Interested in lifestyling... Where to start?

[SynthTheFox]

What should I go to intergrate it into my life? I know theres collars, tails, ears and stuff but I don't own any of those yet xP I know theres other elements too, but whats the best way to go about becoming a lifestyler?

[Shim]

Depending on your age and location, you could try to look into some local meetups with other furs?

[Avan]

Well, there is some level of personal feel to it. What do you think you want to do? It doesn't have to be collars, ears or tails, though for many it is.

[SynthTheFox]

Depending on your age and location, you could try to look into some local meetups with other furs?

Im 16. I could prob go to some local meets, there are some now and again but I always feel nervous about it I think I have to stop worrying as much

[Shim]

I'm 16 as well, so you should probably take into consideration what your parents think before going to local meetups and other things like that. If you're in Illinois, why not come to Midwest Furfest in November? I did

[knightpazz]

I have a collar and I try to go to a meet every month now I just started doing these things like a week ago and I find that when I wear a collar
I feel much more proud to go to my furry or pack meets

[FallingAlone]

I've recently ordered a custom hoodie, which has on it printed a fur pattern (it's cotton, with fur PRINTED as a pattern onto it, like almost anime-style fur) with the Phi Paw. Its really cool, and even people who aren't furry think it's awesome.

[Mr. Apple]

I've recently ordered a custom hoodie, which has on it printed a fur pattern (it's cotton, with fur PRINTED as a pattern onto it, like almost anime-style fur) with the Phi Paw. Its really cool, and even people who aren't furry think it's awesome.

pics pleez

[Brad9995]

I'm only 14 and i even ordered some ears off this internet and i rely don't know what to do next, anyone have and suggestions?

[Sk Skunk]

Don't worry about lifestyling. If you have to work at it your doing it wrong. 

IMHO, it's more in your mind than anything else. While I'd love to roam around in public with my tail, place skunk tracks on my car, show my furry pride, it's what I think about that matters. What another thinks may be totally different. This is what is great about furry. It's totally what you make of it.

I'll do things like make fursonas for the people I meet. For example, my family is a bunch of Badgers, maybe Tasmanian Devils. My former business pardner, (RIP) was an Otter. I have used the term paws, instead of hands or feet, for years, long before I ever heard of furry. That's one you can use among the general public. I am also building my own fursuit.
I am SK Skunk, no one can tell me any different. Anyone that doesn't need to know doesn't have to know.

[furtopia02]

Don't worry about lifestyling. If you have to work at it your doing it wrong. 

That's what I was thinking when I read this (and the other person asking the same thing lately). I never knew people made an effort out of their way to 'be a lifestyler', I just thought it was something that happened when it took over most aspects of your daily life or was the centralized thing that was the center of your lifestyle.

[Kiska Nirpaw]

Don't worry about lifestyling. If you have to work at it your doing it wrong. 

That's what I was thinking when I read this (and the other person asking the same thing lately). I never knew people made an effort out of their way to 'be a lifestyler', I just thought it was something that happened when it took over most aspects of your daily life or was the centralized thing that was the center of your lifestyle.

Ditto. It doesn't have to revolve around collars, ears, and tails all the time. I consider myself a casual lifestyler in the fact that my car has a phipaw, I sometimes wear con shirts, I fursuit at random, I live with two other furs, and have some fur art on our bedroom wall. But my life doesn't revolve around furry, as I have plenty of non-fur friends, my bf, roommate, and myself don't call each other by our fur names unless at cons, and I rarely ever wear my collar.

[Necryn]

If you see furry as something you ARE rather than as something you DO, you're a lifestyler, in my opinion.  The difference between furry fans and lifestylers is lifestylers see themselves as their fursona in some sense.  There are differing schools of thought on what the term "lifestyler" means, which is why it's always careful to use such terms.  My definition aligns pretty closely with the wikifur article.

If you're just looking for ways to incorporate furry into your life, there are a lot of fun ways you can do so.  Learn how to make costuming (headband ears and belt tails are relatively easy to start with).  Draw yourself as your fursona.  A friend in college introduced my roommate and I to furry because he noticed that we drew ourselves as anthro animals on the dry erase board on our dorm room door.  Try making sculpy figurines of your fursona, or collect plushies.  Wear t-shirts with animals or anthro animals on them, seek out local furmeets, and go to those conventions that you can afford to go to.  If you can't make it yourself, get or commission artwork and costuming.  Yeah, full suits are expensive, but ears and tails are generally affordable.  Try online role-play featuring anthro animals, or try mucks, IRC, or Furcadia.  There are lots of things you can do.  We have a very rich community.