Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Heather & Will James. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Heather & Will, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

Heather: My creative career only truly began a few short years ago after I first met my business partner and husband, Will, who helped and supported me in making the jump into self employment. A born artist, I had been working for years in the administrative and hospitality industry, generally unhappy with working for others. I was longing to design and make clothing, costumes, whatever, but had no access to the sort of resources I believed I would need to even begin down that road.

Since I was little, art was ” a hobby, but not a way to make a living” and I was encouraged to learn and take courses in things that didn’t really interest me. I ended up with almost but not quite a BS in Comp Admin, which is, I have to say, about as far from fashion design as I could get. I have mostly learned what I know through my family and through some hefty amounts of trial and error, among many YouTube tutorials on various things, and a whole lot of books and manuals, as well as the countless hours I spend refining my skills. I often wish I didn’t lack some formal training in the areas I work in.

If having my own business was a pipedream, having that business be based on my creative efforts was far beyond anything I thought I would be able to accomplish on my own. Thinking of that transition from steady paycheck to maybe I don’t make anything this month was one I struggled with a lot, so while my goals remained to get there, I really had no good roadmap for how until I was allied with someone who knew a little more than I did about what to do.

I feel that if I had been encouraged in my youth to pursue what truly made me happy, I would have been better equipped and more confident in navigating a self run business/career. Or what would have happened if I had told my parents I wanted to go to fashion school instead of community college? Probably not much would have changed, as the means just weren’t available to us then, but I still sincerely wish I could have gained some of that valuable training before I became thoroughly settled within the Monday to Friday 8-6 work week for a couple of decades.

Will: I first realized that I wanted to make things for television and film when I was about 11 or 12. I was a huge Star Trek and Star Wars nerd and dreamed of making the ship models that they used to bring fiction to reality on screen. I spent innumerable hours building and painting model kits of all my favorite sci-fi ships, but I never thought that doing it professionally was something that was a realistic option.

As the first person in my family to even want to go to college, I had decided that I had to do something professional and that was where I focused all of my efforts. I got a degree, went into It, and spent almost two decades of my life in a career that, while financially lucrative, didn’t feed me creatively.

While I’d been to tons of comic and sci-fi conventions throughout my life, it wasn’t until my son was born, that I tried dressing up in costume and going with him and that was when things began to change – suddenly all that joy I had making model space ships as a kid came flooding back to me. And when folks started asking me if I could make things for them, I decided to take a stab at being a full time creative.

A couple of years after I’d started my little prop and costume business, I was hired to work on Prospect – a feature length sci-fi film starring Pedro Pascal and Sophie Thatcher – both of who then went on to star in The Mandalorian shortly afterwards. That was when I realized the dream I’d had as a kid, had actually become my reality.

The only downside, and why I wished I’d started so much sooner is that it is almost impossible to work full-time in film living in Seattle and while being a parent. I grew up and lived in Los Angeles almost my entire life, and I know that if I’d pursued my dream career from the beginning, I’d have been able to do a lot more film work early on.

Heather & Will, 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?

Heather : For myself, I got into sewing clothing when I was pretty young, making clothes together with my mom. In high school, it evolved into historical garments and a preoccupation with RenFaire, before evolving into the costume/fashion arts where I found I was the most happy.

Will : My son and I dressed up for Emerald City Comic Con the year he was born, and it was all over after that. I found joy in making costumes and props for myself and my kids that I hadn’t found in years in my work (I worked in IT for almost 20 years) and when people started asking me if I could make things for them, I decided to give being an artist a shot and I’ve never looked back. Heather and I met a few years after I’d started my own business and we decided to team up (personally and professionally) and created Sionnach Studios.

Sionnach Studios is a costume and prop design and fabrication studio consisting of us two geeks. What we offer falls into three categories.

1. Physical Goods – We have a variety of ready to go props, helmets, and costumes in either finished or kit form in our online shop.
2, Digital Files – We create and offer sewing patterns, foam patterns, and 3D models in our online shop.
3. Custom work – We design and make both original and replica costumes and props for personal commissions, as well as television and film.

We both put a lot of care and effort into each piece we make, and pride ourselves on our neat, clean work. Our goal for a costume is always to provide not only one that the customer feels great in, but one that is as comfortable, durable, wearable, and washable as any high quality garment.

As pattern makers and 3D modelers, we want to empower our community to become makers themselves and encourage them in their creative journey by providing pattern options and models that are not readily available. And with written and video tutorials, help guide others in improving the quality of their own creative endeavors in costuming and prop making.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Will: Value our work. There has always been a problem with society undervaluing the work of artists and creatives and that’s only grown exponentially recently with the growth of “AI” art.

As an example, about 70% of customers who reach out to us for a quote on commission work end up declining (or worst just ghosting us) due to our pricing being too high, and, honestly, for the amount of work that goes into a custom commission, we’re undercharging because we need the work.

Almost all artists devalue their own work, just like we do, just to get the business because there is only a small segment of society that fully understands and appreciates the value of creative work. Sometimes that feels like a never-ending downward spiral, and the bulk of the work to right that trajectory needs to come from society supporting us and valuing us more.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Heather: Emotion and how I’m feeling are very closely tied to my daily work rituals. My entire working life has been defined by not bringing or setting aside emotions in your work environment, and while that works for some, for myself, I generally have to deal with these as they happen, and it never cares what my schedule might be. If I’m down or feeling off, the creative muscle doesn’t really want to respond and creating becomes a struggle.

I learned early on that I had to cultivate an emotional environment for myself that would uplift me instead of drag me backward. I am at my creative best when I’m happy, motivated, and feeling confident in my style choices. Less than that still gets some jobs done, but in moments where I’m called upon for my creative voice, I make sure to take a few extra minutes for myself.

Somewhat confusingly, the process in reverse is sometimes what I need to get my head right. Taking time to go paint or create in a way that is outside of my norm helps a lot. The hobby outside the hobby as it were – the lane change in thought – is often what helps me to gently bring myself back to task.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sionnachstudios.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sionnach.studios/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sionnachstudios/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/sionnachstudios/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/SionnachStudios
• Other: Online store: https://shop.sionnachstudios.com/

Image Credits
Girl With the Blue Hair Photography Triple Click Photo Sionnach Studios