When Blogging Feels Like A Chore

My blog is over 8 years old. I want to post more frequently, but I’ve seem to lost whatever spark or inspiration I had some time ago.

I envy new bloggers because they seem to be a lot more motivated and excited than I am. They have fresh ideas. I feel the same toward old bloggers that are still at it.

I am not quitting. Don’t get me wrong — this is not a farewell announcement. But it is harder to blog now. No motivation, no original ideas, the list goes on. It would be lying if I said I don’t feel this way with my other hobby, cosplaying.

Is it the passage of time? Laziness? Tiredness? I don’t know.

Not enough engagement, perhaps? I don’t think so. I don’t think I’m fixated on numbers.

Whatever the reason, I don’t know what to do. Blogging is supposed to be a hobby, isn’t it? So why would I push myself to blog if it feels like a chore. Though it does feel sad to leave it alone.

Have you ever felt this way?

7 Years Blogiversary

I think I will keep blogging until I can no longer type (wrote about this in my post, dead blog). I’m quite certain that my blog has already passed its prime but if my motivation for blogging was weak, I would have stopped a long time ago. 🙂

Thanks for caring about what I have to say. Q_Q

Listening to: https://youtu.be/Xem2uJARZHo

Why Do I Cosplay?

I’ve written about why I blog, so this time I’ll write about why I cosplay.

1. It’s fun. I like fashion and clothes.
2. It’s a way to show my love of anime.
3. It’s cool to own things from anime. For example, I have Luffy’s straw hat from One Piece, Kaneki’s mask from Tokyo Ghoul, a No Face mask from Spirited Away, Mitsuha’s hair tie/bracelet from Your Name, and a lot more stuff. I don’t care much about expensive, brand name things but I like to own things from anime because I think it’s cool.
4. Cosplay is a creative outlet.
5. I get to look different anytime I want. For example, I’ve cosplayed as Nana Osaki from Nana (punk look) and I’ve cosplayed as several boy characters. I’ve cosplayed as child characters and as mother characters too. Even my day-to-day style changes all the time. I don’t like to be restricted to one style because I like to feel free and fluid.
6. Cosplay has helped improve my self-confidence. I cosplay for myself. I am happy when people tell me that they like my cosplays, but my own self-perception is really important. When you see photos that you feel proud about, there is a feeling of self-satisfaction which ultimately boosts your self-esteem.
7. I’ve met cool people through cosplay and it has also reaffirmed my friendships because it feels so good when you are supported by friends.
8. It’s a way to spend time. I spend most of my free watching shows but cosplay is a break from watching something.
9. It’s fun to cosplay at conventions.

Inktober 2019 – Day 11

I’m debating on whether I should wrap this up since the month is over. I don’t really see myself drawing in the near future without this kind of prompt thing though.

Day 11: Snow

Final thoughts: If anything, I’ve realized that my art is not as sh*tty as I originally thought because I received a lot of encouragement and positive feedback from friends and peers. I am happy that I was able to bring back a hobby that I once thought was dead. I still prefer cosplay and blogging over drawing but now I know that this is something I can do for better work-life balance. I only completed 11 days, which is not terrible.

Thank you for being with me through this journey!

dead blog

Let’s be real here – there are a lot more interactions on Instagram. Instagram is more convenient to use and more people go on it. Research shows that people generally have shorter attention spans now.

I still see the value of blogs but newer platforms do have their pros as well. I don’t necessarily like that, but I’ll continue to use both Instagram and WordPress. As times change, we also need to adapt.

For those who genuinely enjoy visiting my blog, don’t worry. I’ve done this since I was 16 and I will continue to blog until I can no longer type. In my experience with WordPress, it used to be such a lively place. Y’all are all such lovely folks and I enjoy talking to you guys so much. It is a little sad to see that it is not the same as it once was (for reference, 60 people liking my posts and 30 comments on more ‘successful’ posts). Ultimately, I blog for myself. My blog is a space where I can express my thoughts, feelings, love of anime and cosplay. It is my diary and safe space.

Earth-chan Cosplay

I cosplayed as Earth-chan! I’ll cosplay as her again in the future.

GUMI Megpoid Cosplay – Difficult Love/Nankai Renai

Nankai Renai is a song by GUMI, one of my favourite vocaloids. The song is about a difficult love. This was my first time expressing more sad expressions in cosplay.

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I really love this cosplay. Of course, I worked with a team.

Makeup: @ayyshebitty

Photo credit: @zetsunai

None of these photos are edited. I attended cosplayers Hana and Baozi’s panel on posing for cosplay the other week and they said that research is very important. Research on finding a suitable location to shoot and also expressing what the character feels in the source material. Time of day to shoot is also important, in which they recommended cosplaying in the evening.

That’s why I chose a dock as the location during a time that was not hot. I tried to replicate some of the poses from the music video, and the photographer was great with directing the shots.

The shots wouldn’t look nearly as good if it weren’t for my makeup artist! So I am very, very thankful to my team, and also to my readers for supporting me in my cosplay hobby! ^_^

Misc. cos photos

I didn’t upload these photos earlier so here they are. They’re from my recent School Rumble cosplay and my first cosplay, Haruhi Suzumiya. I redid Haruhi recently because I got a short brown wig. You can see the newer version here.

Ok, it just occurred to me that I cosplay LOL and now I think it’s super embarrassing. Why do I even do this… I’ll finish the ones I have planned then stop, or take a break. I haven’t decided what to do yet but we’ll see.

School Rumble Cosplay (Tenma)

I’ve completed a goal of mine: To have people take my photo with cherry blossoms in the background.

Monkey D. Luffy Cosplay

Fun fact: I got wisdom teeth removed yesterday and all I’ve eaten today are mashed fruit stuff.