Life & Work with Shelly Teed of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Shelly Teed.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I grew up in upstate New York and moved to Brooklyn in my mid-20s because I was looking for something more. Coming from a small town, I loved that in New York there was a class, workshop, or internship for pretty much anything I wanted to learn.

I knew I wanted to do something creative, but I never really knew what that was, so I tried everything. I interned at a production studio, learned fire performance, decorated cakes at a bakery—you name it, I probably tried it. Funny enough, I never actually took classes in makeup or costume design, which ended up becoming two of my biggest passions.

What always fascinated me was transformation. I loved creating different looks just for fun, but for a long time I didn’t really know where that creativity was going to take me.

Then I moved to Columbus in 2015 and went to Highball Halloween for the first time. I was completely blown away. I had never seen anything like it, and I remember thinking, this is where I belong.

Almost ten years later, I’ve gone from being an assistant at Highball to designing my own collections. Looking back, all those random things I tried along the way weren’t really random at all—they each gave me something that eventually became part of what I do today.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I would say my biggest obstacle has always been myself. I’ve always been my own worst critic, and for a long time I didn’t think my work was good enough to be on a stage. I also used to take other people’s opinions to heart, but I’ve learned that as a creative, you can’t let that dictate what you make.

I want to create things that genuinely excite and inspire me—not just things I think an audience will like. Art is personal, and it’s not meant to resonate with everyone.

Another challenge was finding myself creatively after becoming a mom. Over the course of four years, I experienced several miscarriages before being blessed with my son. After everything, it took me a while to find that creative part of myself again. Honestly, I think I’m still figuring it out.

But it took persistence, and now I’m creating more than I ever have. That’s something I’m really proud of.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I specialize in costume design, but I also have a huge passion for creative makeup. I’m self-taught in both, although I’d love to take some classes and continue developing my skills.

What I love most is completely transforming a person from head to toe. My goal is to create things that make people stop and wonder, “What is that made of?” or “How did they even come up with that?” I love structure, texture, and especially detail. I could spend hours obsessing over the smallest details.

With makeup, I tend to lean toward the darker or scarier side, but really, I’m drawn to anything transformative. It’s always funny when someone asks if I can do their wedding makeup or something more traditional. My response is usually, “I can make you look like a tree, but I can’t make you beautiful.”

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @shellbangerz