Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Rajsky.
Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always been a crafty kid, so the name Amelia Craftypants for my cosplay work was only natural. It started off as a joke, but it actually feels very genuine. I don’t consider myself an “expert” in any particular skill, but I do excel in combining techniques and mediums with creative problem-solving.
I’ve always been a huge fan of dressing up for Halloween, and I grew up in costumes for dance and theatre. I grew up in a small town and didn’t even know what cosplay was until college. Some friends invited me to go to an anime convention with them and suggested I dress up since I was crafty. At first, I just did it once a year for that one convention (I couldn’t afford to go to multiple cons a year), but then I realized how much I loved crafting and creating, so it turned into one of my main hobbies. I’ve also been able to do costumes, hair, and makeup for community theatres because directors were fans of my cosplay work and heard that I had a degree in Theatre Arts. My dance and theatre background have also helped with showing off my work- I’ve been published over 15 times in cosplay and am currently working on a “Character Werkshop” for conventions.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Cosplay can be a smooth road, but only if you’re ready for it mentally/emotionally. Honestly getting into my own head has been the bigger struggle, compared to costs, time, and resource or skill limitations. Cosplay can be cheap, or quick, or easy if you want it to be. But if you feel obligated to create without motivation and lose that passion- or get lost comparing yourself to others- those are the bigger hurdles to get over. Going to therapy and expressing my feelings openly within my cosplay community have been so helpful over the years.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Most of my early works were modified cosplays, where I would take existing clothing and change little parts to look like a character. I’d add sleeves or paint fabric, “Frankenstein-sew” two shirts into one, turn a big dress into a cape. I’ve always loved using found objects or pieces and combining craft techniques and mediums in a single look. I think I would get bored just sewing or just gluing armor for a full cosplay- though leatherwork has been a recent favorite craft! Tooling, dyeing, and painting are so soothing. I also love creative problem-solving, combining textures, and bringing a character to life through weathering and story-telling throughout the crafting process.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I have been dancing my entire life. My theatre and dance background have allowed me to easily capture a character’s emotion and story, through the clothes and how I wear them. It has helped when I’m taking photos and showing off my work on stage at a competition- which I’ve begun to help others with in my convention panels. While I don’t usually perform skits in contests, I recently did a belly dance performance to a very popular song from a video game for a friend’s birthday show. I’m only just now starting to plan out some more dance performances IN cosplay- I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to combine my two favorite things!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amelia.craftypants/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliacraftypants
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thaliadancecollective
