All Adventures Have a Beginning
As a high school student in 2003, I discovered cosplay through a Wikipedia page. Never would I have imagined that I'd still be making quirky costumes and dressing as a fictional character fifteen years later. A younger Steff wouldn't even be able to fathom that comics, anime, and video games could be part of mainstream pop culture when she had been consistently bullied over playing Pokemon and watching Power Rangers. But here we are: a time where pop stars openly enjoy Naruto, where comic book movies are at the top of the box office, where people can make a living playing video games, where you can say the word "cosplay" and most people know exactly what you're referring to. In the same way, I had always wanted to be a writer (the irony that I'm typing a blog post is not lost on me); but a simple hobby has completely detoured my career path into a winding road full of ups, downs, and even circles.
Which is, more or less, why I've stumbled towards the task of creating a personal website.
Welcome, by the way!
Realizing it has become increasingly difficult to reach the audience I've built over the years through standard social media, I needed a place to 100% call my own. I wanted to build a portfolio for those who already follow my work and to showcase it to those who are unfamiliar. Simple, polished, and professional was the original aim. Organically though, I came to the conclusion that I didn't just want a portfolio and thus began to add in my store, this blog, and a booking section- a one stop shop for all things Steff.
What I hope to do, specifically for this blog, is to create a space where I can post bits of knowledge and opinions that others might find useful. What does that mean? Posts catered not only towards personal and product updates, but sewing information, tutorials, reviews, conventions, photography, and come what may in the world of designing and creating. My hope is that you, my fine reader, can come out of each post either with new information, a new perspective, or renewed motivation for your own projects.
However, that doesn't apply to today's post. Sorry, not sorry for egging you on like that.
But as an intro post, I simply wanted to let you know what to expect in the near future. I already have a couple of blog topics on which to write, some product reviews, and general information posts. As for products, that's truly what I'm excited to share! This is actually a soft re-opening of my store. You'll notice a couple new things within the product and print pages; however, there's much more to come! I'll be making eBooks for a couple of the panels I run at conventions, along with more digital print packages (some being older Patreon sets), and even some new physical products including enamel pins, more sticker sizes, and buttons. If there are specific products you'd like to see offered, please let me know! For now, I do have a sale going on for all prints: buy 3 get 1 free! Use the code "REOPEN" during checkout for it to apply. The sale
runs through March 31.
With all that being said, I do hope you stick around. Please join the email list if you're interested in future updates to the site which include: new merchandise, costumes, and blog posts, along with sale notifications. But most importantly, I hope you stay to see the continuous growth in my work, not just in costume creation but design, marketing, and business. As someone who once only wanted to be as strong and cool as the characters I portrayed, it's been an honor to grow and make myself a permanent home within the sewing community.
