Meet I Am Hecate | CosMaker, Student, VTuber

We had the good fortune of connecting with I Am Hecate and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi I Am Hecate, what’s the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make?
Honestly, I’d have to say it was leaving home to pursue my passion. I’d be lying if I said that my family were my biggest supporters, but its the people I met along the way. Growing up in a military family was hard in itself since we would constantly be on the move, therefore didn’t have nearly as much time as I wanted to set down some roots and make friends, but in the short time that I did, I met some remarkable people and cosplayers alike. After high school, when the time came for me to make a decison, I chose to chase my dreams. Moving from Tucson to Phoenix then making the big jump to Houston was not easy in the slightest. There were many tears, breakdowns, and second-thoughts of “What if I had chose differently?” or “Can I turn back if this fails?”.

No matter the problem however, I always seemed to keep getting back up. I kept pushing on despite having little to no money, packed schedules with events and photoshoots back to back, and barely any sleep from staying up crafting on my off time. Luckily, people saw my efforts and determination and helped fund my passion and keeping me from going hungry via donations. I started building my media kit, portforlio, Instagram, and other social medias more, even going viral for a few TikTok videos. With fame comes hate too, and that was a hardship in itself, but I tried not to let it get to be and just remember everything I’ve done to get to where I am today. Something I constantly remind myself and others to carry with them in this profession is to keep your sense of humility. It’s so easy to be dragged into a celebrity mindset, but the most important thing is to remind yourself where you came from and how you got here.

I’ve been chasing this crazy dream for almost 11 years now, and I dont intend to let it go for a long time. I’ve recently gone back to school too and now I’m pursuing a career path in Business Marketing. I’m hoping I can move up to a bigger step in life with cosplay still at my side, but turn it into something of my own creation.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I describe myself as a cos-maker instead of cos-player. Despite feeling like a completely different person in cosplay, I’ve never been the best at ‘acting the part’. Instead, I take heavy pride in the things I think up and bring to life! I have a passion for fashion and that creativity just never seems to end. I’m always making something new whether it be upgrading old cosplays or planning something elaborate completely from scratch! It definitely wasn’t an easy process.

My first photoshoot here in Houston with ShotsByMinh definitely had its ups and downs. From having to remake my Yor Forger: Thorn Princess cosplay 3 times, staying up until 3am the day of the shoot to get it right, and even forgetting to 3D print my weapons. A big lesson I learned was ‘Take your time, but plan accordingly’. Cosmakers are infamous for, what we call, con-crunching last minute and procrastinating till the last week to even touch our unfinished cosplays. With being a full-time student comes needing to plan and schedule how much time I’m going to put into which side of my life.

I want other creators to know that it’s okay to ask for help and to schedule your crafting time well because breaks are just as important as getting your cosplay finished on time.

I’m always looking for new and exciting ways to channel my creativity and I’ve recently taken up on Vtubing! I taught myself how to 3D model using VRoid Studio and with the help of others, was able to transform my model into a 2D masterpiece! You can catch my vtubing streams and such on my Twitch channel: twitch.tv/iamhecate_

I’ve also upgraded my wig styling game and now run a small commissions page on my Ko-Fi! I’m able to bring almost any characters hair to life and am always looking forward to taking orders from cosplayers who just don’t have enough time to style their wigs or want to support my work! I also sell my Vtuber merch and cosplay prints/sets there: ko-fi.com/iamhecate .

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
A more recent favorite spot in the city I’d have to say is Post Houston! I’ve been there for a few cosplay photoshoots so far and the scenery is beautiful! You get a perfect city view from the roof and the indoor structures are perfect to take pictures on! Not to mention, theres a wide variety of food choices if you get hungry!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d love to shoutout: @PillowDS on Instagram! I proxy and work their artist alley booth at various anime conventions. Without Micheal and Aly, I think I would still be struggling to make ends meet here in Houston! They’re a remarkable team with amazing art and I’m so grateful to be working with them for almost a year now! I’ve met so many new people, made more friends and connections all thanks to their generous job opportunities.

Website: ko-fi.com/iamhecate

Instagram: instagram.com/iamhecate_

Twitter: twitter.com/iamhecate_

Other: twitch.tv/iamhecate_

Image Credits
Evelynn by: @juengelphotos Inosuke by: @tangy.twist Art by: @ex80_sfd Silverwolf by: @raichewed.jpg Vash by: @j.a.vilches Yor by: @shots_by_minh Ada by: @zackspixels Caitlyn by: @apologeticcosplayphotography