Life & Work with Justin Bishop of Loveland Colorado

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Bishop

Hi Justin, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I learned to sew at a very young age, around three or four, thanks to my dad. Though I wasn’t very good at first, I absolutely loved it. I spent many hours making little pillows and simple plushies, enjoying the process and slowly improving. Sewing will always hold a special place in my hears sense my dad taught me before he died when i was just 7 years old.
My passion for creating costumes began with Halloween as im sure is the case for many people. Nearly every year, I would make costumes for myself and my little brother. Once I learned to sew, I incorporated that into my work, including one completely hand-sewn cloak that I was especially proud of.
In middle school, I drifted away from costume-making and other crafts. It was a tough time in my life when I didn’t feel quite like myself. However, after graduating high school, I discovered the furry fandom, and the incredible artistry within it inspired me, especially for costume creation. Seeing all the elaborate designs inspired me to make a character of my own and create my first fursuit.
After a few personal projects, some friends asked me to make costume parts for them, which led to my first commissions. Now, I have my own LLC and website, taking commissions for full-body suits and just about any other custom piece. I love experimenting with new materials to bring fresh, innovative elements to my work. My favorite part of the process is delivering the finished costumes and seeing the joy on people’s faces. These creations are often deeply personal, and it’s incredibly rewarding to help bring their characters to life.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
some of the struggles I have faced:

– Learning how to take commissions and charge for my work has been a challenge and a learning curve for sure. A lot goes into figuring out how to quote a customer and receive payment for an item as well as figuring out how to predict how much materials will cost.

– Balancing my schooling with my business as it has become more curious has been another challenge for me. School has always been a struggle but finding the time to do both has been tricky. lucky I have been able to focus more and more on my business,

– Consistently working on commissions most days of the week can be difficult to make happen when you are the only one holding yourself responsible. I often find myself working strange hours and days without much of a schedule. Despite this I do manage to keep pretty consistent progress going on all my work.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a fursuit maker meaning I make fursuits for people in the furry community. This typically consists of hand paws, tails, heads, feet paws and body suits. first I only took on hand paws but I have slowly widened my skill set and now make all of these items and more. People seek out these costumes usually to represent a character that they have, these characters often have deep meaning or help express a part of the person who is wearing it.

One thing I would say that sets me apart from other artist who do what i do is comfort and customization. I want my clients to be comfortable and be able to wear their costumes as long as they like so I try to make them very light weight and soft. I also use methods that allow me to control exactly what the costume looks like as apposed to strict patterns and bases.

right now what I am most proud of are my body suits as it took me a long time to finally tackle but I am very happy with the method I have decided to use and the results it gives!

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Joy through self expression makes me happy. In fursuit making I find a lot of joy expressing myself through my art and even more so giving someone else an outlet to express themselves! I cant ever help myself but smile when I see a client out enjoying themselves in something I made!

Pricing:

• Head (Base price $975)
• Hand Paws (Base price: $350)
• Bodysuit (Base price: $1400)
• Tail (Base price: $65)
• Feet Paws (Base price: $375)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tetocreations.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/teto_creations/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/Teto_Creations/100093694249372/
• Twitter: https://x.com/Teto_Creations