Biography:
As an adolescent, Jessica struggled with learning and obtaining the names of colors. While her parents and teachers thought her struggle was a learning disability, they failed to recognize that her detriment was an undiscovered talent for the Arts. Jessica soon revealed that the color red wasn't simply red, rather it was red with a hint of purple and pink. And the color blue wasn't simple blue; rather it was blue with a hint of grey and white. Hence, the artist inside was born!
In 1995, at the age of 6, Jessica was honored with her first art award. She received an "Honorable Mention" in the Primary Visual Arts category; her award-winning piece was showcased in an Art Collection displayed at Dillard's in Aurora, Colorado. After Jessica received her first award, she continued to pursue art, and entered several area art competitions both in and outside of the school environment. As an adolescent her artwork was featured in Aurora's Prevention Calendar, Summit's Eagle Flight Cover, and Expanding your Horizons poster competition. Subsequently, Jessica received 7 more wins in 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000. Amid her years in elementary school, Jessica participated in numerous extracurricular activities, which included Sewing Club among others. Jessica's fondness and enthusiasm for sewing was evident; she thoroughly enjoyed learning both hand-stitching techniques and basic machine sewing, however, she was oblivious to the active role sewing would yield in the near future.
Once Jessica began middle school her desire to pursue a path in the Arts strengthened. During this stage in her life, Jessica discovered a deep passion for creating Art. Jessica's goal was to take advantage of the opportunities her school offered in terms of Art. Every year Jessica registered for Art class as an elective; however, she was never granted the opportunity to participate. As a result of this constrain, Jessica expressed her creativity through multiple outlets. Her first endeavor consisted of auditioning for Animation classes at Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. Although the classes RMCAD offered were designed for High School students only, Jessica (a sixth grader) received a waiver and began taking animation classes. Jessica soon realized that animation was not the right route or environment for her, so she quit classes and sketched independently. By the end of her middle school career, Jessica started expressing her creativity through Fashion, Hair, and Makeup. Jessica developed an interest in the alternative fashions and rocker lifestyles, so she played with colorful hair, dark makeup, and punk/alternative clothing.
In 1995, at the age of 6, Jessica was honored with her first art award. She received an "Honorable Mention" in the Primary Visual Arts category; her award-winning piece was showcased in an Art Collection displayed at Dillard's in Aurora, Colorado. After Jessica received her first award, she continued to pursue art, and entered several area art competitions both in and outside of the school environment. As an adolescent her artwork was featured in Aurora's Prevention Calendar, Summit's Eagle Flight Cover, and Expanding your Horizons poster competition. Subsequently, Jessica received 7 more wins in 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2000. Amid her years in elementary school, Jessica participated in numerous extracurricular activities, which included Sewing Club among others. Jessica's fondness and enthusiasm for sewing was evident; she thoroughly enjoyed learning both hand-stitching techniques and basic machine sewing, however, she was oblivious to the active role sewing would yield in the near future.
In the fall of 2003, Jessica entered High School at Eaglecrest in Centennial, Colorado. Alongside her regular core classes and electives, Jessica took Japanese as a second language. Her Sensei, a Native of Japan, exposed her class to the language, traditions, customs, culture, theatrical art forms, and modern sub-cultures prominent in Japan. Jessica was enchanted and inspired; she developed a love for Japan and spent countless hours researching and studying their culture. Throughout her web searches she discovered a Japanese art form known as Cosplaying,( a combination between the two words, Costume and Role-playing). The craft known as Cosplaying is the equivalent to the Star Wars fans and Trekkies who dress up as their favorite characters in the United States. The Japanese modified the craft into dressing up as your favorite Japanese Anime, Video Game, and/or Comic Book characters. Due to the intricate and diverse styles of the Japanese characters, most Cosplayers create their costumes, wigs, and props from scratch and wear them to Anime Conventions and Events held in Hotels and Arenas.
In 2004, at the age of 14, Jessica created and debuted her first set of Japanese Cosplay costumes at a local Anime Convention in Colorado known as Nan Desu Kan. Her first set of costumes were a huge hit, and she quickly developed a name for herself within the cosplay circuit. Nearly less than a year later, clients were advertising Jessica's costuming talents word-of-mouth. After receiving multiple costume requests, Jessica formed her business J-Chan's Designs.