HELLO FRIENDS!
As many of you know, I am on track to completing my Bachelors
Degree by early 2019. I've come a LONG way since I began this amazing
journey in 2012 when I took a leap of faith and went back to school to
earn a degree in Fine Arts. I achieved my AA in 2015 at Asnuntuck
Community College in Enfield, Connecticut where I graduated with a
perfect 4.0 GPA(!!). I then moved to the other side of the country to
live with my partner in Washington state, and in 2017 I enrolled at
Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA to earn my Bachelors Degree.
The past several years have been intense, exciting, and rewarding --
and I am nearly done completing my BA! I am on track to graduate in
Spring 2019!
MY CAUSE
Luckily for me, the hard work I put into school thus far has
helped me to earn financial aid and a couple of generous scholarships.
Despite this, however, I need help paying for computer hardware that
will be crucial for me to complete the next two college quarters. I
have a part time job, but
the hours are sporadic and unreliable.
I occasionally take on design commissions, and sell some art, but I
don't earn enough to save up for larger expenses. At this time, most
of my time and energy is reserved for my education and related projects.
HOW YOUR DONATIONS WILL BE USED
Your generous donations will help me to pay for a VR headset and
accompanying haptic devices (worn on the hands to help the user
interact with the VR world), and a refurbished PC that will allow me
to run a software program called Unity3D, which is used for developing
VR applications. Although I do currently own a gaming laptop which is
fairly powerful, it doesn't meet the hardware specs needed to run the
software. Fortunately, I have access to a local PC tech who has
offered to obtain a powerful system that would meet my needs.
My Fall 2018 quarter will be an Independent Study in which I will use
the VR headset, refurbished PC, and my school's Multimedia Lab to work
toward developing a simple virtual reality demo, with the aim of
completing one successful working demo by the end of the quarter. I'll
also do research
about avatars in virtual reality, personal
identity, character building, gender studies, human bodies in relation
to identity, adornment, body modification, cosplay/costumes,
philosophical inquiries related to virtual reality, and other related
topics. My main goal for Fall quarter is to obtain the skills I will
need to complete my final Capstone project during Winter quarter,
which will be my last school quarter before graduation!
My estimated costs:
- Approx. $500 USD for a VR headset/haptic device combo (Oculus Rift and HTC Vive are two possible models I might select)
- Approx $500-$700 USD for a refurbished gaming PC.
(**I have looked into getting refurbished VR headsets as well, but found it isn't recommended, as the warranty for the device is not transferable if it's resold)
PLEASE HELP!
Fall Quarter begins on the 24th of September, 2018, so I have
just under two months to raise the money. I know that money is tight
for a lot of you -- I definitely understand how difficult it can be to
find extra money at the end of the day. However, if you are able to
donate even a dollar or two, that donation would get me that much
closer to my goal. If you aren't able to donate, please share this
campaign and help me reach more potential donors.
WHERE I'VE BEEN & WHERE I'M GOING
Over my lifetime, I have accumulated an extensive background of
artistic experience, with both formal education and in being
self-taught. I have explored a wide range of traditional and digital
arts, including painting, illustration, photography, printmaking,
graphic design, photo and video
editing, digital art, 3D
modeling, 3D printing, virtual world content creation, web design,
acting, experimental poetry, and more. With this skill set & my
personal passions, I've decided to pursue a career in the field of
Virtual Reality development. Rather than follow the path of game
development, as many others are already doing, I would prefer to apply
my talents to creating Virtual Reality projects that are more aligned
with artistic, educational, and therapeutic experiences. While most
people might think of VR as simply entertainment, it has many
potentials to make life fuller and better for humanity. VR has been
used in medical and surgery training, in automobile design, for PTSD
therapy, for educational experiences in classrooms, for occupational
training, and more. It can help foster empathy and create immersive
artistic experiences. It will likely be developed for use in film,
television, and theatrical performances as well. Virtual Reality is a
new frontier, a growing field with many exciting potentials. I look
forward to being part of that effort, and I want to be able to help
make the world a better place with my contributions.
THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN ME, AND THANK
YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
