We’re looking forward to introducing you to Noah The Freakish Workshop. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Noah, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
A recent moment that made me feel proud was bringing, revealing, and wearing my biggest cosplay that I have made to date at a local comic con! The costume took almost 3 years to build and involved wood working for a pair of digitigrade stilts, hobby electronic work for internal cooling fans and lights, and the most foam crafting both in volume but also in size that I have ever done. The costume is almost a love letter to the cosplay foam crafting hobby and I am beyond proud of all the blood, sweat, and tears that went into the making of this huge build.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hey! My name is Noah but I go by Freakish Workshop (or The Freakish Workshop) on Instagram, Youtube, and Etsy. I am a cosplayer that specializes in what’s called Foamsmithing by the community. This means the primary medium I use to make my costume is EVA foam or Craft Foam. This is the same stuff you that you buy for your garage or basement that puzzle pieces together.
On a more focused level, I also specialize in developing, publishing, and selling templates and patterns, just like sewing patterns but for foam, that help people foam craft. This include LOTS of R&D to ensure a pattern actually works, filming and editing a tutorial that is available for free on my Youtube as well as some digital media marketing to let people know that a new pattern has been published. I have a variety of patterns available. Some are simple and act as a blank canvas for endless customization like pouches while others can be more specific such as my Special Forces Helmet pattern!
I am a geek at heart and all of my work and all of my art emanate from a love of source material and a wish to make cosplay and foam crafting more enjoyable and more approachable for all.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
The origin story of my cosplay-self came from my Dad. I had always been into making home movies and, for the longest time, my dream was to become a movie director. However, I also got stuck at the costume design and fabrication process. I would lose myself in making props and costumes for a movie that I would eventually abandon for whatever reason.
One day, while I was working on a new costume in my room, my dad walked in, looked around, then asked me to come with him. We stepped outside of my room and he closed the door. He then said;
“I wan you to pretend like this is someone else’s room for a second. I want you to guess, based off of what you see in the room, what should this person do as a job?” He then opened the door and I looked in. Assuming he wanted me to ‘clean my room’ I said as much which made him laugh.
“I will clarify: based off of what you see in the room, what is the thing this person loves to do.” And so I looked and say masks, costumes, armour, props, and plans for even more costumes.
“This person likes to make costumes.” I replied.
“I would agree. I am just going to leave you with that.”
I have been making costumes in nearly every second of spare time, ever since.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I was bullied pretty badly as a kid. It never got physical but religion was brought into the mix which is never easy to overcome. I would tell my younger self that it is worth it. It is worth it because I like and am proud of the person I am now and your suffering is just as much a part of you as your victories.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The lie that my industry tells us is that fame is just around the corner. In today’s world, fame appears to be the easier to achieve than ever before. For generations before, be it acting, music, etc, you had to have talent and you had to work hard for that talent but you also had to get lucky. You were one in a million. Now, thanks to social media and the absolute grotesque amount of content out there, fame can come from accidental virality. One popular video, for no other reason other than a random algorithm, can launch someone into getting brand deals and guest starring on podcasts.
The reality is that the fame you get is a pure form of the phrase “15 seconds of fame” and yet, when it happens, you see people try their hardest to hold onto it without talent. These people crumble from within which we do not see because that story does not go viral.
On the flip side, you have people with unbelievable talent being drowned out by metric tons of mediocre, slop content. Now, you are one a billion. Many people in my field will openly admit they never cosplayed before, saw how famous some people have gotten on social media by cosplaying, and start cosplaying to chase the dragon. These people, who are not truly displaying the hobby with the best intentions, block out the true artists putting their heart and soul into the genre.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. Are you doing what you were born to do—or what you were told to do?
Cosplay and costume design is what I was made for. Everything, all of my interests, how I am work and problem solve, how I plan, how I love to work with my hands, has culminated in costume making. While I love drawing (and I still sue drawing to help plan out a unique costume or prop) as well as writing and making or being in movies, cosplay has become my first love of the arts.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_freakish_workshop?igsh=ZDU5djBlc2Q0YXIz&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thefreakishworkshop1760
- Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/TheFreakishWorkshop
Image Credits
Photographers include @darkforestphotographic, @imladris.cos.pho, and @myerscorpcosplay on Instagram.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
