Today we’d like to introduce you to Jenna Bell.
Jenna, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I’ve always been interested in art since I was little and especially drawn to whimsical characters and costumes. Things like fairies and Disney princesses always inspired my artwork, and I would freeze frame anime cartoons so I could draw the elaborate outfits they wore. I decided to go into animation, with aspirations of working on Disney movies. I graduated with my BFA in animation from Ringling College of Art and Design and was hired right out of school at Turner Broadcasting, which was an amazing opportunity and a juggernaut company to work for. But when I got into the industry, I didn’t find the kind of passion for it I was expecting. Instead, I was stuck in a cubicle all day, grinding away at my computer, and barely interacting with anyone. It was a far cry from the kind of career I had imagined. Soon after I graduated family issues arose and my sister and I became estranged from our parents. It was very sudden, and dealing with it was like mourning a death. Suddenly I felt alone in the world, and it made me scared all the time. Anxieties started to plague me, especially in social situations or during holidays. Their dismissal of my existence brought on an immense fear of rejection by everyone around me.
Fast forward a few years later and the movie Frozen came out. I honestly had no interest in seeing it, my days of dreaming over Disney princesses had dwindled, replaced by adulthood, but due to lack of film options that week I ended up heading into the theater. I was so surprised to feel such a range of emotions watching that movie. I related to her anxieties, her fear of rejection inability to socialize, and a sister she had to rebuild bonds with after the loss of parents. To top it off I had just changed my hair to a platinum/white blonde.
It wasn’t like I obsessed over that movie, but I did feel such relation to Elsa that the following Halloween I decided to purchase her dress and embody her for the holiday. Most people in Atlanta know about the Little Five Halloween Parade, and I decided to attend in my new Elsa attire. It’s funny how you can’t possibly predict which days or events will change the entire direction of your life. People went crazy taking pictures, children swarming, and it was there I was recruited to be Elsa for ice skating events nearby, as well as some birthday parties. I distinctly remember the following day, sitting on the porch with my friends and asking their opinion of it all. I didn’t even know what cosplay was at the time, and my fear of rejection was plaguing me. Is doing these events as Elsa weird? Do people really do this? I’m not performing, so what if I mess up? I was supported through and took the leap, and two years later it led me to a completely different life as a cosplayer.
Events began stacking up into bigger events, and soon I was booked every weekend for over two years. I started an Instagram and was shocked and humbled by the traction it got. I met tons of people, made friends and started side businesses based on my new hobby. Most importantly, I changed from it all. Something about working with kids, making their dreams come true and bringing them magic quelled my anxieties. They loved my character unconditionally when I walked through that door, there was never rejection, just great memories and it was healing my social anxiety over time. The same went for attending cons and meeting others who enjoyed the same fandoms as me. As we bonded over how to make weapons or adhere materials I had magic back in my life that I remembered believing in when I started this artist’s journey. It was sucked away from the trap of my cubicle, but becoming a cosplayer reignited that flame in every corner of my life. I always loved drawing those characters in the movies from my childhood, how full circle that I now got to recreate their outfits and embody them myself. I thought that fulfillment would come from my animation degree, but life has ways of surprising us.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a cosplayer! I don’t have any professional training in sewing or crafting cosplays; my art degree is computer-based, so a lot of what I do I learn from the internet, or I experiment (and often fail haha.) I’m mostly good at refurbishment. I make the best cosplays when finding pieces from thrift stores or taking apart something else to make it into a better or different version, to more closely match my vision.
I like to say that I do cosplay on a budget. Cosplay is still my hobby first and foremost, and sometimes it can get expensive, so I never spend so much to put myself in a bad financial situation. Not have parents to fall back on made me very wary of finance, and being an artist can sometimes be expensive! Especially when you’re like me and don’t have any real training, there is a lot of failure and wasted materials. So I always am trying to problem solve on how to make things look high quality without breaking the bank.
I am also well versed in Photoshop from my career, so I have a ton of fun whenever I get the opportunity to add special effects or magic to any of my photos. A lot of times I’ll edit my friends’ photos for free as well just because I enjoy it so much.
Most importantly I really put my heart into my cosplays. I think a lot of cosplayers are the same as me in that they choose to cosplay characters they feel a connection to for whatever reason. And that connection makes you really care when you’re crafting each outfit.
How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
I think success is a subjective thing and personally, I define success by how I feel. Do I wake up in the morning and enjoy what I’m doing? Are my anxieties quelled? Work is still going to feel like work, but success is that sigh of relief when the work is done. For some people that sigh comes when they receive a check in the mail or get recognition for something or by others. For me, it’s when I feel at ease and no longer anxious, and let me tell you, it’s taken a lot of time and soul searching and therapy to figure out what things in life do that for me. So that’s the key right there. Find out what fills your heart and makes you feel good, then drive yourself in that direction and you’ll find success.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
People can see my work on my Instagram @Rumplepigskin ( Originally named for my pet pig, before knowing I’d be a cosplayer) I don’t work private events anymore because I have a lot of other big projects in the works and don’t have time, but I do still cosplay for charities and do a lot of work with Bert’s Big Adventure. So please follow me on Instagram for support and follow my journey!
Contact Info:
- Email: snowqueenatlanta@gmail.com
- Instagram: Rumplepigskin
Image Credit:
David Leo Photography
Patrick Sun Photography
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