We were lucky to catch up with Shell (Shellanin) recently and have shared our conversation below.

Shell, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s jump back to the first dollar you earned as a creative? What can you share with us about how it happened?

When I started cosplaying, I NEVER imagined that one day, I’d be able to turn it into a career. I started off with it as a hobby because I just really love bringing representation into the world of cosplay. When I got my first collaboration request from a large brand, I was completely ecstatic! It was for Redbubble, and it was something I was super happy about since I was very familiar with them. I couldn’t believe that I was actually creating a cosplay concept to advertise products for a brand! I was so proud of how it came out and they loved it as well! Here is it is you’d like to see: https://www.instagram.com/p/B6B76-UJuaJ/ . It was the perfect beginning of my cosplay career.

Shell, 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 Shell but I’m known as Shellanin (pronounced like ‘Melanin’)! I am an award-winning cosplayer who is most famously known for what I call “Curly Cosplay”. I reimagine each character I cosplay with curly hair textures, creating curly-haired representation of characters we already know and love! You can see more cosplayers participating in this movement under the hashtag #CurlyCosplay on social media! I have worked with companies like Viz Media, Disney Plus, and Square Enix showcasing that you can always cosplay your own way. Outside of cosplay, I am a Voice Actress and a VTuber. If you would like to see more of my Cosplay, Voice Acting, and streams as a VTuber, please check out my website shellanin.com to view links to all of my work! If you would like to see links to all of my social media, you can visit shellanin.com/socialmedia I also sell my own merchandise at shellanin.com/store

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I know it might sound cliché, but when you try to build your social media, try to put your best self into each post! Try to have as much fun as you can with your content. I say this because when I started cosplaying, I believed there was only one way to cosplay and I stuck by it. My goal was to look as accurate as I could to the character I was cosplaying as possible and to be honest, I wasn’t having a lot of fun! When I was doing that, I wasn’t gaining a lot of followers, but when I started adding my own personal twist to my cosplays with Curly Cosplay, more people started to notice my work. The more fun I was having creating content, the more followers I started to gain. I think people can recognize your energy and will respond well when you’re having the most fun or being the most passionate about your craft. I believe that adding this to your social media strategy can help you build your following.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

My heart feels so so full when people tell me that they feel accepted because of the work that I do. Just hearing that I’ve inspired others to be themselves when it comes to wearing their hair how they want to or even being proud of the hobbies they have makes me so happy. Growing up, there wasn’t much representation of what I needed. I wanted to see more black girls in media that would want to play Sonic Adventure 2 Battle, listen to My Chemical Romance, and watch Fullmetal Alchemist with me. I wanted to see more black people, in general, that were into the things I’m into when it came to the media I consumed instead of the stereotypical things we were always shown doing. Since I didn’t see other people like me, I felt less accepted and it also made people have expectations of me that I didn’t fit into. I was expected to act like a stereotype they saw on TV, while I continued to crave to see a version of myself on that same TV. So it makes me happy when people tell me that they feel more accepted and acknowledged when they view my content. Every person is an individual and is not restricted to liking one set of content that we’re displayed to like in the media we consumed. Just being told that people enjoy the representation I create is a huge accomplishment for me as a creator.

Contact Info:

• Website: shellanin.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/shellanin_
• Facebook: facebook.com/shellanin
• Twitter: twitter.com/shellanin
• Youtube: youtube.com/shellanin
• Other: You can view my streams on twitch.tv/shellanin My Merch Store is: shellanin.com/store All of my social media is listed here: shellanin.com/socialmedia

Image Credits
MLee Creative, Jasemine Denise Photography, Shellanin