Toralei Stripe Cosplay

Sometimes.. I realize that I can't DO EVERYTHING. That finishing the thing I fully envisioned to the extent and quality I wanted is not worth the physical pain I have been putting myself through or the possible health complications due to overextending myself. This is immensely frustrating. I'm high functioning and most of the time I do not display outward symptoms of how I am feeling, but I have a war going on inside my body. Putting all my energy into something that results in a product that I am extremely proud of and also that can be visually admired by others who appreciate all that has gone into it is sometimes enough to bypass the pain and crushing exhaustion I feel all the time.

The past few days have been very hard on me. I'm trying to navigate creating Toralei, an interactive textile project, re-submitting a stage for my MRP protocol, finishing half my MRP, analyzing data from my MRP research, and applying for two conferences my adviser wants me to present my findings at. Oh yes, and working two days a week and another day at an internship. By my calculations, I'm around 67 hours for this project alone.. And I still have to do all these things:
-wait for shoes to dry, melt studs to platform top (may need another paint coat before)
-cut, style wig, color streak portions
-sew ears into wig
-put F/X makeup on, costume, commute down to Ryerson and do photoshoot
-research readings
-write paper

I don't know how but I need to do the photoshoot tonight so I can start writing today. And I'll be suffering for it but what can I do? This class has been extremely difficult for me to absorb and I hope this project will truly show how hard I've been working to understanding cosplay and my own practices a little better.
A few decisions were made that will be reflected in posts on finished garments later. I am not making the coat. A classmate was amazing enough to donate a coat for me to use as I've already spent so much on this project but I just have no time to work on it. I don't think it is an intrinsic part of Toralei's outfit. It will also give me the opportunity to showcase the arm coverings I've done which is a very good exchange! Secondly, her red gloves are supposed to be leather and pretty glam rock with fingers missing and studs on them.. But I'm using what I could find for cheap which are knitted fingerless gloves. These two things and anything else I reduce will likely be done in the future when I have more time after this semester is done. I need to pull back and be smart about how I spend the next few hours. And rest my body to reduce some of the stress.