Meet Jocelyn Sparkles | Fiber Artist & Costume Maker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jocelyn Sparkles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jocelyn, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?

I started IndyCraftivist, as a result of theater being closed, during the pandemic. I had spent my entire career, almost 2 decades, being a costume maker and a backstage wardrobe attendant. While we were waiting to hear, when theater might open again, I had to get resourceful. I thought really hard about what supplies I had access to and how I could monetize my creative mind. I started with a few upcycles and quickly decided I needed something smaller and more moveable. Earrings were an easy solution, but they had to be different. I tried and quickly fell in love with Freestanding Lace, which is machine embroidery that is stitched in such a way, it creates its own fabric.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One of my proudest moments to date, was completing 9 gowns in my tiny apartment for Krewe of Contraband, a Mardi Gras organization in Lake Charles, Louisiana. I was able to pick my own designer, a friend from grad school Anne Garber. She lived in NYC, so we were able to shop nicer fabrics and better trim. The theme of the ball was NYC. Some of the princess themes included Broadway, The MET, The NYC Ballet, Rockefeller Center and Central Park. The queens gown was made from pieces of her mom’s gown, as she was also a queen in her day.

I started out in Indiana. I studied fashion design at Indiana University. After I graduated, I move to the east coast and looked for jobs in fashion. After about my 100th rejection, I reached out to some costume shops in NYC, because I knew how to sew. I was hired by a shop, that I didn’t send my resume to, but one of his colleagues had forwarded my resume, to him. When I walked into Izquierdo Studios, I felt at home. It was an old building with hard wood floors and a turtle tank. Almost everyone had a tiny dog. The people appeared closer in weirdness, to me, than any fashion house had. I was scheduled to start the next day. The next day was the day of the Northeast Blackout 2003.

I thoroughly enjoyed costume shop work, but it was project based, so there were sometimes when no work was available. Mr. Izquierdo was great and often found me other gigs, to keep me around. I decided I should go to graduate school, if I wanted to have a more stable line of work. I applied and was accepted to Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University. It was a pretty intense program, only two people, per discipline, were accepted each year.

As luck would have it, right after I graduated from grad school, the economy crashed, and that’s how I ended up in New Orleans.

The thing about life is, it’s never easy, for anyone. We have convinced ourselves, that someone’s highlight reel, is their actual life. I guarantee the person you admire most, is also struggling with something, they just aren’t vocal about it on social media. Like Mark Manson says in the Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck, “what sh*t sandwich do you want to eat? Because eventually, we all get served one.”

I choose to live a life I’m proud of. I sometimes work gigs that are less satisfying, for a paycheck. But I often get to do really cool things, because I’m not stuck in a normal or 9 to 5 job, simply for the paycheck. I have belief in myself and my abilities, to figure it out. I often ask myself, what is the next right move. Knowing that the universe has my back.

My last big project, came out of the blue. The first draper I had worked with, at Izquierdo Studio, Eduardo Wilder, sent me a job posting through facebook. When I applied for the job, Kazli, the person hiring for the job, and I had 13 mutual friends, from my time in New Orleans. I ended up being a sewist and wardrobe attendant for the NBA All Star 2024, in my home town. I was able to use the skills I had acquired, through years of hard work and determination, to provide knowledge and talent to our team.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had a friend coming to visit me in Indy, we’d definitely hit Wing’ It. It’s my favorite wing place hands down. I’m so glad they are still around. If it was spring, I’d probably take them down to the Indiana University campus. The campus is beautiful and in the spring, it’s buzzing with new life. It’s always been so hopeful to me. Indy also has a ton of museums and parks, depending on which friend was coming to visit.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would love to shoutout to Dr. Deb Christiansen. She was my garment construction teacher at Indiana University. She saw something inside me and was always pushing me to do better, during a very challenging time in my life. Without her guidance and friendship, I’m not sure any of this story is possible.

Website: www.indycraftivist.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/indycraftivist

Facebook: www.facebook.com/indycraftivist

Image Credits
mardi gras photo Monsour’s Photography head shot Chris Rutan Photography