SJ overcame family pressure, en route to cosplaying in the world stage

AS SJ DE OCAMPO was crafting a cosplay apparel on a dining table, there was a lot of tension between her and her family.

The dining area is the only spot that was spacious enough for her to create her costumes and she would be forced to shove her work on one side the moment breakfast, lunch, or dinner was called.

She ended up as a nuissance, and things grew worse when her family would constantly nag her.

"What are you doing in your life?" they said.

And oftentimes during her first years as a cosplayer, they would ridicule her decisions in life saying: "Kailan mo titigilan yung pagko-cosplay mo? Kailan ka babalik sa pagiging nurse?"

It was a struggle for SJ to fully come to terms with herself and this was something that she encountered all throughout her life.

As someone who was born in Davao, then grew up in Saudi Arabia, only for her to return to her birthplace, SJ experienced a sudden shift.

PHOTO: Ygam Retuta

Embracing the geek culture

In Saudi, SJ was sheltered as her routine was to simply go to school, go back to the apartment, and play video games. She does stray away from her usual routine, but she needed to be accompanied by her parents given the situation of the country during her youth.

"At that time it was that place where women when you go out, you should be with your husband. So mostly if my family and I, if we're going out for groceries, it had to be by car because it's kinda scary to go there by yourself, if you're a woman, lady, or a child," she reflected.

Eventually during her 6th grade, she moved back to Davao and things were totally different.

"I had to learn how to commute. Since I'm in Davao, I had to learn another language (Bisaya), and then the cultural norms of people, you have to navigate your way, etc."

But it was also in Davao where she first got exposed to anime, a total opposite of her experience in Saudi where the medium is barely visible.

The moment the clock struck at five in the afternoon, her fandom for Bleach, Flame of Recca, and Ghost Fighter, ascended, thus making her a geek.

This in turn would draw ire from her schoolmates.

"One of the cool kids was like, 'SJ why are you hanging out with those losers?' and I'm like 'Whatever I don't care," she looked back.

And she wasn't the sort of person who wouldn't let others dictate her interests as seen with how she handles the so-called 'cool kids.'

"I don't wanna hangout with your kikays, cool kids and underaged driving with your cars, I just want to play Heroscape or Magic with these dudes. We were busy reading Manga, drawing, watching nerdy movies," she recalled.

Yet despite standing her ground on her interests in life, the same cannot be said about her hidden talents.

"I've always been an artistic person. In high school, due to anime I started drawing. My seatmate was so concerned of me failing math, confiscated my sketchbook and said, 'SJ do you really want to graduate this year?' Anyway I passed."

She further elaborated: "I already had artistic inclinations if there was a project, people would go to me to do the video edit or poster design. I was in the art club, but I didn't really embrace myself as an artist."

PHOTO: Kaye Balasbas

'Walang pera sa fine arts'

But this wasn't the only time that SJ wasn't able to fully accept her artistic inclinations.

Deep inside, she knew that she wanted to be an artist but with her future on the line, it wasn't an easy for her to embrace her true calling.

She told her parents that she wanted to do fine arts but all she got was the usual response.

"Oh walang pera diyan," they said.

To add to the struggle were the limited options she had.

"I want to do fine arts because that's all I know then I searched for universities here and I realized that they don't have it in Ateneo de Davao because it's a business school."

"So I decided to follow the nursing route even though that's not what I really wanted," she recalled.

As a nursing student, SJ was a socially awkward girl who doesn't want to engage in conversations with her schoolmates. She had one motto, which she revealed.

"I came here to school to study, not make friends. I had a goal to finish school and do great. I don't want to hangout with people as I would hide and go to the library during breaks to read nursing books."

But one incident ultimately changed her life.

PHOTO: Project Light

A golden retriever suddenly emerges

SJ's snobbish personality would suggest that she would never make any friends whatsoever, but that wasn't really the case.

A classmate of hers who happens to be a cosplayer just approached her and said: "SJ, please cosplay with me. You look so cute and you'll be great.' She had her eyes on me, she would recruit me nonstop and I was like, 'Ok fine, I'll do it.' Basically I was coerced, blackmailed (laughs)."

It was a surprise for SJ to suddenly receive that kind of greeting, as the school had a strict policy that limits her to fully express herself.

How on earth did she decipher that SJ had potential to be a cosplayer despite looking ordinary? That's a mystery that even she herself couldn't fathom. But at the end of the day, she brought something new to SJ's life.

The golden retriever in her life had this idea where she would dress up as Hatsune Miku, while SJ would become Kagamine Rin. Hatsune Miku's song Love Ward featured the two vocaloids in a nurse outfit.

And because of her idea, SJ was exposed to the realities of cosplaying where she learned more about the craft.

"Then she took me and said, 'Ok let's pick up fabrics, let's measure, then we got the costumes, while making the accessories then I was like, 'Oh this is nice."

By the time she attended her first event, it became a surreal experience. There were people taking photos of SJ, which warmed her heart.

"She opened the doors for me. They say extroverts adopt introverts into their clan. That's what happened to me and I'm glad or else I might still end up being very broody. I mean I'm still broody, but at least I go out every now and then."

This was definitely a turning point in her life, as she discovered the beauty of becoming a cosplayer, but then again the harsh realities of life would soon haunt her.

PHOTO: Jim de Groot

'I can't do it'

Graduating with a degree in nursing, it was finally time for SJ to face the real world, where she attended review classes for the board exam. In between, she would go to cosplay events.

At one point, a hilarious moment occurred, something that brought a smile to her face.

"I finished a mock exam in our review center so fast because I needed to attend an event at the mall, walking distance from the review center. So I go to the mall, dress up, and I was outside smiling, then someone ask for my picture."

"I was like, 'Sure!' then I looked and I realized it was my review assistant. They were like, 'Oh so that's why you passed your paper fast, let's take a picture!" she gleefully recalled.

Despite rushing the mock exam, SJ ended up passing it. This translated well to the board exam where she also attained the required grade.

The signs have been revealed, perhaps she was destined to be a nurse. Brainwashing herself, she underwent a lot of trainings in the hospital and the emergency room.

Only for her to have a sudden epiphany.

"No I can't do it," she said.

SJ needed an escape from the dullness of her dayjob and that opportunity came all thanks to her colleague.

PHOTO: Project Light

The World Cosplay Summit experience

"When I was working at the ER, I was a contractor and that was also the same time when I got recruited by my cosplay partner to join the World Cosplay Summit, which changed my life," started SJ.

Her venture into the World Cosplay Summit was a landmark moment, not only for SJ but also the Philippines as well. The Philippines has been involved with the World Cosplay Summit before, only as an observer nation, meaning they wouldn't be scored on their performance.

Now the floodgates are open as the Philippines is officially a participating country.

SJ couldn't contain her excitement.

"Oh my god let's do this!" she said.

While the excitement was off the charts, the same applies with the grind. Upon learning the rules of WCS, SJ had to work with a lot of intensity.

"When we read the rules for WCS, it was mentioned that you need to make the costumes by yourself. My partner was responsible for the armor, the crafting bits and I did the sewing," she recalled.

SJ was indeed talented when it comes to drawing, but for the WCS competition she was forced to learn something new, hence her decision to acquire an odd contraption known as the sewing machine.

"When I first purchased my sewing machine, I was terrified and I was like, 'What is this?' After a lot of jammed threads, a lot of YouTube and a lot of tests and you get how things work."

But the numerous trial-and-errors weren't the only struggles she endured as she also had to do other tasks.

She had to make the script for the performance, but also she had to juggle alongside her nursing duties in the ER.

Six hours per day, three months, she crafted the outfit, which ultimately drained her.

PHOTO: Project Light

The clap back

But in the end, everything was done and together with her partner, they flew to Japan. Performing a Dynasty Warriors action skit.

Now were their efforts successful?

"No, but the greatest treasure was the friends we garnered. Mexico, the winners that year were really good. I saw their winning video, and I was like, 'Yeah they're gonna win."

Yet even when the pair failed to win the WCS event, the doors were already opened.

"It opened a lot of doors for me because we represented the country and I went to other events after that, mostly judging duties."

And with what she has accomplished SJ had one of the biggest clap backs to her family.

"Mas nauna pa akong pumunta abroad dahil sa cosplay."

PHOTO: Hoowan Pi

'Just do it!'

Nowadays, SJ spends most of her time making outfits and accepting commissions for events. Back in the MPL PH Season 12 playoffs, she and her team were tasked to rush Odin's Mathilda outfit within 5 days.

Just like preparing for the WCS event, burning the midnight oil was necessary. But unlike WCS, she didn't have months to prepare.

On the spot, one of her teammates went to Divisoria to buy fabrics and materials.

And after each day, her team would rush back to their AirBnB to craft the costume.

Within 5 days, they were able to accomplish the task and Odin was able to shine well with her hosting duties while wearing the silver-esque outfit.

But the MPL playoffs wasn't just an avenue for her to create Odin's costume as she also conducted a seminar for aspiring cosplay crafters.

So how does one begin their journey. Here are some interesting insights from SJ.

"Did you know that I have zero idea of what I'm doing? When people ask me how I do it, I reply 'I don't know,' I just do it," she revealed.

"It involves a lot of convincing yourself that you can do it. Sometimes there's a lot of analysis, paralysis, like you read to many to the point where you get overwhelmed. I still deal with it until today."

"A lot of Googling and YouTube will be involved because most of the time, you'll get handy."

"Just do it! If you have an idea go ahead and experiment," she reiterated.

Her talk managed to leave an impression to the point where the community wanted her to return in next season's MPL playoffs.

In the end, the once shy and socially awkward girl experienced a high degree of validation.