Meet Tijuana Miller | Chocolate Cheri’e Delight, Professional Cosplayer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tijuana Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tijuana, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?

When I was little, I always loved dressing up. It was one of the things that helped me cope with a traumatic childhood. When I grew up, I assumed that I would have to leave it behind, only getting to indulge in my favorite hobby during Halloween. About 10 years ago, I started noticing people dressing up for cons and just to enjoy taking pictures and I became intrigued! How did they have the courage to “be childish”, as my biological mother would say? How did they have the nerve to stand up to all of the online naysayers? I decided to get myself in shape and work on my mental fortitude so that I could start doing cosplay too! Well, in 2021, after throwing all caution to the wind, I started officially cosplaying. Over the years, my message as a cosplayer and creator has been to not wait on the “perfect opportunity” to do something, but rather to jump in head first! If I’d have kept waiting on the right moment to break out, I don’t think I would have gotten to the level of success and happiness in my craft that I am today! Now, I love creating new cosplay looks and props and highly encourage any and everyone that ANYONE can cosplay, no matter their race, size, or gender!

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?

As a single mother, being a creative is so very difficult, mainly because my money has to be allotted for things that my son and I need on a regular basis. One of the things that I pride myself in, is that 1) I am extremely stubborn and 2) I am extremely creative! What I mean by this is that I refuse to let my financial situation stop me from being able to do the things that I enjoy! I’m so very proud of the way I’ve taken the new skills I’ve learned over the years from other creatives and from tutorials and used them to turn everyday items in my household into some amazing prop pieces! An example that is closest to my heart is the iconic boom box that Kat Elliot has in the movie Wendell and Wild! Getting to create props for a new cosplay is one of the most exciting parts of the creative process! One of the most important things that has helped me get to the professional level that I am at today is reaching out to other creatives! There are so many amazingly talented people in the cosplay community and in my friend/family circle that have assisted me in coming up with ideas on how to create the different looks that I have done, or who help me to come up with the creative merchandising that I have created for my brand. The road has definitely not been easy! As someone who has been working to overcome my childhood traumas, one of those challenges has been to have full faith that what I do is actually good! I’ve been published over a dozen times and I still have a strange sense of disassociation with the idea of being “good” at what I do. I am constantly fighting the negative ideas in my head that I am not good enough. Some of the lessons that I have learned is to not compare yourself to anyone else. As a counselor at my day job. I constantly work to teach my clients that there are hundreds of brands of bread in the bread aisle of the grocery store and, especially during COVID, every single one of them sells! It doesn’t matter how many people are doing or have done what you are doing–there’s enough out here for EVERYONE to eat and enjoy! If there were one thing I hope that anyone takes away from my brand and my story is that you CAN do it if you put your mind to it, people WILL support you, no matter how much your intrusive thoughts tell you they won’t, and that you deserve to be in the same spaces as those with similar interests/values/hobbies–so show them what you’ve got!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.

Being a transplant to Memphis, Tennessee at a young age means that I have, sadly, seen a lot of amazing places in this city go out of business or relocate. It ALSO means, however, that there have been a lot of great places that HAVE started up here! Granted, my best friend has already lived here her whole life BUT, if she didn’t and came to visit, that Monday, we’re going straight to the Pink Palace Museum. As a bonafide nerd, museums are always my favorite place to go, and the Pink Palace has it ALL! A planetarium, a dinosaur exhibit with animatronic dinosaurs, cool shows–you name it! The majority of the day would definitely be spent there! Once finished, The first food stop that we would HAVE to make is Art House Cafe on Mississippi Blvd. They have some of the BEST southern cooking, in my opinion, and the staff is absolutely amazing! They also showcase a lot of local artist’s work in the restaurant and, during the warm evenings, they have things like karaoke, lounge events with entertainment, and grill-outs on their back patio. We would also have to go to Black Lodge for one of their events, depending on when she comes in! Black Lodge has some of the coolest cons and nerd events take place at their location and a lot of the “cool” Memphis population goes there to hang out and have a great time! The Memphis Zoo, while sounding childish, is actually a HUGE attraction for all ages! In addition to the beautiful scenery and exhibits, the wide variety of animals and events that they host (Zoo Boo, Zoo Lights, Zoo Brew, etc) are legendary! Either of those days could be spent eating at a great restaurant called Brain Food Memphis. Their food selections are, not only amazing, but you get so MUCH of that amazing food for a great price! One of the days, we are DEFINITELY going to spend time with the Code Bluff group at one of their awesome events. Whether it’s a group cosplay photoshoot, a cosplay bowling/game night event, or a group meetup at a location/con, you are always sure to have a great time hanging out with them–and meet some fantastic people in the process! Other great visiting spots would be the Brooks Museum, the Duck tours on the Mississippi River, Tom Lee Park for some fun picnic and park fun, Beale Street for plenty of evening f00d, fun, and entertainment, the Botanic Gardens or Dixon Gallery, and so many more museums that are too many to name! Some other great eating spots would be Brother Junipers for some great breakfast cuisine, Hyderabad Biryani for some AMAZING Indian food, Riko’s Kickin Chicken for a great wing spot, and Aloha Memphis food truck for a great taste of some authentic Hawaiian food. I’ve been in Memphis for more than 20 years and I still love finding little places that are fun to visit!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

There are SOOO many people that I could shoutout and recognize as part of the mentors who have driven me, like Hellspawned, HeirofGlee, and Knightmage–all professional cosplayers. But I HAVE to start by giving my photographer, Ashanti Blair of Shun B. Images, the first and biggest set of props! She has been, not only consistent and always ready to push the boundaries of her own talents, but one of my biggest supporters and pushers in my craft! As a photographer, she’s always making sure to remind me of things that would look better on camera so that I always get the best look that I’m trying to achieve. I also have to recognize my Creative Manager, Leslie George, who also happens to be my best friend of over 20 years! I am known to fill my plate past full, so she is very good at keeping my head out of the clouds and be more mindful about how much I take on. Of course, I can’t NOT mention my talented group of cosplay friends in Code Bluff, a Memphis-based group of cosplayers, nerds, and geeks who are out to form a community of like-minded friends; as well as Nerd.0 who are a North Carolina based group with the same core values! My close cosplay friends Courtney (Freaky Corkscrew) and Mia DeNay are some of my all-time favorite collaboration partners and they are STELLAR at their art! They help hold me accountable and help lift my spirits when it comes to learning new talents and stepping out into more difficult pieces! My logo and merchandise partner, Tasha Bailey of Scattered Xpressions, is one of the most talented designers that I have ever met and, once I became what many consider to be professional, she absolutely made sure to take my art to the next level! And, last but certainly not least, my sister Millicent Todd, who does my press-on nails for all of my looks. The level of talent that she has is unmatched and she deserves all of her flowers! I absolutely appreciate the team that I have formed around me and continue to be grateful for how much my circle increases more and more as time goes on! I am all about uplifting people and it’s so wonderful knowing that I have people in my corner helping me in the same aspect!

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Image Credits
Ashanti “Shun” Blair