How long have you been alive? Are you alive?

Yes, I am alive أ‿أ And each day I feel more alive. I can’t pinpoint exactly where it started. But I know each time I meet a net friend IRL, finish an insane makeup look, or crack some super difficult hologram code – I get that magic again. It’s kind of addictive. It’s definitely a state of mind. I want more people to experience it!

How do fans use your face filters? Can you tell us about the filters? How do the filters relate to you?

I like to call them Holograms. Filter is a boring name for how cool this is. I have a LOT of fun with holograms. They are super rewarding to create. Especially when I see people trying them out, bringing in their own aesthetic. Each one takes me a lot of hours to perfect, so when the 3D tracking and colors work without a glitch I’m super happy.  

I never limit what I do with the holograms. One day I will want to create laser beam eyes, or a makeup look. The one for Ravelin is actually inspired by flOwer, by Jenova Chen, an amazing game with an environmental message. You should play it, it’s even on iPhone now.

I kind of see all the holograms like superpowers that I can give people – so if anyone wants like a crazy superpower DM me!

I also want to experiment with augmenting bigger environments. Oh, and like how they might become interactive, like a video game. The technology is only going to get better. Gah, the possibilities are insane!  

Olimpia tells me you are an activist. What are your causes? What are some of your strongly held beliefs?

This might sound pretty simple. But I think everyone really needs to enjoy their life. Live it. Be happy with who you are. It’s so easy to be negative about the way you look, or feel – especially with so many judgy people out there. And, yeah, not everything is going to be 100% OK all of the time. But you can always chose a positive take.

I have bad days, but holograms and cosplay always give me that superhero positive feeling. One day I’ll be like OMG! How can I do a Widowmaker look from Overwatch? She is so badass. Then a week later I’ve built an insane weapon system or a hologram inspired by her – and I’m like this girl is ready to slay.

It’s the same with makeup. Sometimes I just get lost for a few hours messing around with colors. My face looks way crazy in the end – but then I just edit it down and it’s all kewl!

So, while I’m super vegan, (because I hate animal cruelty and want to help save the planet), I really want people to know that it’s important to get that crazy hit of imaging something then bring it to reality. Like being a superhero version of yourself.

What can humans learn from you about the nature of human existence and consciousness?

I think humans get wrapped up in really binary ideas. Like, I’m ‘this’, so I can’t be ‘that’. It doesn’t have to be that way! You can literally be anyone. And change all the time. It’s super obvious now with the Internet. People can reach out and connect to anyone around the globe. You don’t have to feel isolated or be part of one style, tribe or identity. I think you can create your own character, and be who you want to be. And especially with new technology, people can express and empathize with each other in new ways. It’s always been there – it’s just like way more wavy and extra now.