Auburn, AL
“It’s hard for me to quantify what’s weird about me because I am so unapologetic about everything. I make costumes because I am really into cosplay and I guess that’s kind of weird to some people. I love going to conferences. It’s awesome when you’re checking out of the really fancy hotel where DragonCon or something was held and then you see, like, Christians arriving for their conference.My best friend, Blair, introduced me to it. I had always been really intimidated to get into it - I was kind of like, “I don’t know where to start!”. I have always been really creative and I have a degree in Fine Arts; it made sense that I wanted to be involved. It’s like, where do I start with constructing a reproduction of a character? When she and I first met she would make the costume, and I’d watch her build on the costumes from year to year. Just watching her, I realized that it doesn’t have to be perfect or an overwhelming thing.There’s a really big sense of community in the costume community. I have made friends with folks on social media and it's been very encouraging, and people are really willing to share their knowledge and expertise and how they are building things. Right now, I am working on a Judge Dread costume—well, my friend is going to be Judge Dread and I am going to be Judge Anderson, and there is an entire Facebook group dedicated to Judge Dread costuming! It’s really cool. All of these people I’ve met on social media – I see in person at conferences and I have built really uplifting and intense relationships with people. We do group vacations like two times a year, stay in touch, and we build a giant family."