Toby Miller

Exploration of Interests

My first real interest, even from the time I could hold a pencil, has been

illustration. Eventually, as this interest began to take a more visualized shape, I found

myself enraptured in all of the other mediums of art where illustration held precedence.

Anywhere from western comics and animated shows to anime and manga from Japan

and everything in between. As I’ve grown, my dreams around my love of illustrated

mediums has evolved from working in animation to illustrating children's books. Later

evolving to focused dreams of illustrating for DC comics and now, working freelance

while teaching art. I find myself drawn to all different corners of these worlds. As my

love for drawing grew so too did my love for the different stories told by other creatives

like myself. By age 10 I was deeply invested in all corners of the community of people

like me who love these mediums. Eventually this love lead me to another field of

creative expression I could share with those closest to me.

My discovery of cosplay and the community around it began in 2012 when I was

12 years old. I discovered my first cosplayers while scrolling through youtube and have

been entranced ever since. There were so many different ways people could cosplay

as well. Some cosplayed just to cosplay and walk around conventions, others put

together groups and performed in character skits at “masquerade” events, and others
still put on in-character performances as a panel where they could interact with fans of

their respective franchise to answer questions or play games.

The biggest reason I got into cosplay is actually because of my mother, Holly.

We had just gone through a bit of a rough patch at the time and were living alone

together for the first time, spending more time together than we ever had. One thing I

had always wanted to know more about my mother was her love of sewing. She has

been sewing since she was only 7 years old. Half of her wardrobe is pieces she has

made for herself. Now that we were spending so much time together, when I

discovered cosplay for the first time, mom was the biggest supporter of my starting.

My favorite memories of that time are working with my mom on sewing new cosplays

together. Well, when I say together, I mean I would modify the patterns and cut parts of

them while mom would cut the rest and sew it all (anytime I touch a sewing machine it

breaks).

The cosplay community especially in North Carolina is incredibly tight knit and

welcoming. Just about all of my closest friends today are either friends I got into

cosplay with at the same point, or friends I made through cosplay. A good example of

this is very recently I started putting together a group for a cosplay panel at a

convention this May. Now, I had expected to have maybe 3 people other than my pre-

existing group join. I have been putting this together for only 3 weeks now and we are

officially at 13 members, myself included. I actually cried when a few members joined.

They are people I have been following since I got serious about cosplay in 2016 and
had only ever seen in passing. Just interacting with this group has really shown me

how close the community really is. Every time a new person was added, at least 3

others had met them beforehand. Everyone knows everyone and it is really a case of 7

degrees of separation. If there is a cosplayer you really like in the area, odds are either

they are super open to being friends, or there is someone who you at least have met in

passing who is friends with them.

The deep connections I have formed within the cosplay community have really

shaped the person who I am now. Without all of those I have met through our shared

craft, for better or for worse, have given me a new outlook on life and taught me

valuable life lessons along the way and I am thankful for each and every one of them.