Today’s question is…
Do you have some rituals/things you always do at a convention to make costuming easier that might be helpful to others?
I kinda had to condense that question down – but the idea is, what are some things that *I* specifically do at conventions to make costuming easier. I’ve already gone over a lot of generic tips in my FAQ Fridays before, and a few personal tips, too – but here’s some things I thought of.
1. Bathe/Shower
I usually do this at least twice a day at the con. You might think that’s excessive, but with as hot, sweaty and as sore as you get at a convention, it really helps.
I take one in the morning, when I get up. It helps me to wake up, and if I’m already sore from the day before, it helps with that, as well. Then, I take one at the end of the day, when I’m back in the room – it’s just a nice way to unwind, clean myself up, and take care of my sore feet.
At a con like Dragoncon, sometimes I have to throw one in in the middle of the day as well – especially after something like the Dragoncon parade where we’ve been outside in 90+ degree heat walking down the street in silly, hot costumes. Just a quick jump in the shower and get the sweat and grim off before putting another costume on. It’s best to be as clean and non-sweaty as possible before putting on a new, clean costume.
2. Bedtime Ritual
I do this at home, too, and carry it over to traveling and conventions.
I’ve had this little bedtime ritual since I was a little girl. I have my bath, put on my pajamas, grab a snack and a book, and sit in bed and read/have my snack. At a con, that’s usually a Reese’s and a coke. I’ve done this for so long that it signals to my brain, ok, it’s time to go to sleep. I rarely have trouble sleeping, even on the road, if I do this. In a convention environment, where it’s going to be loud and I’m probably wired – it helps a lot to get me rested for the next day.
3. Remove your makeup/wash your face
Of course, there’s always the times you come dragging back to the room at 2am and reading a book is the last thing on your mind. AT LEAST go wash your face before you crawl into bed. I’m really bad about NOT doing that but over the past few years I’ve gotten better. Before I was making myself do this, my eyes would be burning and watering overnight and I’d wake up with bloodshot red eyes (and I wouldn’t sleep all that well). It was because I wasn’t washing my heavy eye make-up off. Now I make it a point remove all my makeup, wash my face, and – if my eyes are feeling irritated already – put some eye drops in before bed. Plus, it’s just better for your skin!
4. Build in a naptime
I am “go go go” from 8AM til the wee morning hours at a con. I don’t like sleeping in (I generally can’t sleep past 8 even at home – even though I am a nightowl).
I’m a napper. I take naps a LOT. So at conventions, around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, you can often find me sleeping in the room. Sometimes it’s hard to convince myself to take the time to do it, but it does give the boost of energy I’ll need for being up late for several days in a row.
If you’re not a regular nap-taker, figure out what works for you before hand, do you need the lights off and the curtains drawn? Do you need to put your pajamas on? I’m the kind that can fall asleep anywhere under any conditions, but I know some people need certain conditions to be able to fall asleep. Some people need just like a 15-20 minute catnap – I like at least 30-45 minutes. Figure out what works for you!
5. Have the room to yourself
Ah I know this is a hard one. A lot of people room-share. Sometimes with strangers. But if at all possible, have a few people as you can share your room. Usually it’s just me and my husband – sometimes we have a cousin in there too, but rarely more than 3.
My hotel room at a convention is my little oasis. It’s my place to get away from the crowd and be quiet for a few minutes. I can take my bath when I want, get my makeup on when I want. I can take up the whole closet, I can lay out all of my costume pieces without bothering anyone. I can open the curtains when I want. I can come back from the Dragoncon parade, take off my costume and just lay on the floor underneath the AC for 20 minutes, all without having some stranger or person I barely know interrupting me.
Maybe it’s the “only child” in me, but that’s a must for me. I’ve got to have my space, I’ve got to be able to spread out and not have other people getting in my way or touching my stuff, LOL.
6. Have snacks in the room
I’ve mentioned this before – but even if it’s something like just a box of granola bars or a bag of candy – have something you can eat on the run. The food places at a con are usually slammed, and a lot of times you won’t have the time to wait on a table, or wait in a line, if you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Plus, I know when I’m in costume, I don’t eat well. I’ll get something to eat and take like 3 or 4 bites and I’m done – because it’s just too hard to eat in costume, and I’m too excited to worry with it. Having that little something back in the room is a must, so that I can at least get SOMETHING in my stomach before the next 3-4 bites of dinner, LOL. You don’t want to be grumpy or get hunger headaches.
7. Have everything laid out, ironed, repaired and ready to go
Another perk to having the room to yourself. I try to take the time to unpack my costumes, iron what needs ironed, hang everything up in the closet, and look over everything to see if it needs repaired. I try to layer my accessories and props that aren’t hung up by when I’ll be wearing them, and then move stuff I’m done with to another bin. It makes getting ready in the morning easier, and changing costumes faster.
8. Keep a clean hotel room
On that note, try to keep the hotel room straightened and cleaned. I have a hard time with this, because I get in a hurry and make a mess, but I try to straighten up as much as possible. I don’t want to create a giant wreck of a room house-keeping has to tip-toe around, plus it’s just more relaxing to have a straightened up room, and if everything is in its place, it makes it easier to get into costume.
9. Plug the glue gun in first thing in the morning
Especially if you’re putting on a new costume. Just plug that glue gun in as soon as you get up, so if something needs a quick fix, it’s warmed up and ready to go.
10. Make yourself a schedule
I write out a rough idea of a schedule and plug it into my phone before hand. I include my husband’s schedule as well, so I don’t forget anything HE has to do. I may not know everything I’m going to do, or have an exact idea of what I’m wearing when, but it helps to have a rough idea. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten so involved at a con that I realize I don’t remember AT ALL what time that photoshoot I wanted to go to was. And I may not have good phone signal to look it up. So I put stuff like that in my calendar.
So, for a Saturday at Dragoncon, my schedule probably looks something like this:
8AM: get up, get ready
9AM: walk to parade muster
10AM: parade
11AM: Doctor Who photoshoot
12AM: eat/relax
1PM: new costume
2PM: Marvel photoshoot
4pm: new costume
5pm: dinner
etc.
Some of those things I won’t stick with. I change my mind on costumes, get excited about something – it’s a constantly shifting schedule but it’s there if I need it.
11. Move your time up
If your photoshoot starts at 3pm – tell yourself it’s 2:30pm. Leaving your hotel room at 5 minutes before the start time generally means you’re going to be late, considering you usually have to walk to the location through crowds of people who will want to stop you for your picture. It also gives you an extra buffer time when putting your costume on and something breaks – you’ve got a little extra time built in there to fix it.
12. Take the stairs
If you’re in a position to take the stairs, do it. I hate crushing my costume in an elevator, and standing there waiting on one in uncomfortable shoes is torture (I’d rather keep moving). Oftentimes the stairs are in a nasty, smelly stairwell, because people don’t use them much, so just make sure you pick up as much of your costume as you can to keep it from actually touching the stairs. A lot of times, I beat my friends downstairs or upstairs by taking the stairs instead of waiting on an elevator 😛
If it’s stairs out in the open, you’ll look very nice coming down stairs dramatically, instead of popping out of an overstuffed elevator 🙂
