Aidan Curtis
GETTING creative and finding hobbies can help people find more enjoyment in life, according to one Mount Gambier resident.
Mother of three and costume designer Sharmaine “Sharky” Fogarty has spent much of her life making and dressing up in costumes.
Ms Fogarty has had a creative flair since she was young, but the real turning point towards costumes came from a themed party as a teenager.
“Just when I was young, I always loved dressing up in Book Week and trying to do that sort of thing,” Ms Fogarty said.
“When I was 13, my best friend invited me to a costume party and she was going to be Morticia Addams, so I dressed up as Wednesday Addams.
“That was where it all started, putting together costumes.”
Her love of costumes continued into adulthood when she and a group of friends would go out on themed party nights every second weekend.
“Every second Saturday would be costume night, so we would choose a theme and dress to it,” she said.
“I would never repeat my costumes, I just wanted a new one every time and I made myself a new one every time – I just always loved it.”
Ms Fogarty said one of the best things about costuming is being able to lose herself in the creativity of it all, which makes time fly by without her noticing.
“I can’t help but be creative, that just keeps going and going,” she said.
“I’ll be like I can’t wait for this to be finished, then I’m sewing and sewing and sewing and then it’s three o’clock in the morning and I’m, like, ‘Whoops’.”
The creativity and skills from sewing costumes has led to business opportunities as well, with Ms Fogarty often selling dolls’ clothing at local markets.
Ms Fogarty said the important thing, whether in life or in business, was to find an enjoyable hobby and stick to it.
“I think it’s more consistent and smooth running if you find that one thing you really love, but not everybody has that one thing,” she said.
“My other half jumps from one hobby to another all the time – he gets right into one hobby and is into it for a month, then gets into something else.
“I just find that it helps me relax, it helps me feel down to earth.”
