Feature Friday: Thel Phenom Cosplay
New year means getting back on track with my initiative to feature other talented cosplayers from around the world. I’m going to start the year off focusing on people from around where I live in South Carolina and friends. Our first cosplay feature for 2017 is from South Carolina, and I really hope you enjoy her feature. She is a very talented and interesting lady!
What is your cosplay name? Thel Phenom
How did you come about your cosplay name? It is the shortened versions of two pen names that I used often in the past: Thelchterya and Phenomenon. My plan was initially to have the people who knew me as Thel start associating me with the name Phenom, and then I would drop the Thel handle completely, but Thel Phenom ended up sticking.
What is your real world name? Brittany
What do you do when you aren’t cosplaying? I have two jobs, a fun one and a normal one. My fun job is being an actress at a comedy mystery theater!
How old are you? 28
How long have you been cosplaying? 2017 marks my ninth year of cosplaying.
What made you want to start cosplaying? Dressing up like an anime character whilst being amongst other people similarly dressed as anime characters sounded like the best thing ever.
Why do you continue to cosplay? I’m still having fun and making friends, and I still get enjoyment out of making and wearing costumes. As long as I’m still having fun I will continue to cosplay.
I believe you are involved in The Fandames Initiative. Tell us more about this. We are a non-profit organization with a mission of bonding with and empowering our fellow female nerds. We usually do this through volunteering our time and services at cons and team building amongst ourselves. Although many of us are cosplayers, we are not a cosplay group. Please feel free to visit The FanDames Initiative facebook page if you’d like to get to know more of the girls and what cons we’ll be attending.
What is your dream cosplay? Princess Peach. I’ve wanted to cosplay her since the day I first started. Every year it seems like I tell myself now is the time to make it happen, and every year it seems to not come to pass. But I’m learning and honing more crafting skills all the time, so when I finally do start working on her, I know it’ll be the best it can be.
How do you choose who you will cosplay? It very simply comes down to two things: loving the character and loving the outfit. I do of course make exceptions if say my love for the character outweighs how I feel about their outfit. If the character is above my skill set or budget, I will save it for later.
What is your favorite cosplay you have done so far? Why? I can narrow it down to two. Garnet is just so much fun because people love her so much and Steven Universe holds a special place in my heart. Also she probably the most relatable character I’ve ever cosplayed. And then there’s Kneesocks, whom I still consider to be my magnum opus. Although frustrating at times, the building process for Kneesocks was so satisfying and I’m so proud of how everything turned out.
As a super Disney fan I LOVE your Tiana. Do you plan on making more of her outfits? Or any other Disney cosplays in the future? Thank you so much! I do plan on making Tiana’s yellow restaurant uniform one day. As for other Disney cosplays, I will have Iridessa from the Disney Fairies series very soon, and I am seriously considering adding Moana to the cosplay list.
Who is your favorite cosplayer? As far as cosplayers that I don’t know personally, I’m a big fan of Li Kovacs, who cosplays all things Nintendo. If you can’t tell at this point, I’m a huge Nintendo nerd lol. And among my friends, I don’t think I’d be able to pick a favorite! I’m fortunate to be friends with so many talented and beautiful people.
What’s the hardest thing about cosplay for you? Staying on task. My attention span feels like it’s getting shorter and shorter, and sometimes I want to do a million things at once or rush one part to get to the next. Also actually getting started can be difficult for me. It’s likely because cutting the fabric is usually the first step, and I despise cutting fabric.
What is the best advice you have for other cosplayers? Don’t be so hard on yourself! I know it can be difficult not to compare yourself to other cosplayers or to be disappointed that your work didn’t turn out exactly the way you wanted, but remember that you are a human trying to portray a fictional character. Allow yourself to be imperfect and have fun anyway.
Other than being a guest at Raleigh Supercon what are the conventions you are planning to attend in 2017? I will be attending Ohayocon, Nashicon, Colossalcon East and Anime Weekend Atlanta. I have others that I’m trying to plan but they are unconfirmed as of right now.
Since it is New Years and all, what are your cos-goals for the year? I really want to try my hand at armor. Not necessarily a full suit but just any project that involves armor or mech-looking pieces. There are also a few characters that have been sitting in my to-do list for far too long that I’d like to finally tackle. Lastly, I’d like to do more group cosplays. I have a few friends that I regularly do matching cosplays with and it’s always so much fun.
Anything else you want to add? If you see me at a con, don’t be afraid to say hello!
Isn’t she great? Make sure to go follow all of her social media at the links provided below. Do you have any questions for Thel or myself? Would you like to be a cosplay feature or know someone that would be great to feature? Leave a comment below, and don’t forget to subscribe via email or Bloglovin’ to never miss a post!
Thel Phenom’s Social Media:
Facebook: Thel Phenom Cosplay
Instagram: @ThelPhenom
Youtube: Thel Phenom