We were lucky to catch up with Bonnie Wanstreet recently and have shared our conversation below.
Bonnie , sincerely appreciate your selflessness in agreeing to discuss your mental health journey and how you overcame and persisted despite the challenges. Please share with our readers how you overcame. For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.
I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder and major depression disorder when I was fifteen years old. I have gone to countless therapists and tried everything and anything I could to help myself get through it. For about fifteen years I had used theater as a coping mechanism, a way to distract myself from the harsh inter workings of my brain. I loved getting lost in a character, getting to learn a whole new life as I pretended to be them every night. And people loved to watch me! Of course, as all things do, it caught up with me. When I was eighteen, I decided to take a step back from performing. But when I didn’t have someone to be, I found that I had lost myself. I’ve spent the past year trying to find myself and I think I’ve found her. I was able to use my creativity to become a welcome distraction, a way that I could still use my escapeism that I had learned through acting in a healthy way. Cosplay began to fill that void for me. Not only does it help me by providing a creative outlet but it gives me a way to not be myself and step into one of my favorite characters for just a little while. It has helped me meet so many new friends and find a community of others who are just like me. At my first con, I remember crying to myself when I got home because I just felt so happy. I had not felt true happiness in so long, it was a relief! I had a new found lust for life that I would never have found if I didn’t simply take up making costumes and being a nerd.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a cosplayer. Whenever I tell someone that, they always have about one million questions. They range from “What does that mean?” to “I’ve never even met a cosplayer before, what’s that about?” to just “Huh. Interesting. So what is it?”. Cosplaying to me is taking something I love, creating a costume inspired by it, creating it, and showing it off via cons, photoshoots, social media, and even just word of mouth! I am relatively new to the cosplaying world and have been a part of it for about a year. I grew up doing theater, but when I was eighteen, I was super burnt out and needed a change. My mother was a costumer for the theater I performed for and I was always facinated by her creative design and just how she made characters come to life. When I was a performer, I always told her that I never truly felt like I could act to my potential until I put my costume on. So, when I needed a break from the stage, I decided to put my peddle to the metal – or in this case, my fabric to the sewing machine – and give costuming a try. I imediately fell in love with it. It’s like fashion designing but for characters! I costumed shows like Beauty and the Beast, Bonnie and Clyde, Tuck Everlasting, and even Les Miserables! My creative brain kept telling me, don’t just stop here! Why not costume just for you? And that’s how I started cosplaying. My first ever cosplay I made was Padme Amidala from Star Wars Episode 3: Attack of the Clones and I have been hooked ever since. This past year I made six different cosplays and I have no plans of stopping anytime soon.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
My biggest piece of advice is simply to go for it. If you have a creative goal in mind, do it! The hardest part is starting because once you start, you can’t stop. That being said, I know it can be difficult and I want you to succeed about as much if not more than you want yourself to succeed. So, the next big thing I can advise is persevere. When you start something new, be it a project or even a business, it isn’t going to look how you want it to after five minutes of working on it. Keep going, trust in yourself, and persevere. My mom always says to trust the process, and as hard as it was to trust her, eventually I learned that it’s probably the most important skill needed when developing these kinds of things. Last, but certainly not least, is to love your work. There are times when I make a cosplay or I start a project just to end up hating how I look in it. Do yourself a favor and make things that you are going to love, not just what everyone else thinks you should do. You don’t have to put yourself in a metaphorical creative box just for other people. Make what you love and I promise it will always be fulfilling.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
My mom has always been my biggest supporter and the person I look up to most in life. While she did literally teach me to sew and how to use a pattern and how to thread needles and all that, she also helped me to become the person I am today. She taught me how beautiful creativity is and how confidence is the best accessory with any outfit (or cosplay). She has always fostered my love of the arts and pop culture. But most of all, she has always taught me that being myself is the most important part of life. If someone doesn’t like it? They don’t belong in your life. Staying true to your weird, creative, spooky, and beautiful self is what matters most in the end.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @baby_cosplayeraz
Image Credits
Jorvik Vand Laura Wanstreet
