Please introduce yourself – what’s your cosplay name, where are you from, how long have you been cosplaying?

My name is Takamy, I’m a cosplayer from country in the middle of Baltic States – Latvia 🙂
I’m in cosplay for about 8 years, but most of the time I cosplayed only for fun. I took this case seriously only 1 year ago, when I decided to participate in Eurocosplay competition.

How did you start cosplaying? What was you first costume?

I was a lonely geek and accidentally stumbled on  news that in our city was an event and there were people with the same interests as mine. I was young and silly, so when I saw cosplayers in those photos from the news, I decided that for the event I need to come ONLY in cosplay 🙂

I’ve always had a weakness for all cute stuff and at that time my favorite anime was Shugo Chara, so my first cosplay was Hinamori Amu from that title! I bought pink wig in local party shop, made a barrette out of cardboard, took my shirt and jacket from the closet and my sister helped me to sew the skirt and gaiters. And I was the happiest person! But now I want to forget that  terrible cosplay 🙂

Do you have your favorite costume? If yes – what is it and why?

It is very difficult for me to answer this question, because I’m very demanding to myself. Probably now my favorite is Elizabeth from Bioshock: Infinite! This cosplay is 4 years old, but I remade 60% of the costume in May and now I’m almost happy with the result. Elizabeth is one of the few characters I feel “fit me” well.

And also I’m really proud of my first big project, where I learned a lot of new techniques  – Abominable Mei from Overwatch.

What part of this hobby/life style do you like the most? Why?

Definitely, my favorite part is performing. Acting has always been very big part of my life since my childhood. I just love shining on the stage, telling stories about my favourite characters and  making people smile!

Why cosplay is important for you?

Cosplay has become a big part of my life and I can’t imagine that one day I can give it up! I love to create something with my own hands and I love to embody my favorite characters in life! Every finished costume is a small victory and this brings a lot of pleasure, like when you won a game 😀

I choose only those characters that I like, and I also have to look at my free time and finances at that moment. Most of the time they are bright and cute, like Kousaka Honoka from “Love Live! School Idol Project” or Pinkie Pie from “My Little Pony!”, but sometimes it seems interesting for me to try something unusual.

How do you choose characters that you cosplay?

It really depends: sometimes I like the design, most of the time it’s characters I feel a deep emotional bond with, others I choose together with my partner when we pair up.

How much time do you usually spend on one costume? What was the longest time you spent on one costume and which costume it was?

Usually I make not very complicated costumes, so I spend about two months on each of them. It would be much faster if I didn’t have a job 😀

Obviously, the longest time I spent on my Abominable Mei. I worked on this cosplay every day, every free minute for half of the year. I will never again take up a major project for a specific date, it was a nightmare! 🙂

What would you consider to be the biggest achievement in you cosplay career?

First of all, I would like to make the costumes perfect from the first time! What a beautiful dream, right?  Honestly, I never thought about that.. Probably I want to turn my hobby into something more, I would like to start doing cosplay for a living.

Do you have any funny stories or accidents related to cosplay?

I tried to remember, but nothing interesting to tell.

What would you say for people who thinks that cosplay is pointless waist of time and money?

It’s mostly common to hear from people who never tried to create something by hand. Cosplay develops a lot of abilities such as:  sewing, crafting, make up, hairstyling, acting and e.t.c. Cosplay makes you think more broadly, makes you find interesting solutions for different tasks.

And cosplay is fun, it helps to get distracted from all that hell that happens in everyday life.

What would you advice or whish for people who want to start cosplaying, but for unknown reasons are afraid or just don’t know where to start?

Just remember, this is just a HOBBY. No one has the right to tell you what to do! But you can always ask people who have more experience in this about good advice. Everyone started small 🙂

Don’t start with tricky costume, if you are not sure of your skills. Because you can be disappointed in yourself, if you don’t get the desired result. Choose something simple  and make it cool!

Is there anything else you would like to say?

JUST DO IT! MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE! 🙂