Trust the Process

Life after college has been interesting. Sometimes it feels like I’m free falling through life (thx Tom Petty). Like land, school is familiar and predictable. There’s a sense of security knowing what’s ahead. Once it’s done, though, everything feels up in the air. As time rushes past me like wind, I remind myself that it’s all a part of the process.

I have met some awesome people and made some new friends in this Kentucky town. I’m keeping busy with filming and projects, but I find myself having mixed feelings about the future. I’m excited about the things I’ll see and do, but I’m also really worried about the fate of this planet. Leadership around the globe, but especially in the U.S. and Brazil, are taking this crucial time for granted as we watch the world burn, literally. Props to Greta Thunberg for all of her hard work.

My friend Oakley and I recently finished the first two “Life is Strange” games, which inspired me to get back into game design. Last fall, I took a VR class at Denison and got to work with Unity. It’s fun stuff, but I have a lot to learn. 

I’m really excited about the future of XR technology in general. XR stands for “extended reality” which includes both virtual and augmented reality technologies. Eventually, the difference between the two will be a matter of opacity, but not quite yet.

Transition

My Kentucky adventure has officially begun! I moved in with to the mountains last Wednesday. I went shopping and bought my first coffee maker, a landmark in my adult life. It has an alarm and brews just in time for me to grab a cup and go back to bed. So far, the journey has been magical and inspiring. I’ve met a lot of people, and found a state park called Kingdom Come. At the top of the mountain, a tree is growing from the rocks on the cliff side. The scene looks out onto the mountains and is truly a beautiful sight. Below are some lovely pictures from Oakley.

Oakley and I are making a film together this summer and have been watching stuff for inspiration (Check out his website here). So far we’ve played the first Life is Strange game as well as watched Mommy Dead and Dearest and Zombieland. The movie we’re making is called Invisible Scars. The movie tells the dramatic story of Daniel, a trans youth, who is struggling to find his place in his Appalachian town. Most of our days so far have been driving through the mountains scouting for places to shoot scenes for the film.

We are also working with local musicians, taking photos and making music videos. A couple weeks ago, Oakley and I met with Nolan Slone to film. He’s an awesome uke player and it was a blast to work with him. We also met with Cody Socio, an Appalachian black metal artist, to plan for a music video and take some photos.

As far as my personal practice, it’s been going pretty well. I try to do a handful of things daily, like draw, practice languages on Duolingo, and exercise. Sometimes it feels hard to find enough time in the day, but I do my best (-:

Graduation

Well, I did it! I graduated college! On to a new Chapter (-:

A bit about myself: My name is Al, or Alexis. I am a creator that is passionate about the world, particularly where the physical and digital collide. My process brings art and technology together to explore new realms of imagination.

I’m leaving for Kentucky in mid June to spend some time with my friend Oakley. The plan is to collaborate on some video projects for a couple months then move back to Columbus in August I’m excited to use this time to strengthen my practice and cultivate flow. I’ll be working on some personal projects, too, and sharing updates on this blog. Some of my goals for this summer are to

• Share more about my personal practice and the Wellness Star

• Further develop my prototype for the GallerWe app

The Wellness Star is my personal framework for maintaining a healthy mind/spirit/body. Wellness is typically described in 8 dimensions: emotional, physical, intellectual, social, spiritual, occupational, financial, and environmental. However, I find the first five to be the most important when cultivating personal growth. Using a five pointed star as a model, with each point representing one of the elements of wellness, I have developed a daily practice that has transformed my growth.

GallerWe is a project that began in early 2019. The app is a platform for artists to share their work and get involved in their communities. I proposed the idea at a 3 Day Startup workshop where myself and others got the project started. I still have a lot of learning and work to do, but I hope to launch the app in 2020!