We were lucky to catch up with Ninja-dee recently and have shared our conversation below.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I attribute where I am in life thanks to Lord of the Rings, Behide the Scenes. As nerdy as that is. I remember being awed as a teen that the armor and props were all hand made, and I wanted that to be a part of my future. During my early cosplay days in high school, I dabbled in prop making with cheap foams. I applied to collage with the intent to get an Industrial Design degree which lead me to learn CAD modeling and the wonders of 3D printing. Now I utilize those skills professionally and to better my cosplays.

I take commissions for 3D printed props and accessories as it fulfills my desire to keep my hands active outside of my planned cosplays. There is only so much space on my prop wall, and I have this innate need to stay busy, so making props for other people has kept me sane throughout the years. I’m very proud that I was able to turn this hobby into a profit, and I’m grateful to those that trust me with their projects. You can see my creations on my Instagram highlights!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

It’s the people I interact with. I don’t follow any of the new seasonal animes that my peers are hyped over, so a lot of the time I can’t relate to my fellow cosplayers.

I say this all the time to explain myself- I only keep up with the One Piece manga.

It can get a little lonely, and I just don’t have the desire in me to follow all the current shows, because I have commitment issues and fears that a series may last another lifetime that I do not have. However, when I do click with that 1-out-of-10 individual, that friendship lasts through out many cons for years to come. And it’s the same for the fans that follow my content, where we have endless messages going back and forth of real conversations about One Piece or Nikke, or our mutual distain for Kingdom Hearts and other childhood series.

I enjoy these talks more than surface level chit-chat; and it wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for putting myself and my cosplays out there.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Not everyone you meet at con is truly who they are after the con ends, and it’s ok to only keep them as con acquaintances.

When I first started in the cosplay community, it wasn’t as mainstream as it is now. So when I met someone in person, cosplaying from the same series as me, it was a big deal. And naturally, you want to make friends with someone who has the same interests as you. But how they present themselves online and at cons, can be vastly different than who they are without a wig on.

I learned that lesson during my first 2 years of cosplay. It was eye opening how cut-throat some of these girls were over a hobby: bringing down another girl just because they cosplayed the same character; faking a friendship to get perks out of the person; and spreading rumors to make it seem like they were the victim. When I was made aware of what was happening behind the scenes with the group that I considered my first cosplay friends, it made me very jaded.

Stories like this are common when you ask the right people. It’s also why I don’t immediately trust the person that is claiming ‘victim’ the loudest. Maybe that’s just part of growing up in a community that prides itself in inclusion (or at least it tries its best). I think social media and the internet has made this hobby a scarier place. So you need to protect yourself emotionally and mentally, and there is nothing wrong with declining to become friends with someone who is essentially a stranger.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://ko-fi.com/ninjadee
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/ninjadeelee
• Twitter: https://x.com/NinjaDeeLee
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/NinjaDee

Image Credits

rikognition
thef1g
boontato
ko_photocafe
randygeephotography
wk.tora
lagoon.photo