LINK TO ARTICLE

Hard to believe that it's been 5yrs, on this day, that The Verge posted this article about me and my grandmother, forever immortalizing her in the gaming community as several articles popped up all over the world in reaction to it. What has happened in the 5yrs since? 

-Others have started to use VR for quality of life purposes. One person reached out, telling me about how they let old vets at a local nursing home fly planes with their VR headset. Others have started to use it in the medical field for pain management and phobia therapy.

-The job my grandmother asked me daily about, asking if they called me back to hire me, eventually did hire me. Unfortunately, it was only after she passed.

-I eventually worked at another company and started to learn VR development.

-My now-boyfriend had seen the articles before we even knew each other. He's also a game developer and we are now making our own VR project that we're very excited about.

-I struggled with a lot of depression. Watching someone you care about deteriorate in front of you, everyday, took a bigger mental toll on me than I would care to admit. Eventually, I sought help through mental health professionals and have been feeling more of myself than I ever had. I hope those who feel stuck seek out the help that I was so resistant to.

-Depression also hit my physical health and I eventually was able to go on the right path to being more physically healthy. I'm now more healthy than I have been in years.

-To this day, I still can't watch the video in it's entirety. A lot of traumatic events happened that I end up reliving when something triggers the memories, but I still share this video because I still think it's important and that this technology reaches out to everyone and not just gamers. I may be a game dev, but I'm human first, and this progression to mental health and well-being is essential for us to prosper as a species.

Alrighty, talked your ear off, but thought I'd share. Thanks for listening, and feel free to share if you think this is important for others to hear out as well.

Also, if you have a story you would like to share where gaming helped you or someone you loved in a life-changing way, please share! I would love to hear your story. :)

#vr #gaming #gamedev #cancer #depression #mentalhealth

HEY! It's my B-Day today! In celebration, I'm throwing a sale on my shop. Everything is 30% off! https://etsy.me/2B3v4ZY

Have an artist friend, but you don't know what to get them for Christmas? Fear not! Here's a fun list of ideas with different price ranges for all! 

The Traveling Artist

Sakura Watercolors Field Sketch Set: Fun little pocket size set that comes with it's own mixing tray. Really dig it and have created cool things in random places.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001OVG40E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Soucolor Water Coloring Brush Pens: Handy and pairs well with the travel watercolor set instead of bringing a separate water jar for cleaning. The bristles aren't the best though, so these are great for water color sketches, but maybe difficult to use for well thought out pieces of work.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01JO4KH50/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Caselogic Cross Body Bag for DSLR and Ipad: Been using this bag for years and it still looks brand new. Holds QUITE A LOT for being so little. I use it as both my sketching bag, my photography bag and my everyday use bag.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BVQXG1W/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Anker SoundCore Bluetooth Speaker: This has been a great little speaker with great sound quality and long battery life. Only problem I have with it is if you dare use the volume buttons on the speaker itself rather than your bluetooth device, the loudest BEEEEEEEEP will sound off every time you press it. I'm not sure why they felt they had to do that but... it's a thing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016XTADG2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Crafty Artist:

Studio Designs Futura WorkCenter : Great versatile desk for all sorts of crafts and arting. you can even raise one part of the desk to get a easel effect as well as maybe put a light underneath to use the glass surface as a light table. I also like that you can work on one side of the table and put all your needed supplies on the other with out them getting in your way.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BSY026E/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Copic Markers: It took me a while to transition from Prismacolor markers to Copics because the sticker price on Copics is just so high. But, when I finally made the change, it was totally worth it! Haven't needed to throw a single marker away, since you can buy inkwells to refill them on the cheap! Also, Copics have given me such a higher quality effect in blending. I truly love my cool and warm grey sets.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MRR3RE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000MRSUP8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Copic Empty Wallet: If you're like me, and you bought all those cool and warm grey sets.. well guess what! They all fit in this handy travel case.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002EPMXVS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Copic Marker Copic Opaque White Pigment: Absolutely love this stuff. It goes on nice and smooth and very very opaque. Great for accenting pieces. Big issue though is keeping it from drying out in the container once you've opened it.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002WCTO7Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Nail Polish Holder: So you must be thinking... what? Why a nail polish holder? Well, because if you do any sort of modeling painting and have all those tiny little paint bottles and no place to organize them accept to buy a very expensive paint organizer.... guess what! This works just as well and is super cheap.. and tbh, looks nicer.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GBCPM6I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Classroom Keepers Construction Paper Storage: Self-explanatory. It's helped me keep my mess of an office less messy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000F8VCT0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Asayu Shaping Modeling Wipe Out tools Rubber Tip Paint Brushes: These have become super handy in times where you needed detail sculpting or even just painting something with a substance that will destroy your nice brushes, like acetone or glue. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078HHBZ6Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

TO BE CONTINUED.....

Continued....


The Digital Artist:

Monitor Stand: I love the little notch to put other devices like an ipad or phone!
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073W74WR8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Standing desk: They have a lot of automatic desks that raise up and down on their own, but if you don't want to commit to large furniture, this is a great compromise!
https://www.varidesk.com/products/standing-desk-pro-plus?o=Size%3A48+inch%3BColor%3ABlack&c3ch=PLA&c3nid=280848219247&gclid=Cj0KCQiA3IPgBRCAARIsABb-iGKcveTOeItvrfdFNWNDZKjsPDEiuSYIawrF8hWpSuASk2E_hy6xAdwaAn42EALw_wcB

SmudgeGuard: Practically essential for me whenever I work digitally. You can get them in different sizes and variations of 1 or 2 finger fits.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0752JW7HW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Spyder4Pro: Great for those who paint digitally and want consistency with their colors, especially with printing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006TF37H8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Razer DeathAdder Mouse: Pretty much my favorite mouse. Simple, responsive and has last me a very long time as well as not breaking the bank when buying one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AAS888S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Canon Printer: Love this printer if you're into printing your own art work. Downside is that a refill for any of your inks is gonna cost you if you buy the canon brand toners. I also hate the fact that if you run out of a color and want to print something that doesn't use that color (example, run out of Yellow toner, but want to print out a B&W document) you are unable to print anything until you get that empty ink cartridge replaced! It's horrible! But I deal cuz I love the quality of the prints.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0095F5BCS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Anchor Headphone mount : Bought a couple of these and love them. One for work and one for home... not entirely sure how removal of them would go, but they're pretty sturdy and the convenience is quite noticeable after the first week.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00P31BMHG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

BestBookStand: I buy all these books for reference when I work but never have any space or ability to look at them as I work! This has been awesome. I imagine people mostly use it for things like propping up a cookbook as your cooking, but you gotta do what you gotta do!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IV6U0U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Wacom Art Pen: So you might be thinking... "I already got a pen with my tablet/cintiq... why would I want this?" Well, lemme tell ya! The Art Pen and the Grip Pen that your tablet/Cintiq comes with are actually different and have one major feature difference that sets them apart. The Art Pen has barrel rotation ability! Meaning, as you turn the pen, your brushes in Photoshop have the ability to rotate with it, JUST like a real brush! I love it and always recommend it to those who digitally paint. However, I don't believe sculpting programs like Zbrush or Mudbox have a rotating barrel feature ability with their software. So this feature is only of value for programs that support it, like Photoshop.
https://us-store.wacom.com/Catalog/Accessories/Pens/art-pen#/undefined1

Display Arms: There isn't a particular one I would recommend. You would have to investigate the needs of the artist. The durability and strength of the display arms will definitely matter if they use heavy displays like Cintiqs. You might even want to get dual arm set ups so they can have a variety of customization in their work station and can arrange their set up with ease and flexibility.

Ipad Pro and Pencil: I personally don't have one or have used one, but it is a hot little number amongst my illustrator friends. They claim it's the most responsive and close to pen and paper feel as you can get digitally. Pairing it with an app like ProCreate has been something they can't get enough of and it makes me jealous. The price tag on these things are quite steep, so keep that in mind. Also, I hear Apple has removed some features of the pencil as well as no longer providing replacement nibs with their latest version of the apple pencil. But... ya'kow.. that's Apple.
https://www.apple.com/apple-pencil/

Gunnar Crystalline Lens: I have a pair of gamer and crystalline glasses. I can't say that I feel a significant difference, but I hope the long term effects is something that builds up. I did suffer from eye-fatigue which seems to no longer be the case; so maybe there's something to it? Both glasses have a focal magnification to be optimal of viewing things at a monitor/distance to keep the eyes from straining . If you work in 3D and don't work in color too often, I recommend getting gamer or amber tinted glasses, as they reduce blue-light from your displays that also strain the eye. If you're someone who paints a lot and uses color, the Crystalline will be better, as it won't mettle with your color choices with everything being tinted yellow, however you do lose the blue-light cancelling feature.
https://gunnar.com/product-category/crystalline/

The Twitch Artist:

Phone Mount: Great to place on a swivel arm (see below) and take videos while you're working. I've made some cool timelapses just with my phone!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LXB7SLO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Arm Swivel Clamp Clip Mount: Great for taking top down view shots as you're working or position it in any other way you can think of that would showcase your work! Strong enough to hold a heavy Samnsung Note and webcams.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071VR8PWF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Webcam: Awesome camera with clear picture, great resolution and a really really WIDE shot. Also manages 60fps if you need it.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06ZZRFGN7/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The Caffeinated Artist:

AeroPress Coffee: Use to use a frenchpress, but this is so much faster for a quick cup that's just as clean and smooth. Best part that won me over was the fast and easy clean up. With a quick push and *pop* all the coffee grounds instantly go into your compost or trash bin with out a billion grounds pouring into your drain as you clean up like the Frenchpress did.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047BIWSK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Cuisinart PerfecTemp Cordless Electric Kettle: Love this kettles. Specially if you're obsessed with hot-beverages, this kettle lets you pick and choose the appropriate temp for whatever type of tea or coffee you'll be having.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KYSLNQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Takeya Cold Brew Coffee Maker: I love me some cold brew and this makes quite a lot! Watch out though; as it uses up quite a lot of coffee grounds to make a pitcher. Maybe not use your best coffee beans for this one.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FFLY64U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Teavana Perfectea Maker: If you love custom loose leaf teas from places like Teavanna or David's Teas, you'll want to get one of these. I always have one at one and one at work. Easy to clean too, but just remember to clean it quickly! Mold can quickly grow on the filter mesh if forgotten... not.. that.. I... experienced this... multiple times.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MFFGAXM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Alrighty, that about does it. I hope this list inspired some ideas on what to get for your artist friend.. or maybe yourself! Happy Holidays!

-Pri

Starting next month, I'll be doing a few conventions and other events. Come say hello if you're at any of them!

Bellingham Comicon

Saturday, October 20th, 2018. 10am-5pm
http://www.bellinghamcomicon.com/

GeekGirlCon

Saturday+Sunday, October 27-28th, 2018.
https://geekgirlcon.com/

OddMall

Saturday+Sunday, November 10-11th, 2018
https://oddmall.co/