We were lucky to catch up with Danielle Deraleau recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Danielle, thanks for joining us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.

I went to my first “comic con” in 2015. I had always been a big fan of dressing up for Halloween, and getting to do that once a year just didn’t seem like enough. When researching Halloween costumes, I saw that some of them were labeled “cosplay” costumes, which lead to me discovering that people dress up as their favorite characters at conventions. At my first convention I wore a really simple outfit, but the artistry I saw around me was incredible. Attendees were wearing hand sewn gowns and carrying hand made life size props. I was so inspired that I immediately started planning to attend my next event.
Everything I do and make now is an amalgamation of skills I’ve learned from friends I’ve made in the cosplay and convention world. A friend with expertise in sewing came over multiple times to teach the basics and show me how to put things together. Taking a class at a convention on leather working lead to being inspired to try to make a belt for the first time. That’s one of my favorite things about cosplay- each finished costume is built up of stories from the people around you who helped you achieve it, even if they didn’t directly touch it themselves.
There’s also something to be said for how much can be learnt through watching a YouTube tutorial. There are very specific videos out there to help you achieve the exact effect you need for a costume to really bring it to life. I would say that in cosplay, one of the best skills you can have is being willing to ask for help. Don’t be afraid to tell a cosplayer you admire that their work is great-often times they are happy to talk to you about it because they worked so hard on it, and you can receive great tips from them.
The barrier to entry of this hobby can definitely be cost. One of my favorite things to do is to thrift items that are close to what I need for a costume, and alter them to be what I’m looking for. It’s kind to the planet, and more cost efficient.

Danielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Danielle (DaniellesGalaxy on social media) and I’ve been a cosplayer for 10 years. I’m most well known for creating magical props that bring fantasy to life. My goal in creating a prop or costume is to interpret what it would look like if it jumped from the TV screen into reality. That includes making a wizard staff that can actually cast spells, and an axe that’s over 5 feet tall and lights up. I love to focus on the little details of everything I work on.
I’m most well know for my interpretation of Frieren’s staff from the anime “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End.” I wanted it to be able to cast spells, and so my husband and I modeled the entire prop ourselves and created an electronic system tied to lights that allows the prop to project images. The build went viral on social media, amassing over 20 million views.
Every costume I build is because I’m passionate about the source material and the character. Months of work goes into a singular project in some cases, and I’m dedicated to making something I love every time. Through these projects, I’ve been fortunate to get to appear at multiple conventions to meet other cosplayers and teach them about building their own cosplays, as well as partner with small businesses and brands related to cosplay building or anime and pop culture.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I want cosplayers, or potential cosplayers, to know that there is no “perfect” way to cosplay. As long as you’re having fun and enjoying your fandom, you are a cosplayer. You don’t have to spend a lot on your costume, and you can make as much or as little of it as you want. Even though I enjoy making a lot of my pieces, I also have plenty of costumes that I didn’t make. There is a saying that “cosplay is for everyone,” and I fully believe it to be true.
When I first started this hobby I felt intimated by the cosplayers I saw around me sometimes. They seemed so talented and I wasn’t sure I could ever reach their “level.” But the longer I enjoy this hobby, the more I stand firm in the idea that cosplay and conventions, at their roots, are about having fun and enjoying fandom. They are not a contest to be “the best.” While cosplaying is an amazing way to learn new skills and feel a sense of accomplishment from building something, the ultimate goal is to have fun.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Going to panels and workshops at conventions taught by other cosplayers is a great way to learn a new skill! Some of them offer demonstrations to talk you through the process of what they’re teaching.
YouTube is a great place for quick tutorials if you’re working on a project and have questions about how to achieve an effect. There are tutorials on painting, foam work, wig work, and pretty much any other area of cosplay you can think of.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beacons.ai/daniellesgalaxy
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/daniellesgalaxy/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniellesgalaxy
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@daniellesgalaxy

Image Credits

@zdbimages
@sofar_nocigar
@minpinmakes