Conversations with Joe Colton Cosplay

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Colton Cosplay.

Hi Joe, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Back in 2009, I went to a Halloween party in Washington DC and it was full of cosplayers and I was immediately hooked. I remember going to conventions when I was younger, but I never thought that there would be places to go and dress up as your childhood heroes nowadays. So the next day I started looking up conventions. And called my mom, who has been a seamstress all her life, to ask what a good sewing machine would be – I needed to get back into sewing and had the perfect project! Which was the beginning of my obsession with cosplay.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Oof! It was not easy, and I was shy so it was probably harder. But I met some really wonderful people and worked on my skills and just kept at it. I met wonderful artists and technical professionals – got tips and collaborated on things. That was in the beginning. Then other struggles were picking the right costumes, challenges on my skill level and as you become more known, you also have the cliques and the drama that comes with it. I tend to be real and stay out of a lot of the drama and cliques. I do this for fun and love helping others- like people helped me with advice. Most recently, the struggle is time. Life happens, work is work but when your hobby is also time-consuming, it’s a bit tough ha!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a cosplayer, the creativity is always what excites me. The new skills- whether it be prosthetics, makeup, new textiles or fabrics, armor making whatever.

Hmm what I specialize in? I’d say being a seamstress, armor making, and prosthetics.

Most proud of I’d say that would be a tie between my Mera ballgown from Aquaman, my Hela suit that has silicon armor from Thor Ragnarok, or my Klingon suit that is based on the Star Trek era movies with armor and prosethics.

I think what set me apart from others was I delved into a lot of male fandoms like GI Joe or Dredd. So I was a minority but I loved screen accuracy and had an attention to detail for pieces on a costume that weren’t noticed by everyone- just the hardcore fans. I think they respected that. I then expanded my cosplay to other fandoms like DC, Marvel, Star Trek, etc. and I carried that screen accuracy with me.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Work with me on a single project? Depends. Sometimes it’s just me. Other times if I team up with another person it’s 2-3 people. When we do group cosplays, everyone kinda pitches in and brings their skills and we all help each other out. But if it’s a project for me usually just me. Sometimes my husband helps out with the props.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @joecoltoncosplay
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/JoeColtonCosplay
• Twitter: @jcoltoncosplay
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCqkbOuM0fa3pNU00heKj7Qw
• Other: TikTok: joecoltoncosplay Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/joecoltoncosplay

Image Credits
Baldgroove Studios, Cat Rice Photography, Leo Photography, Patrick Sun, Maze Studios, Ryan Sims Photography, BriLan Photography, Fantasy In Cosplay