Daily Inspiration: Meet Charlotte Campbell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlotte Campbell. 

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve always been a crafter. As a kid, we made ornaments and jewelry, and I got into theater, both behind and in front of the scenes, as a way to keep up that crafting. At the University of Michigan, I both majored in Theater Arts and was the Resident Advisor for the Living Arts community. I loved making crafting events for my residents – first day of school photos, rube Goldberg competitions, doll decorating, you name it! Crafting and theater is what lead me to cosplay. Cosplay has been a great way to get all my crafting in with an end goal in mind of wearing my creations to comic conventions and share beautiful photos on Instagram. I still do a lot of “normal” crafting, too, though, like painting and embroidery. Cosplay has my heart though as a way to integrate theater into my day-to-day life since I’m an engineer now and also has the added benefit of always bringing new challenges and skills to learn to the table. There’s always more to learn. My family also cosplays with me! My two sisters and I have different focuses within cosplay and together we’re able to get a lot more done than we’d normally be able to on our own. My little sister, Paige, is great at sewing and has her own Embroidery business (Look her up at Quasar Creations!). My middle sister, Maddy, is amazing at hair and make-up and she’s made some really amazing wigs and prosthetics. I often focus on props and even got a 3D printer to help me build more detailed objects for our costumes. Together we’ve dressed up as Star Wars characters, Disney Princesses, Legends of Zelda, and Greatest Showman characters. It’s so fun to be able to share this passion with my family and friends and we often go to conventions together. 

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Crafting and Cosplay is almost never a smooth road. The amount of times I’ve bled or cried over a costume is countless. It takes a lot of motivation to continue on projects that don’t ever seem to turn out how you picture in your head. That said, there is so much inspiration and help out there as well. Cosplay in particular is a growing passion and there are so many resources and groups that are willing to help. When I started cosplaying a decade ago there were only two big wig sites, but now there are so many that have a million styles and colors and with great quality for reasonable prices. There are also really talented influencers like Cowbutt Crunchies Cosplay, KamuiCosplay, and Downen Creative Studios, that share tutorials and patterns for cosplays they’ve done that help other people learn. So, it’s really all about getting back on the horse when you’ve fallen off, and I think that’s something everyone can identify with and struggles with. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m mostly known for Crafting and Cosplay. On top of cosplaying from various pop culture franchises, I also do a lot of dressing up as original fairy characters. The Bay Area, where I now live, has a ton of amazing forests and preserves to hike through, and I’ve been hosting picnics for the past couple years where I introduce other artists and friends to dressing up. I’ll bring my wings and flower crowns and show them that the fantasy photography they see on Instagram is actually pretty achievable! You don’t always need expensive items of clothing; you just have to be creative and willing to explore and try new things. Crafting is similar. A lot of people tell me they don’t have a creative bone in their body, but everyone does, they just have to try and be open to making mistakes and having fun! It’s something that needs to be nurtured. 

Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc.?
I’ve listed a couple cosplayers previously that all have really helpful books available. There are also a bunch of groups that can be helpful like the Replica Prop Forum or She Prop group where people can ask questions and get help. In terms of apps, there are a couple like Cosplanner that I have used to organize my cosplays, but these days I mostly use Notion since it’s a little more versatile and I can use it for other areas of my life as well. Cosplay often begins with an outfit idea, and then you need to break down that outfit into its components. Dress, shirt, pants, skirt, corset, wings, wig, boots, belts, props, etc. Once you have that list, you can decide how to get each component: Buy, Make or Buy something and edit it. Budgeting time and money is definitely a part of that step. Then it’s about researching what you need to do! The apps help me budget and track my work on each component as a part of the whole. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://littleecho.notion.site/My-Links-c92b9844c8494136892a4b0806ba2c28
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mylittleecho/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littleechocosplay/

Image Credits
Ken Wronkiewicz
Crimson Cat Studios
Alloy Images