ran through things together and then I started cutting. Annnnnnd....after all of that I cut it wrong. Turns out the pattern on the real costume is upside down. Thankfully because I'm a hobbit it all worked out in the end and you can't tell that I made that mistake. And then I made all kinds of mistakes on the jacket but you know what? People still loved it and I was still proud.

Long story short, experience and practice always help, but even with lots of experience we still are all afraid of new things. Failing though just isn't the end of the world, even though it may feel like it for a short while. I'd much rather try and fail than to never push myself to go bigger. I always try to remember that even though I look at all of the costumers out there who are WAY more talented than I, there are just as many people that feel I'm better than they are. Even after you're first attempt, you're still that one step ahead of the person who never tries.

 

[Jme]

Well said Arma and Fangs.

We are all pretty hard on ourselves, I think because we all know how amazing armour can be and we all want to do our best.

It helps to have worn a costume before that you have made and that people have reacted to. When I made my stormtrooper armour, it paled in comparison to the incredible suits that the 501st makes. But you know what? It didn't matter, people immediately recognized it and loved it.

As I make my Spartan armour I just keep remembering the amazing reactions I got before and I know that I can put the same smile on people's faces with this project. There are some downs (I spent an entire weekend on my first chest piece, only to redo it) but I consider them learning points. There are some scary moments - yesterday I took a dremel to my finished armour in order to install lights AND the dremel skipped out of my hand when it hit something inside. The damage will now become a plasma burn! There are a lot of mistakes that can be fixed. Ones that can't can be redone.

Just keep in mind. This is not a race but a marathon. And with any marathon, there are a whole bunch of smiles waiting for you at the finish line. And yours will be the biggest one.




"I don't know what is weirder - that you're fighting a stuffed animal, or that you seem to be losing." - Suzie

 

[Takanuva]

Thanks for the reassurance everybody! FANGS I'm going to try sewing my own undersuit for my build, using one of McCall's cosplay patterns (their Resistance flightsuit), and I'm practicing by making a Vault Boy costume for Halloween this year, with a bit of scratch-built Halo-ish foam armor (and Vault 117 number, I'm not subtle , depending on how it turns out. It's helped me realize that ultimately, this isn't that big of a consequence. It's literally like 10 cents in card stock if I screw up. As soon as I can, I'm getting some nice x-acto blades so I don't have to mangle it all with a box cutter with full blades.
Jme, I get that feel. I remember tracing half of a Star Lord helmet pepakura, because I couldn't do .pdos at the time, and gluing it together from poster board. I then painted it with black and gold spraypaint, and added a few foam details. I even got my mom to sew a trench coat pattern, and I hand sew gold-painted foam panels to it for details.

Ultimately it was kinda crappy in accuracy, but that pride in your own work is awesome. It's pretty cool how you saved from that damage on your armor, by disguising it as plasma burn. A good tip I've learned from guitars and woodworking for anybody else facing the same thing, is always go for hand tools and small diameter drill bits before you move for the Dremel. It's a bit slower, but the accuracy and control you gain is well worth it.

Once again, thanks for the reassurance. As soon as I get some printer ink and x-acto blades, I'm starting my build immediately.

 

[IPv6 Subnet]

I can say what you shouldn't do! Never compare your work speed with that of others! Some just take longer than others and that is completely fine! Your goal should be to start and just stay consistent. Try small chunks, and before you know it you will start developing a habit. Once you feel more comfortable start doing more. Good luck and I know you can do it!