We were lucky to catch up with Noah Huebert recently and have shared our conversation below.

Noah, appreciate you joining us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

My mission statement if you will, when creating costumes is; is what I am making telling a story / what story is this costume telling. In my case, story telling started at a very young age and, as a Christian, I believe that being story tellers is engrained in the human genetic makeup. My dad really fostered this idea of story telling and encouraged me throughout my life to do so. I practiced story telling through drawing, building Lego/Bionicle, or through directly writing stories. This has since translated into costume design. What someone wears is in many cases a first non-verbal conversation two people can have. This is exacerbated in the realm of super heroes where most of my cosplay and costume designs reside. Shape and colour theory tell the viewer A TON about whether or not the costume belongs to a hero or a villain, an alien or human, a mortal or super soldier. Thus costume designers need to be aware of what story their costumes are telling.

I do not think I could have sped up this process. I think story telling alone is a specialized craft that progresses at a persons own unique pace. Sure, you can read books on story telling, take higher education or online classes, etc, but at the end of the day, you are really only clearing the pathway of obstacles or impediments so that the flow of creativity can travel faster. You are not widening that pathway, just clearing it for a better flow.

Now, of course, there are a ton of obstacles to my hobby/business as it is a highly saturated field with low demand. For me, my obstacles really boil down to a lack of time and resources. My wife, family, and friends are entirely supportive of this craft. On a theory level, I try to, what I call ‘drown myself in inspiration’ as often as possible via apps like Pinterest and Instagram. These allow me to see and watch so much inspirational material. Practically, I spend a lot of time honing my craft, so when I am unable to attain a look or technique, it is usually because I have either not done enough of it, lack the ability to purchase the necessary materials, or a combination of these two factors.

Regardless, I am in no rush. I am blessed and always thankful for the ability to make what little money I do earn doing something that I love and that, to me, is more important than becoming ‘more successful’ at this stage of the journey.

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.

My name is Noah Huebert and I go by Freakish Workshop online. I am a cosplayer/costume designer, writer, and artist. I have officially’ been a cosplayer for around 8 years though I was designing and wearing costumes for about 10 while I was pursuing an indie film director track. The design language that I use in the vast majority of my original versions of comic book and movie characters is largely based around the idea of utility and realism married to comic book loyalty and accuracy. my Green Goblin cosplay is the greatest example of this. I used the classic greens and purples, some classic designs like the scales and hood of the golden age Green Goblin while taking the entire suit into a more next gen warfare vibe. The body armour is designed with someone who is actually driving the Goblin Glider in mind such as more support around the neck and head to combat whiplash. The results from this mash up of loyalty to the comics with a modern militaristic flare is another aspect that sets me apart from other cosplayers.

Another large part of my costume design that sets me apart is the use and sale of patterns/templates. EVA or craft foam is my primary medium for the costumes I make and wear and I use paper patterns, much like a sewing pattern, to create the costume pieces and props. I then put many of these patterns up for sale on my Etsy and film myself making the costume piece and prop and publish these tutorials for free on my Youtube channel. I also have regularly worked with customers on original costume or prop commission work which ends up being so much fun. I have been extremely lucky and blessed that I have been able to make enough money doing this that it can very often help pay for a portion of the hobby.

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

The most rewarding aspect of my artistic expressing is seeing people freak out about my costumes when they see me. On the surface this may seem self serving or selfish but it really comes from the feeling of sharing that experience with the other person or persons and feeling apart of the larger community. The fact that we are sharing in our love and/or appreciation for the thing and character my costume belongs to is an amazing experience. This is two fold: on one hand you have other creatives who can appreciate the hard work you put into the costume and they can help celebrate the end result with you and on the other, you have a fan of either the craft or the character itself. Green Goblin is one of if not the quintessential comic book villain and many people have an appreciation for that character and so by bringing him to life, I get to be a part of those peoples appreciation of the character. Also, engaging with little kids dressed up as Spider-Man is such a hilarious and humbling experience and I look forward to it at every Comic Convention I attend in the Green Goblin suit.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Building a social media following, in today’s day and age, seems easier than at any other time in social media history but in reality, it may actually be the hardest time. Comic book media is insanely saturated and it should be. That is the social aspect of the media. The cosplay community is massive and each and every single community member has an opinion on their favourite comic book, graphic novel, movie, etc. But because if this, standing out can be incredibly difficult because, hand in hand with diversity, is homogeny or group think. Most likely, your opinion is shared to varying degree by many others. There are two pieces of advice I give to new comers to the hobby who want to stand out; Do and make what you love and let the crowd find you, and most importantly do NOT care about the follower/like count. In other words, do NOT get into the hobby for the clout. Do it for the character, the craft, or the community, but never for clout. People will see the difference and will be drawn to someone into this crazy hobby for the right reasons. If you would like to know more about getting into the cosplay hobby, I have a series on my Youtube that addresses themes like social media and much more. I highly suggest you check it out.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_freakish_workshop/profilecard/?igsh=ZDU5djBlc2Q0YXIz
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thefreakishworkshop1760?si=A9w4WHDcI4t3othj
• Other: Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/TheFreakishWorkshop

Image Credits

@darkforestphotoghaphic and @imladris.cos.pho (Both Instagram handles)