Today we’d like to introduce you to Shannon Rona.
Hi Shannon, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a child, I was always a creative person. I learned to sew very early on thanks to my grandmother, and would decorate school projects or my room in my spare time. Halloween was always fun for me because I loved to think up new costume ideas each year. During middle school, I also spent a decent amount of time volunteering with my mom as part of the local community day planning committee, so by the time I became an adult, I found a way to mix the two together. Now, I try to use my creations to either spread happiness to other people just for the fun of it, or benefit causes close to me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Definitely not. There’s been lots of lost time – sleep that I missed, time with friends and family that I missed…money in my bank account that I’m still missing. Once I settled into costume and prop making as a side gig, I learned about the cliques in the community and the negativity from the industry that does exist in certain places. It’s funny to think other adults would be such ‘bullies,’ but it’s very present. I wouldn’t be able to survive without a creative outlet, though, so it’s all worth it to me, and of course, it isn’t all negative. Each day is a reminder to do what I love for me and not the opinions of others, and while doing that, I teach myself to ignore any downsides and focus on the things in my life I wouldn’t have if I didn’t continue to push myself!
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a costume and prop maker and professional cosplayer! I’m best known for my 3D-printed Rescue and Iron Man suits, but have a closet full of other costumes, including things I’ve recreated from Marvel, Destiny 2, Sailor Moon, Star Wars…among many others. One of my biggest accomplishments is getting to appear at a few events hosted by Disney – never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined being invited to red carpets for the pieces I’ve made in my spare time.
How do you define success?
Success isn’t a specific goal to me. I don’t challenge myself to meet requirements to consider something I’ve done ‘successful.’ Comparing myself to where others think I should be or what others are doing, it set up for downfall. My main concept of success is if where I am is progress and if I am happy. I want to be able to compare what I did a year ago, two years ago, or more and say that I’ve learned something or that I still have a reason to be doing what I do. Am I happy? Is it worth the extra time, money, stress, etc?
Contact Info:
- Website: ShannonRona.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/srona58
- Facebook: Facebook.com/shannonronacosplay
- Twitter: twitter.com/srona_58
- Other:twitch.tv/srona58
Image Credits
Jeff Zoet Visuals
Amber Klinge
Brandon Klinge
Derek Reagan
