Monica Butler
Costume Designer / Wardrobe Supervisor
Children's Theater of Madison, Forward Theater Company
Children's Theater of Madison, Forward Theater Company
Costume Designer / Wardrobe Supervisor
I design, create and maintain costumes for local theater companies.
It kind of depends on what stage of a design I am on but it is usually like this....I take my kids to school and then work in my studio, either looking for images on the internet or working on organizational paperwork or sewing something or shopping. The afternoons are for my kids but sometimes we squeeze in a shopping trip. Dinner. Bedtime for the kids and then more time in the studio, either doing computer work or hand sewing in front of the TV (too tired to do anything else).
Here's the first step for high school students
Start making stuff. Either sewing or crafting or drawing, whatever. Start using your hands to solve problems. I wish I started making stuff earlier, to build my confidence in that kind of problem solving. Also, find a group of people making stuff too and work with them. It is great to see all the different ways people solve problems. Get an internship in a costume shop somewhere. Do all the jobs they give you but while you are doing it, watch others work, how they solve problems.
"No one said 'you should' but there was no model for an artistic career in my family. Theater was a hobby. I got into a performing arts high school when I was 16 and my parents were reluctant to let me go because they were worried about what "theater life" was like (drugs, body image issues, narcissism, etc, I guess) so I didn't go. My dad encouraged my interest in science and I liked that encouragement. So it took me a little while to go off on my own."