Benjoseph M.

As long as I could remember, I've always had a knack for building and creating random things of arts and crafts. Growing-up in your typical Asian household, where your parents expect you to become a doctor or lawyer, I went into the direction of web advertising which was reluctantly accepted by my parents. This was my compromise for still being somewhat creative on the web and have an acceptable income approved by my parents. So with that in mind, my only creative outlet is through personal projects, such as projects around the house, holiday decorations, and of course, Halloween costumes. I still remember my first Halloween costume I put together in 5th grade. It was composed of liquid latex, face moulds, and many FX makeups. Clearly, the costume, was way too advanced for me, but it was a success. I was a mad scientist with half of his face mutilated from a chemical burn. When I create my costumes, I try to decide on a character that is very intriguing. A character that will make people look twice… A character that was popular during one's childhood… Sometimes a character that's in a recently released film… Tim Burton was a unique person. Being a big fan of his work, I decided to create his character "9" as a costume. I loved all the features this character had. It posed several challenges that I was excited to take on. The use of burlap, the electrical light staff, the telescopic looking eyes, the zipper were all elements that I've never really created for a costume or even seen. I've always been a quiet and bashful guy and with all the attention I get from my costumes, I actually feel at ease. It's as if, I'm hidden behind the mask of the costume. It was a fantastic feeling. Being able to experience the reactions of joy and shock across people's faces as they first set eyes onto my many creations was priceless. It's because of this I continued to create a costume every year. I think what makes my costumes stand out is the joy and excitement that's put into the little details of each and every one of my costumes.