You guys, I just had the best birthday on record, just the most amazing group of people at work and friends in my life, and everyone went out of their way to make my day special. My early 20’s were… rough… and i’m really excited to sign this decade off with the best year yet. There are so many things I used to think i would have, or should have, completed before 30, and frankly, those just aren’t things that make me happy. This year, I’m going to fill my life with a 30 by 30 list… the thirty things I want to learn or do prior to by 30th birthday next year.
To determine what I wanted to add to the list, I broke it into 3 categories: personal goals, cosplay/cosplay props, and makeup or prop making techniques. Half of these are just to help me focus on things I have bought materials for and just haven’t finished… or even started! Others are simply things I’ve wanted to for a long time and just haven’t gotten around to. This is going to be a long one… strap in!
30 By 30 Challenge
Personal Goals
- Lose 30 lbs. I’ve never felt better about myself, but i’d really like to get healthier, and 30 feels like a good number.
- Pay off my credit card. I’ve tackled most of my other debts, and i’m on track to having this debt eliminated by my 30th birthday. Probably one of the most adult things on this list.
- Learn to french braid. I can do normal braids, but would love to try some hairstyles with french braids… it could help me mix up my standard “i haven’t showered” top knot.
- Go to 3 concerts. I love going to shows for bands I love, and I technically cheated, as I already have tickets to one 😉
- Average one post per week. I have gotten caught up in feeling like I have to be “perfect” with great photos to post something, and I end up with with a lot of half finished projects. I just need to get back into the habit of posting regularly again.
- Try Singing Bowl Meditation. I have tried a few methods to help with stress relief, and this one really intrigues me. They actually hold a class in the Butterfly House in Sioux Falls, and I think that could be pretty magical.
- Do a Reiki session. I’ve really benefitted from following Ayurveda practices (Pitta balancing) and I think there is a lot to say about how energy works in the body. Everything is worth trying once, and I have a friend who recently became certified.
- Take an INFJ course. I’ve taken the official Meyer Briggs, and truly believe it is a way to under stand yourself. You can take the free version on 16personalities.com, and they have additional courses to get even more introspective. I think this will be a lot of fun, and help me worth through some of my indecisions as of late about what I truly want in life. Sorry to get all deep on ya’ll.
- Participate in NaNoWriMo. Otherwise known as National Novel Writers Month. I have a story idea that has been germinating, and have always wanted to join in the fun. Basically, it is a challenge to write a 50,000 word novel between November 1 and November 30.
- Travel out of the country. Back in 2014, I made my first international trip and I made a vow to do my best to travel out of the US at least once per year. I made it through 2016, but it just didn’t happen in 2017. It miiiight not happen in 2018 either, but I think I can make it happen in the next 12 months.
Cosplay!
- Go to 2 cons. Sooo…. I admit, I love making costumes, but I haven’t actually gone to a con… I have a lot of anxiety about new experiences sometimes, but i know I am really going to enjoy this. Not sure which would be best… any suggestions?
- Mad Eye Moody Cosplay. I don’t know exactly why this appeals to me so much, but Im extremely excited to complete this one! I actually started pieces of this two years ago, and there is a good chance that I might re-do a few of them, however, I want to really make this one cool.
- Mad Eye Moody’s Staff. Cheating? Perhaps, but I think to make this look really good will take quite a bit of work. I once tried to start this prop by adding insulation foam to a PVC pipe, but I was super unenthused with the results. Thankfully, I stomped around in my dad’s woods and only got about 17 mosquito bites in the 5 minutes it took to find a good walking stick of sorts.
- Thor Cosplay. This isn’t the Thor you are thinking of… I want to cosplay my character on the Girl In Space podcast, which is an AMAZING audio drama. Officer Ivory Thorsson is a serious badass, and I am beyond excited to get this one finished. I made a first attempt at it and was a bit underwhelmed by it, though, I may still post it. This second version in progress is really turning out well, and I cant wait to share it with you guys! For sneak peeks, find me on Facebook!
- TOP “Trench” cosplay. While it might not actually be a “cosplay” in the traditional sense, I absolutely LOVE Twenty One Pilots. If you follow me on my Instagram (@madlikealyce), I have actually done a few makeup looks inspired by their music, such as this one based on the artwork on their self titled album. Their new album drops on October 5, but there are two songs out that illustrate a dystopian society, and they have some pretty characteristic costumes.
- Twenty One Pilots “Bishop” cloak. I was so overwhelmed by “Jumpsuit” that i wanted to do more than just the bishop makeup and really want to make the full cloak. I’ve already bought the fabric, but haven’t started yet since I wanted to make more progress on Thor first.
- Mod a gun prop. I have watched a ton of great videos on Punished Props or Zonbi’s Workshop on how to make props from scratch. I hope to get there someday, but to start, I would like to modify a nerf gun so that it fits with my Thor Cosplay, because she NEEDS a badass gun.
- Jessica Jones Cosplay. Since I haven’t been to a cosplay convention before, I thought it would be good to have a solid closet cosplay that would be super comfortable to wear while getting the lay of the land. That, and I LOVE Jessica Jones for so many reasons.
- Get a workshop area set up. In my tiny, tiny apartment, doing a project pretty much takes over. I have my sewing machine set up on the dining room table (i.e. bartop table… not a lot of room) and have fabric spread out on my desk and on the buffet table. Aaaannnnd all over the floor. Sorry Damir. I am getting sick of having my sewing stuff hidden in the bathroom and my FX makeup kit in the bedroom, and 50% of my craft stuff in my entryway closet, and the other 50% in the buffet. Not to mention any tools/spray paint in the garage. The one part of my apartment that i am most unhappy about is the dining area (which you can see my attempt at decorating here), which uses decor I had, rather than getting what I want, so its time to rectify this and have a “workshop” area. TBD on if this actually helps how much of a mess I can make.
- Create Foam Armor. Making foam armor is another skill that I think looks just awesome. Im thinking this could be something it could be something for Thor? Or maybe I will get in a bonus character!
Yikes! This is getting long. Take a snack break. Or a nap. This is exactly what I did mid post. Right now. In the past.
Makeup & Technique
- Make a life cast. I bought the stuff (technical term) for a life cast a year ago. Im just super chicken to do it, because I don’t necessarily have people who know what they are doing to help me. I am also super anxious about it because i’m strangely terrified of my nose being blocked. I had a sinus surgery a few years ago, and the scabs they pulled out of my nostrils gave me a complex. It was super gross you guys. Now whenever I even think i feel a booger, I have to blow my nose, and I swear it itches all of the time now. #paranoid. Completing this will help greatly with:
- Sculpt a prosthetic. I’d love to try sculpting a simple prosthetic. No idea what just yet, but… kind of a next level SFX skill that I want to add to my toolbox.
- Apply a pre-made prosthetic. I have done a lot of “out of kit” prosthetics, and I did technically use some bullet holes in my first ever zombies, BUT at that time “blending edges” meant nothing to me. It was bad. Maybe I should revise this to apply a face prosthetic? Or… improve/develop edge blending skills?
- Apply a bald cap. I have had some fun ideas on make up looks and a few that other artists have done that I loved so much that I think it would be fun to try, but i have so much hair that i’m kind of nervous about putting on a bald cap, especially by myself. I might do the ponytail down my back hack? Stay tuned.
- Old age makeup. I feel like doing this is also a fairly basic SFX skill that I just haven’t tried yet. Not going to put too much pressure on myself for a first time success, but ya gotta start somewhere.
- Gender-bend makeup. Probably going to be a thing with Mad Eye Moody, anyway, but there are so many talented artists who have done full scale gender transformations, and I’d like to dip my toe into the waters of learning how to contour my face to accomplish various characters.
- Armor/Prop weathering. An extension of doing the gun mod and making foam armor, I feel like making it happen, painting it, and then doing a convincing weathering should count for more than just one skill.
- How to use a heat gun for foam prop details. Same as above, just making the armor or props is one thing, but i’m guessing there is probably a bit of skill required to use a heat gun properly.
- Learn how to use scar wax. I have actually never used this! For most cuts/sculpted looks, I default to gelatin, however, I definitely think that there is a lot of room to be desired for gelatin. Scar wax seems really clunky to work with, but i’ve seen some artists do some incredible work with it, so I plan on adding this skill, or at least an introduction to the skill, to my set a as well.
- Finally: Learn how to use an airbrush. For both prop armor and SFX makeup, I think that airbrush skills will be a must. Part 1 will be doing armor etc. since this will likely be much easier than trying to do airbrush makeup on myself. Once I have the basics of the skill down, I could perhaps try airbrushing on someone else?
So! I have a serious list of things to tackle in the coming year. Anything you have been putting off learning or trying? Anything on this list you would like to try as well? Let me know!
Hi! I'm Alyce. 
