Hi, my name is Salmon, and I conduct a page called Jolly Salmon. I’m also a YouTuber, guest panelist, and cosplay judge at conventions across Poland.

I became interested in cosplay because I watched a lot of cosplay YouTube videos and tutorials. This inspired me to not only become a cosplayer, but also to become a cosplayer educator and teach others about the joy of cosplay. This started my, I think, seven-year-long journey of inspiring others, I hope, and of traveling, meeting new people, and pure adventure, I could say.

Cosplay is all about having fun in costumes – some that we create, some that we buy, or put together from thrifted pieces. The joy that comes from cosplay, this creativity, is something worth sharing. I think this is the most important thing I want to spark in young cosplayers and aspiring artists. This is what I do panels about – learning how to find this creativity and cultivating it.

This is what I want others to know about cosplay. We’re not doing it just because we want to wear something pretty. Of course, there are some people who do it because, well, I’m wearing a princess dress today and I’m having so much fun in it. But I think there’s something deeper about cosplay, and I want others to understand that.

I started cosplaying because I was interested in League of Legends. It’s a game that has very deep lore, and it was also adapted into a series called Arcane, which is hugely popular. However, when you play the game, the lore is not that important, and I was craving that lore while playing. So, I started looking for fan art, I started looking for conventions and for videos connected to League of Legends, and that’s how I found cosplay music videos and cosplay showcases on the League of Legends channel. I was hugely inspired by them, and it snowballed from there. Then I wanted to make a cosplay, but I didn’t know how, so I started searching for easy cosplay ideas.

I found Mabel Pines from Gravity Falls, and that’s how it started. I went to a thrift store, bought a sweater, and I became Mabel. Yeah, cosplay is incredibly easy to start, and I want to teach others about that. I want others to not have to search for easy costume ideas, because they can find my videos and learn what I didn’t have access to. And yeah, I conducted a panel today at 2 p.m. about exactly that – how to start cosplay, that it’s easy, and that you can choose any character you like, any character that inspires you. It’s much easier if you’re connected to that character somehow. It’s easier to stick to cosplay, to wear the cosplay, and to feel amazing in it.

That’s what Mabel was for me, because it quickly turned out that Mabel is very similar to me personality-wise, and I love her. I love wearing her, and I love her as a character, so it was very easy for me to make the cosplay because I was motivated by the fact that we’re similar. Right now, I’m very focused on making cutesy characters. I love being able to smile, laugh, and show my own personality during the cosplay hours, I could say, because it’s much easier to spend eight to twelve hours in a costume of a character that I feel connected to. I don’t have to pretend I’m sexy, serious, or mischievous. I can just be myself.

But I started playing Illaoi in League of Legends, and I started maining her. This is my current project number one, and I want to make her so bad, because she’s awesome, and I want to portray her, even though she is not a very cute character.

This is connected to cosplay, but I would really like to learn 3D modeling to use for cosplay and in everyday life to make stuff for my house and for functionality. I like the aspect of functionality in 3D modeling, but I don’t know… I’m finishing up my general studies, and I want to do more artistic stuff, even though it’s connected to cosplay. I want to pursue drawing, and I want to make more sticker designs and keychains. So, I’m very excited about it.

I think people are what’s amazing about cosplay. I mean, the people you meet, the people you get to do it with, and finding your tribe and sticking to them. This is the place where I want to mention my amazing friends from Project League, because they are what makes me want to do cosplay and get better at it. If it wasn’t for them, I would have given it up, basically. They keep me motivated, and we keep challenging ourselves – and each other – to do more and more cool things.

Hi, I’m Kanto Cosplay and I’m from Poland, from PoznaÅ„. So, my cosplay journey started around 13 years ago, which is quite long. I’m quite old, and to be fair, since I started, it became a very important part of my life, which I love. I’ve made a lot of friends, I visit a lot of countries thanks to cosplay, I’ve got so many job opportunities, and right now I’m working full-time as a cosplayer, which is amazing. I’ve worked with big companies like Riot or Ubisoft, so basically, cosplay changed my life and I’m super grateful for that.

My first costume back in the day was Dipper from Gravity Falls and my newest one was actually a commission for Riot Games and Netflix – Warwick a.k.a. Vander from Arcane.

If I have to give one piece of advice to new cosplayers, it’s this: don’t give up. To be fair, it’s quite hard to start, but the more you’re gonna do it, the better you’re gonna get, so just don’t give up and keep trying. One more thing – don’t focus on the numbers when it comes to being famous. Just focus on having fun during cosplay – that’s the most important part.

So, a shoutout to all of my friends from Project League, which is a League of Legends exhibition. Love you guys, that’s it. And to be fair, if you want me to say something else – just start! Cosplay is amazing, thank you so much!