Can you tell us about your first cosplay?

My first cosplay was Melody Pond from Doctor Who! I was living in Paris, France at the time and had never been to a convention. Knowing that it would be a great way to make friends, I decided to use my grocery allowance and buy the screen-accurate dress for Mels!

Do you have a cosplay piece that you are most proud of?

I’m really proud of my entire Lost Boys' Rufio cosplay. Sometimes I just look at it like, “Wow, I made that.” It took me three years and three different versions of the cosplay to land on the final look but it was so worth it!

What do you hope to achieve through cosplay?

I love inspiring people to create and to get out of their comfort zone by representing characters they love. I’ve always been a creative person and I love seeing art shared by such a wide range of people.

Is there a cosplayer that you look up to or inspires you?

Absolutely! Ginny Di has always been an inspiration and was the first cosplayer I saw doing cosplay. Her cosplays gave me the, “I want to do THAT” moment and I’ve never looked back.

If you could give any piece of advice to new cosplayers, what would it be?

Start with what you know. Most of us gravitate toward certain characters and I think it’s important that no matter how popular they are we stick with what we love. I also think a lot of people underestimate what they can make with the skills they already have! You don’t have to use the popular means of making cosplays in order to build yours. Some of my favorite cosplays I’ve seen have been made out of non-traditional materials.

What would you say is the hardest part of cosplaying?

I think staying true to yourself. It’s really easy to feel like you should cosplay a certain way or a certain character because they’re known but that’s just not true. Cosplay is about being passionate about what YOU love! Also, cosplay can be really expensive if you follow what others do. Learn to build what you want with the budget you have and you might surprise yourself!

What are you looking forward to next year?

I just moved to a larger space so I’m really looking forward to being able to build in more than a studio apartment. I also am really excited for more self-taken photoshoots in a space that can actually make my cosplays stand out.

Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions?

Every year I make the resolution to read more. This year I’ve read one book each month with my IG ‘Quarantine Book Club.’ I’m excited to read even more in 2021!