Just AAM.

Originally, the plan for this site was to simply exist as a space for my recent work and random thoughts on my experiences both in and out of virtual reality environments. I wrote about how virtual reality both as a platform and medium of expression has changed my life permanently, how worlds within games like VRChat changed my perception of immersive reality, and how those very worlds bring people from all walks of life together to celebrate, laugh, and move forward as a collective and as a community. So… where did those posts go?
Unfortunately… I have deleted those previous posts. I didn’t mean to permanently delete these posts when switching themes, and I didn’t think to export those posts so I can reupload them once this new theme was applied to my site. I feel regret for not saving those posts, as I think it’s important for people like me – artists uncovering and exploring new avenues of expression – to document experiences that are unique and impactful, experiences that may influence the growth and development of my work.
Virtual reality has become a new way for me to grow as an artist, as it blends mediums both tangible and digital in ways I have never experienced before. From hand-drawn textures to 3D renders, storyboards etched onto paper to animations within Unity – the creative possibilities have never felt so limitless to me as they do now. It feels like it goes both ways, as I find myself exploring these new creative possibilities in virtual reality and then wanting to see if there is a way to execute something similar in the tangible world. For example, I had modeled an earring of a moon and sun swirling together in Blender for fun – a simple thing I would add to my model that I use in VRChat – until I thought to myself how nice it would be have such an earring to wear in real life. These sorts of desires have only surged through me once I have dabbled into this hobby. Virtual reality makes me curious, it makes me ask questions, it makes me wonder what else I could possibly do or try. Virtual reality makes me want to experience.
So often do I hear people speak of VR in a dystopian manner. With my writings in this blog, I aim to share a different perspective on VR. VR spaces are more than just 3D environments and moving avatars and pretty lighting everywhere. As people within these spaces push the technological bounds of this medium, of this platform, you see the real, raw human emotion as they do so. From curated music events to theater plays, from game nights to social hours – virtual reality can connect people from every corner of the earth due to its sheer endless creative possibilities. This is what I wish to speak on, as now more than ever, joy is a currency we must hoard.