Musable: Cosplay Is Special

Today is a big day! Today is very, very exciting. Yesterday was the first anniversary of our blog. We have been around for one, whole, good-crazy year, which makes today the start of a whole new year for us. But that’s not the only reason that today is super exciting around here, because we get to kick off our new year by introducing a new featured artist!

Musable is an award-winning cosplayer, a talented artist, and a self-professed nerd. When we caught up with her this week, she gave us a window into her life, her work, and what cosplay means to her.

– Roggen Wulf

By Musable

Hey guys!

My name is Karen, my cosplay handle is Musable, and I am a self-taught seamstress and crafter from the Southeast United States. I have been cosplaying for over five years now and I have had a blast the entire ride.

Cosplay has been a very positive force in my life. It gave me a space where I could become more social and helped me increase my self-esteem, which in turn has helped me build an exciting and rewarding career. When I’m in cosplay, I become the character I am portraying. Outside of cosplay, though, I have come to realize how I am so much more.

Cosplay is special to me. It’s when everyone can be a superhero. Everyone can be a Princess. Everyone can be anything! I never had a lot of friends when I was growing up, and I often felt isolated and alone. I would go to bed crying at night because no one wanted to hang out with me. I didn’t have a boyfriend all through high school. I went to the prom with a friend. I was even invited to parties just to be made fun of. It was always really hard for me. I had skipped a grade and was a late bloomer. Obviously, I was the girl everyone was lining up to date, right?

All that changed when I went to my first con. I was surround by people like me. People who were made to feel excluded and lonely elsewhere. People who connected with these characters the same way I had. I met my husband Ben Be Jammin through cosplay. He was at the second ever con I went to. We took a photo together and swapped numbers. We started dating a little less than a year later and now after three years together we are happily married. We live on our own, playing smash, MMOs and going to conventions together.

I am so glad I went to that first convention and I am even more thrilled to be the person I am today. I have a great career, terrific friends, and I have a hobby that makes me feel complete.

We are thrilled to introduce Musable and very excited to have her as a featured artist. Her work is set to be included in Cosplay 24, an upcoming project by Affliction Cosplay Photography.

You can show your support for her and her fellow cosplayers by checking out the Cosplay 24 campaign on Indiegogo. Don’t forget to check her out on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, as well!

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(Musable, 2015)