Back in high school, I remember taking a tour of the technical school offered in my county. There, I discovered 3D sculpting for the first time, where a student sat me down and started me out on a Wacom tablet using ZBrush. From then on, I fell in love, and spent almost half an hour in this guy's chair just sculpting a helmet with no direction whatsoever (while my mom was actually asking the important questions about the program). I came back and toured again the next year, found that I still wanted to learn how to make digital 3D art, and immediately applied to the program.
Partway through senior year, I decided to try my hand at Virtual Reality. We had access to some amazing, early-release technology, so I was eager to try it out while I could. After messing around in it for a while, I eventually discovered the painting features in TiltBrush. By this time, I had heard a bit about using VR to help veterans with PTSD, and it caught my interest. I started focusing my studies on different ways that VR could be used to help a variety of practices in the medical field. Using my art experience and new found knowledge of medical VR, I decided to start paint a new environment of my own in TiltBrush.
I remember when I found out I got accepted; I had a note delivered to me in class and, Funny enough, one of my good friends sitting behind me got the same note handed to him. Apparently, we had both applied to the morning program and gotten accepted! So, starting junior year, we began our work in the game and app development program at Warren Tech. From there, I started teaching myself the basics to 3D modeling, sculpting, writing, and even tried my hand at 2D art. It was a rough start, but I soon found my groove.
I spent weeks working creating an environment within the program and learning the different tools. Eventually, seeing how far my work had come, my instructor decided to enter my work into a local art competition. I was extremely nervous, but when I found out that I had won first place in the New Media category and got to see just how much everyone loved going into the space I created, I knew I wanted to stick with what I was doing. I loved being able to use my creativity to help people and wanted to continue expanding my own possibilities.
So, I decided to attend the University of Utah and enter their Entertainment Arts and Engineering program. From there, I took off as a student. I felt more focused and inspired than ever before, continuing my personal studies of medical adaptions while gaining an understanding of just how important and complex video games themselves were. As I kept going and take more classes on various topics, I narrowed down my focus to an interest in technical 3D art. By my senior year, I was an experienced artist who found a love for 3D modeling, texturing, and weirdly enough, UV mapping. As I continue my work I always look back on how I started out and just how passionate I was first going in. There is so much I want to do with my skills and have yet to accomplish, but I know with time that I will get there!
I could write an entire ten page paper on what I have learned about games over the years and what I love about creating them. However, I think there are just a few main points that sum them all up. First off, the thing I get judged for the most, is how much I love UV mapping. I know, I know, that isn't something you typically hear. In fact, I think more artists hate doing it that those who can even tolerate it. But to me, I grew up a visual learner with a love for math and solving problems. Something about the way you have to organize and balance everything out is just so satisfying to me and is a large part of the reason why I became a material artist!
Speaking of organization, I later on found out just how much I enjoy the planning that comes with production work. I am a planner, through and through, and finding out the kind of work that comes with being a producer just made my brain so happy when I tried it for the first time during one of my classes. Man oh man how I love making a Google Doc or spreadsheet on what needs to be done and seeing the checklist slowly get done as the progress happens!
My weird little tidbits about my brain out of the way, I also just love being able to create. As mentioned before, I am a visual person, and I found that the combination of art and math that comes with 3D modeling was something that truly clicked with me. Once I figured out the tools of different programs, I was set. I could go for hours just fixing polygons in Maya, or sculpting something unique in ZBrush. It feels amazing to just be able to create without limits. No limited supplies, space, or studio to slow me down. I can just go and go! (That is, until I reach a technical problem, but that's besides the point.) Being able to solve these visual problems while also being the one who can create them is just such a cool experience I don't think I could ever get sick of.
There is always more to learn, and endless ways to apply those skills to new projects! I have learned how to do so many things over the years I never even dreamed of being able to do. Even if something seems to hard or complicated, in the end, with just some time, creativity, and A LOT of patience, truly nothing is impossible. Especially when you're surrounded by such an amazing community!
Circling back to my passion for medical VR, I actually had the opportunity to work at a few labs on campus focusing on various medical topics. I got to assist in many different projects as a tester, data analyst, and even got to help build and run some experiments over a semester. These experiments included testing how a VR headset effects women and children differently as compared to men. Since the headsets are build according to the average male head and eye distance, it can cause more issues in use for those who don't match the same ideal. The experiments I assisted in tracked how differently children act in a VR space and how their perception changes compared to the average male adult.
During this semester of assisting in this experiment, I also tracked the data of another psychology study based on visual memorization on paper, and a different one based on memory from a computer. Getting to work with so many different mediums and within a different position in each one was so interesting and really expanded my knowledge on the psychological effects of both VR and how our brains receive information from different platforms.
During the last semester of my senior year, I also got the privilege of working at the U's GAPP lab as a lead researcher for a new project. I was in charge of finding data on how Virtual Reality can be used to help recent amputees adjust to using a prosthetic limb. It was so much fun getting to learn and track all these different methods labs around the world were using to help amputees adjust to everyday life. From tracking the muscles, to seeing how they react to different stimulant, to even learning how a VR space can help someone relearn how to walk or use their arm, the possibilities are endlessly growing!
The research I got to participate in was so rewarding and also validating in my passion for such an incredible field. It really grew my love for using such a fun experience to help people who may be struggling. Whether it is through mental or physical therapy, training future doctors, or even for running experiments, the future of medical VR is wide in my eyes and something I can't wait to explore more in the future.
As much as I have come to love game development, it hasn't always been in my life. Growing up, I was more focused on sports along with the arts. I have always been someone who enjoys being athletic, as I have stuck with golf, skiing, and fishing throughout my entire life, along with a variety of other sports sprinkled in throughout the years. I have always found both a physical and mental value in staying in shape and taking time to myself to understand the limits of my body and where I can push it. Living close to the mountains my whole life has certainly put me at an advantage, as it has always been easy to go on adventures outside or just relax in the warm sun (with a ton of sunscreen of course, being high elevation).
Nowadays, I also spend my time on artwork outside of the digital world. Over the past few years, I have found a love for fashion and making my own decor. I love helping my friends recreate their wardrobes and try something outside their comfort zone. I am known in my friend groups as being the one who dresses others when we go out, do their makeup, or completely reorganize their closet.
Growing up, I actually didn't get the chance to play a lot of video games. I own a Wii and Nintendo DS so I obviously grew up a fan of the various Mario games, but outside of Nintendo I really only touched Halo and COD when I went to my friend's houses. It wasn't until I got into college did I start playing more games, and most of the time it was for assignments. I finally started playing for fun these past few years and found that I am most drawn to multiplayer horror since gaming has always been a social thing to me. I do still love playing story-based stylistic games, but when I just want to turn off my brain and have fun, getting online with some friends and watching us get jumpscared by the stupidest things is always a good time.
Adventures with friends and family
