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.

Monica, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved art. But it wasn’t until my late 20’s that I decided to really immerse myself in it. I became involved with cosplay and making my own costumes, and over time I realized how much I enjoyed creating wearable art. I’ve always seen myself being an artist, but art has never been seen as a “real” job. But seeing so many other people pursuing their dreams in the arts eventually inspired me to take that leap for myself!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started cosplaying in 2012. I went to my first convention in Georgia and decided to dress up. I put together a costume as a character from one of my favorite video games, a Little Sister from the BioShock game series. Soon after that, I met a bunch of other people that also loved to cosplay, and I asked my Mom to get me a sewing machine for Christmas. She got one for me, and over time, I taught myself to sew, as well as learning to make props and costume pieces. In 2019, I decided to take the leap in starting my Etsy shop, which is called Mask and Moonlight. Currently, I offer handmade costume crowns, ear cuffs, costume fairy wings, and polymer clay jewelry. Everything is handmade with love, by me!

I think something that sets me apart from others is that I try to create concepts for existing things in ways that may not have been done before. The thing I most proud of are my fairy wings. I put a lot of time into every design, and finding inspiration. Everything I make, I put lots of time and attention to detail into, and it’s really wonderful to look at the finished result and think “I made that!” I love when someone reaches out to me for a custom wing design. It gives me a lot of joy to be a part of helping them bring their own cosplay dreams to life.

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

I think one really big thing that people can do to support artists, is to take a look at the true value that art has in our lives. Art has always been seen as not really having much value in a monetary sense, or as a luxury. But as I’ve gone down my own creative path, I’ve realized that everything we have, from the homes we live in, to the cars we drive, and the clothes we wear, all of that is art. Everything we have in society, someone designed and made. So I think taking time to really look at and appreciate the work that people do, and the time and effort, and cost it takes to make any and everything, is a great place to start, especially when it’s made by one or a few people. Everything has value.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding thing for me as an artist is when someone tells me how happy they are with something they bought from me, especially if it’s a custom commission. There’s a fantasy designer that I follow, and she calls herself a “Fairy Godmother” because she makes a lot of beautiful custom fantasy gowns and accessories for people, and I feel that way when someone reaches out to me to have something made. It’s really rewarding to see your work out in the wild, and the customer being so happy and excited that they have this piece that helped bring an outfit or a costume together for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MaskandMoonlight
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maskandmoonlight/?hl=en
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@maskandmoonlight

Image Credits
All images included were taken by me, Monica McDowell