Kris-face and Praying Mantis Costume (Patreon)

You may remember Kris. He's had cameos in GWS in the past.

In addition to being my brother-from-another-mother, Kris is my favorite photographer. I'm a little biased because it's his, but if you like quiet, real photography that whispers in your ear instead of punching you in the face (I feel like most photos these days punch you in the face), maybe you'll love his work, too. 

Here's his bio page. And his Instagram, in case you'd like to see more (he really culled his website's gallery!).

As for the costume, I've been obsessed with praying mantises since I was a kid, so BEING ONE was a lifelong dream. I spent about $17 on secondhand fabric; everything else, including stuffing, was old trash, paint/hot glue & packing materials from my house.

I've been following Sarah Glidden's inktober comics about climate change, and they've been acting as an affirmation of my core values. My ideal lifestyle is in line with a trash hoarder's, because I can't bear to waste physical materials - broken or old - because it makes me want to vomit when I think about the amount of trash I create. So I have broken and "useless" objects hidden throughout the house, shoved in corners so people can't see them. 

But... I do use the broken things I hoard. Some of them went into this costume. Some of them were used to pack the inktober & GWS art that I sold earlier this month. 

The reason I'm writing this is because I want my 2020 costume to be made entirely of trash and things from my hidden hoard piles. Keep me to it, patrons!

And I'd be remiss not to mention how much Luke's costume inspired me to avoid using new items. Check out his trash shaman costume (three photos in), which was created using cardboard that he found while walking through town on Tuesday nights before recycling day.

I'll have more for y'all soon. :) Happy Halloween, those of you who celebrate it!