Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monica McDowell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Monica, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I think it’s something that has been with me for my entire life, and I didn’t realize it until I got into doing cosplay. I’ve always been loved art. My earliest memories were of tracing pictures out of my coloring books as a child, and eventually just developing the ability to draw whatever I was looking at. At the point that I fell into cosplay, I had gotten out of a long term relationship, and I was going out with friends, and doing things to try to keep myself occupied. I don’t quite remember how the conversation happened, but some of my friends and I decided to attend this convention in Atlanta called DragonCon, and I knew that people dressed up, so I decided I’d make myself a costume. I decided to cosplay from one of my favorite video game series’, BioShock, as a Little Sister, and got to work on putting together a costume. I bought an Alice in Wonderland costume from Amazon, and other bibs and bobs to create the look. I ended up meeting someone during this time, and we eventually started dating, and I met other people, specifically a group of women that also liked to cosplay, and I eventually got more and more into it. Eventually, I came across this amazing fantasy designer that goes by the name of Firefly Path, and I had never seen anything like her work before. She makes gorgeous fantasy gowns and accessories, and I was really drawn do this ethereal, whimsical look. She designed and made these beautiful gowns and fairy wings with all this detail, and it was just awe-inspiring. I had a friend at the time that learned to make fairy wings, and she showed me and some of my other friends how to do it, and I picked it up really well for myself, and realized it would be a nice way to make extra money to help fund my newfound love of cosplay, so I decided I wanted to do commissions for fairy wings. My sewing skills were still developing, but I felt confident enough to make something like wings. I found a series of videos of an interview that the designer behind Firefly Path did, in which she talked about what other people could do to pursue their own love of costuming, and it was really inspiring. My costuming skills were growing, and the combination of it all just made me realize that this is what I wanted to do. I used to be in school for Criminal Justice, and I wanted to pursue a path in Computer Forensics. I wanted to do something that would help people. While I sill love forensics, I realized that facing the realities of how cruel people can be to each other, I wasn’t sure that I would really be happy with doing that. But with art, especially creating wearable art, I realized that I could put something beautiful into the world, and that would help people. We’re so capable of creating gorgeous, awe-inspiring beauty. Gorgeous paintings, amazing architecture, and I wanted to be part of that world. I realized that I was happiest when I make things, and decided that this was the path I wanted for myself.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I started my Etsy shop in 2019, and a friend of mine suggested the name Mask & Moonlight because of my love of the anime, Sailor Moon. My shop consists of fantasy costume pieces such as headdresses, ear cuffs, and fairy wings. I also make cute dessert statement jewelry from polymer clay. I felt that the two tie together because there is a genre of cosplay called Lolita fashion, and I saw cosplayers that liked to dress in Lolita would wear cute jewelry and accessories, so I felt that making cute accessories that would work with those outfits would be a cute idea. There’s a polymer clay artist I found on Instagram that goes by the name of Fatally Feminine Designs, and she makes very cute jewelry. I was really inspired by that, and taught myself to make my own jewelry.
I currently work an outside job, and I’m working toward making my business my full time job. People reach out to me for commissions for fairy wings, and I love creating things for them. It makes me really happy to help other cosplayers, and people in general that just love dressing up, to give them a piece of art that they can add to a costume. I’ve been encouraged a lot by friends to try out vending at craft markets, and it’s something I definitely want to do. I have to sit down and research and plan what I need to do, but it’s definitely a goal I have to try out being a vendor and get myself out there and have more exposure. I always have plans for new designs, and I plan to expand into making fantasy jewelry, such as arm cuffs, necklaces & earrings, and arm bracers. My brain never shuts off, and there’s just a ton that I want to do! I also plan to expand the polymer clay side of my art beyond food jewelry. I wear my dessert jewelry to work regularly, and frequently get lots of compliments, and I’ve gotten some sales that way, as well. Someone I made jewelry for had come into my job one day to let me know how much she loved the earrings I made that she’d ordered for her daughter, and that made me feel really happy. That’s the part that makes me feel excited, is when I give someone that joy with something I made. It fills me with warmth and happiness, and I know I’m on the right path.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
That’s an interesting question! Let me think… I think it’s a little hard for me to put into words because unlike a lot of designers out there, I’m not formally trained or educated in what I do. Ninety-nine percent of what I do, I’ve taught myself through watching youtube videos, and learning from other people, and tutorials. I think it goes back to when I traced drawings as a child, and somehow I just developed this ability to really absorb techniques and it’s just intuitive for me to use what I’ve learned and replicate the process for whatever it is I want to make. And I went into this knowing that I wanted to create things of the best quality that I can, and I’m constantly trying to improve and take things up a notch.
My advice for anyone on their own creative journey, is to one, be very curious. I’m a Gemini, and we are very, very curious, haha! Whenever I wanted to make something, if there was someone I could ask, I would. I would advise people to join forums and Facebook groups, and spaces where other people do what you do, and you can ask questions to get advice. Watch YouTube videos, so many people make tutorials on so many creative things. If there are artists you follow on the internet, watch their IG reels because creatives sharing their processes is such a popular thing right now, and it helps you learn. And of course there is also simply googling whatever it is you want to do, and finding tutorials and blogs that people have made. For me, I’m so eager and excited when I learn to do something, I immediately want to go try it out for myself especially if I’m having a little trouble in how I want to go about making something, Sometimes I’ll watch something, and seriously drop what I’m doing and pull out supplies to try it out!
I think having a natural passion would be the second thing, because you have to have that drive within you to fuel yourself in whatever it is you’re doing. Developing a skill isn’t just merely learning, it’s being drawn to it, seeing the beauty in it, and feeling connected to it. I feel that’s how a person can really improve, and end up creating something amazing.
Going in hand with these things, making sure you’re happy with what you’re producing. I went head first into cosplay. I didn’t know how to sew, and I’ve always been more of a paper and pencil artist up until I did get into cosplay. I don’t know for myself where all of this came from, haha! But I just dove in, and realized what I could do with my hands. So I think whenever you want to do something, you just need to decide “I want to do this thing,” and then go do it, and do it for yourself first if you’re unsure that you can produce it for others. One hurdle I’ve had to get over is sometimes comparing the quality of what I make, to other people. Mainly because they have resources that I currently don’t, and I always want to give my best to people that buy from me. But then I told myself one day that everything we have is man-made, and it doesn’t last forever no matter how well it’s made. So as long as I know I’m doing my absolute best, and put all of the knowledge I have into what I doing, I know I’m making something great, and I just go for it! When it comes to my jewelry, I will test out techniques first to see how well they work, if I’m unsure. And sometimes when I’m filling an order for someone and I’m making their jewelry, I will do something differently that I didn’t do before that ends up making it even better. When I’m doing something new, I usually make it for myself first, and then if I’m happy with it, I give myself the go ahead that I want to offer it in my shop.
Alright, so before we go we want to ask you to take a moment to reflect and share what you think you would do if you somehow knew you only had a decade of life left?
I’ve actually been dealing with some art block, for a while. I’ve had a lot of challenges in my personal life of the last couple of years, and I’m trying to do a lot of self-care to work through it. I haven’t been horribly active on my social media for a bit, as I work through things, but I’m slowly coming back out. I recently bought this book I learned about from a digital artist I follow by the name of Apple Cheeks. She was struggling with burnout and found this book called The Artist’s Way, by Julia Cameron. I heard some other artists I follow reference it as well, and so I just started reading it the other day. The introduction in itself was enough for me to know that this is what I need to come out on the other side and reconnect with my art. Artists can become bogged down with comparisons and imposter syndrome, and we question ourselves. I’m really excited to delve into this book,
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MaskandMoonlight
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maskandmoonlight/?hl=en
- Facebook: facebook.com/maskandmoonlight
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@maskandmoonlight
Image Credits
All photos were taken by me, Monica McDowell
