Honestly; being a geek/nerd/whateveryouwannacallit is a good thing. This stigma on being intellectual is entirely self-perceived, and in most circumstances, built out of outdated social observations. Being a nerd or geek doesn't immediately make you socially inept, physically impotent, or dexterously incapable. That said, having an affinity for making costumes isn't really going to put anyone in the ballpark of being a nerd or geek, but spending hours and hours researching how to do something properly, or how to make something, or in our case, reproduce something form a fictional universe with almost obsessive attention to detail, will shunt you into the category very quickly. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; remember, nerds rule the world.
I, personally consider myself quite a bit of an intellectual, a philosopher of sorts, along with a total nerd, technogeek, and renfaire-freak. That said, take a look at my signature. Now also consider the fact that I make quite a bit more than most people from my age-group, doing something that I really enjoy.
To quote my 3 year old baby sister; "Being smart is awesome."