Meet Laura Lara | Content Creator & Cosplayer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Laura Lara and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Laura, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
When I was very young I had always loved theater and everything that has to do with pushing forward my imagination, I guess you could say I always had this huge imagination for everything. It really followed me into my teenage years and now as I’m in adulthood. I think that’s how my interest was peeked when I saw all these people posting cosplay shots of themselves as their favorite characters, I remember my first cosplay person to really tell me I could do it was Anna Faith. Anna had become viral over this picture she took next to an Elsa poster because she looked exactly like the character it was crazy. Next thing you know I’m looking for different types of websites that can help me get the suit I need for my first convention and then after that convention, more cosplays came into the picture. My thoughts through buying all these items that might seem crazy to some people is that I love doing what I do, the feeling I get when I put on a cosplay. It’s as if I’m in the theater business all the time and when I was doing theater no anxiety and I mean nothing else could bother me. Starting cosplay at first was just for fun to try it out but the more I got excited about doing more characters the more I kept pushing my hobby forward. It was stress-free for me because of all the people I had befriended, going to the conventions and the fact I was doing characters I bonded with and connected.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Wow, big question. Did I knock out of the park when I first became a cosplayer like I hoped I would? I would say no. Mind you, I’m going off on what I see how people post cosplays and I think “Okay just dress up like my favorite character, put some tags, and boom I’ll have a ton of followers.” Nope, that’s not what happened. It took a long time for me to adjust myself to the cosplayer I am today. There were many times that my mental health kept me from doing what I love, it would send me on a hiatus when I would find a character to cosplay. It was very frustrating because I knew I could do it but I would put it off for some unknown reason even though it was clear my mental health was affecting me and affecting the fact I couldn’t do what I love not only that, helped me not think about having all these medical conditions which made me think I was a freak. I did take my break from cosplaying but I had already followed so many cosplay creators that seeing all these cosplays made me miss it so much, especially with all the ideas I had in my head. Finally, I came back and I pushed through any time I would feel that bad feeling creeping in telling me to go on hiatus I powered through and did what I loved. One character I could say I enjoyed cosplaying and creating content for was Gamora, Gamora has this tale of this dad who wants the perfect daughter but she is completely different from that and she is forced into a role she doesn’t want to lead. She definitely held a special place in my heart because I could relate to her so much she was by far my favorite person I cosplayed because of the significance she held. Putting myself in Gamora cosplay helped me continue making more cosplays I wanted to do come true, something about doing the pictures as Gamora brought about more characters I connected with and I had to cosplay and show the world. Now that I’m older I see that this entire time through my cosplay I have been trying to say it’s okay to be different, be different, forget what people are going to say, and do what is you want. It’s not always going to be easy but nothing is impossible the word itself says I’m possible and that’s a quote I have lived by every single day of my life.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Definitely, for my friends who are not familiar with my area, I would take them to eat at the Nartuo bistro. It’s just so fun and lively vibe, plus not only that the decor is super adorable. I always order the pad thai which I tell myself I will finish but never do because their portions are huge which is good for the price you are getting it at. Plus, they have my weakness which is taro boba tea I’m not a big tea girl but boba tea is where I literally tell myself it’s the jackpot. Maybe also take them to get some very good ice cream that is made from scratch called Sweet Melody Ice Cream.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been many ups and downs in my life to be honest, When I was younger I got diagnosed with epilepsy which is a seizure disorder, bipolar, depression, and anxiety. It was a tough pill to swallow, I believe I was about 11 or 12 at the time it was a crazy time, I mean to be diagnosed with things I only hear about and to now have to learn more about them because they have now become a part of me. It really took its toll on me, it kind of ate me up inside, but what helped me was definitely coming into the theater and learning how to take different types of roles and what I have to do. In cosplay it’s the same deal as theater, anybody can just put a suit and wig on but the hard part is knowing how to pass off the character meaning are you giving your all? Do you connect with the character and understand this character? Cosplaying is more than just putting on a costume and wig, at least for me it is. Over the time I have had all these mental health issues I have always tried different outlets to release my stress but I always found my way back to cosplaying because of all the inspiration I kept getting from different creators I followed on Instagram. Suddenly I knew if I could continue in cosplay this was proving that someone with mental health can do what other people with no conditions can also do so I guess that’s where my advocacy sort of kicked in, it was no longer about cosplaying, it was cosplaying with a purpose and that showed people it’s okay to be different. Many cosplayers gave me such strength to get me where I am today in my standing right now which is growing, definitely, Shelby (@tommi.night), Lis (@lis.wonder), and David (@midwestavenger) these three people definitely have helped. Mind you two of these people live far away from me but David and Shelby I would always go on their live streams and speak with them plus dm them. We would have great conversations but of course, over time we all became busy so it’s hard to be in contact with them yet still I always send messages now and then because they really have helped me a lot. Lis is a close friend of mine and she is just the biggest sweetheart she continues to always use the best ways to cheer me up and keep me motivated, I love the fact that I grew closer to her because she just reminds me of my sister who has always been my rock and done everything for me when I needed someone the most. They just all made me feel like it was okay to be different and show that difference off to the world no matter what anyone thought of me. Now going on 23 I am a different person, I do struggle sometimes but I have learned how to pick myself up very quickly and it’s thanks to the people I have now surrounded myself with and come in contact with. It’s very much a blessing I get to meet these people and instantly just become friends with them, plus my boyfriend is a big part of also helping me move along and keep being strong.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraitalala/