We were lucky to catch up with Sadie Moss recently and have shared our conversation below.
Sadie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
It all started with my grief of losing my husband, who was killed by a drunk driver; less than 6 months later, I lost my surrogate son Quinn and his wife in an auto accident. The worst part of this was me losing my 7 year son Jonathan from my grief. (We caught up 21 years later, and he had so much anger and bitterness that we never connected again.) I hit so rock bottom and even lower. My 10-year-old son Jake came to me one day. Mom, you still have me, and you need help. Which I got my counselor said I needed an outlet for my grief. My son Quinn’s whole existence and lifestyle was about the steampunk world he lived and breathed. So, I started making hats and jewelry upcycling lamps in memory of Quinn, so a little of him lives on. My husband was a Dungun Master. He was so creative and imaginative that he didn’t need books for all his adventures. Adam and Quinn were the driving force behind me for my first steampunk picnic. With the first hat I made and skirt I re-purposed, I fell into a world of cosplay. For the first time, I understood my son’s reality with steampunk, and it was an adventure. This led me to follow my husband Adam, a fencer in medieval times with the SCA. We married at the Renaissance Festival; I wasn’t into the ren faire. It was my husband’s thing. We did the yearly ren fair. Then, my son Jake asked me to move to Arizona. We were used to moving, so it wasn’t a risk, but after a few weeks of living there, Jake’s wife disrespected him in public; that made me angry, and I confronted her. Well, that didn’t work out well for me. Here I was in a small town, now homeless and jobless. I told him I needed some breathing room to protect him. I met a couple of ladies at the local swapmeet where I was selling my hats, not making much money. They taught me how to swapmeet and make money. I was averaging $500 a weekend, sometimes less and sometimes more., I finally got into an apartment, and this is where I met Laurie and her son Ian. They bought me a couch (which I still have) and took me to the church, where she played piano. She bought my jewelry and is my biggest fan. Every year, I make her a special piece. the love and support gave me courage. after I did the steampunk picnic, I wanted to honor my husband. I did my first market, a Medieval Mayhem Renaissance fair, with my little 10×10 tent, which I was holding onto for dear life, thinking it would get blown away. I made $750 that weekend; it’s been going on for 15 years. That was where I learned how to market set up and tear down. It was different from my full-time management employment; I had a very understanding boss. who allows me to attend all these events, he makes fun of me and all my hats. I moved to Tucson about 9 years ago, and not knowing a soul here, I did my first Celtic fair. it was amazing. I wanted to meet people, and I used to work as a member of the FOE in Montana. So, I joined the FOE here in Tucson. I met another crafter, Mary, who introduced me to her world of Biker Events. I was selling my steampunk stuff; she told me I needed a different product, so I took another risk and ventured into stainless-steel biker jewelry. and bags. The biggest risk I took was doing my first charity craft fair event, where I met many vendors and learned about marketing promotion from them. I will be doing my 5th annual Christmas Bazaar and Market in November. I met Zoe at a black Friday event at Reid Park several years back; she always asked if I would be a part of her Steampunk Wild Wild West Con and I would politely decline. It was an expensive take, so I made a joke, telling her I wasn’t an aristocrat but merely a street urchin. well, in 2023, we met again at a tiny steampunk event. She told me about WWWC again and whispered that this one was affordable. so, I signed up; she gave me the courage to venture even more events. I have done 2 Tucson Comic Cons, the Wild Wild West Steampunk Convention, and many more Renaissance fairs. I have many firsts coming up: My first Anime expo, my first Sci-Fi con, and Next year, my first Horrorfest; who knows what’s next in the risks and new adventures? I am so lucky to have Mary and Zoe, both giving me the courage to move forward, and I love doing events with them. Thank you, ladies; you have been my lifeline. The one risk not yet taken if I ever get a website and promote my stuff online, I will never be a brick-and-mortar store, but you can always find me at an event where I can cosplay for the weekend and sell my hats and jewelry and whatever I make upcycle for the next event. I am 62 years old, still taking risks
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.
Not really sure,. some pieces turn out awesome; some could be better. But I still put them out here for the people, too. If they sell, I get all giddy inside, making me smile for the rest of the event. What sets me apart from everyone else is my uniqueness or lack thereof. I tell my customers why I made this piece. I am selling them what it means to me.
I don’t solve problems for my clients, but I do my best to help. I am putting them in a corset or helping them decide what will work for their cosplay or costuming ideas. As far as brands, I don’t have one. It’s just a mom selling a dream. What I am most proud of is my son Jake. He is my whole world (42 years old), but he is my strength and pillar, along with being a pain in the butt. I will continue creating new pieces. I need to learn to focus and organize, which is my biggest downfall. My mission is one hat at a time.
Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.
I start with the TV as background noise, putting a project on paper, or letting it sit before me. Sometimes, it sits there for weeks. By this, I mean I had a blank hat sit before me for three weeks. Then, I started to make a hat that Quinn and Adam both envisioned while living in a castle. This hat took me over 16 weeks to make, and the outcome was okay. But it sat with my other hats for 2 years and never sold. I joined a small Oktoberfest market. A lady and her husband came into my booth looking at this hat. I always kept the story behind the hat. On the last day of the market, they came to my booth and said there was so much love and pain in my hat. They wanted it in memory of their daughter, who loved Alice and wonderlands and castles; they said they would buy it under one condition: that I autograph the hat. Wow! my autograph. (that was the only autograph I ever did) That moment made me realize I did not doubt myself. (which I still do all the time). But listening to clients and their stories makes me a stronger person and the love families
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being an artist or creative?
Clients, their adventures, and their stories, why they like my piece of work, what they will do with it as a gift, and why for themselves. For example, at the last Comic Con, I had this young lady literally run up to my booth and say that purse is mine. Omg, that is what I have been wanting. Please hold it while I get my dad. Seeing her smile made my heart, but what was more was the dad’s reaction to her and the love in his eyes for his daughter; that is the most rewarding part of being creative for me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitemountainsteampunk
- Facebook: https;//facebook.com/sadie.moss.908
Image Credits
Elizabeth Benefield, Christine Washington, Mary LeCompte