GK: I’m passionate about creating experiences for social impact and education. Hopefully, I’ll get to work on more projects in that space this year. Through Lens Studio, I’m excited about 3D hand interactions and physics. I spend a lot of time experimenting with gravity and being able to move objects with my hand in AR. Applying real-world physics is thrilling, as you can make objects collide, gamify the Lenses, and more.

GK: AR has proven it can have an enormous impact in not just the storytelling aspect but also by activating a younger demographic. It’s not limited in terms of the subject matter or industry. Experiences that tackle climate change, art history, and education have more potential to reach vast audiences as compared to offline campaigns. 

GK: I’m hoping to broaden my horizon with the kind of Lenses I work on. I would love to create AR experiences for a museum. In addition to this, I’m working on strengthening my skills in scripting and streamlining my process for Lens creation. 

GK: In my work, oftentimes I am conscious of the color palette or visual direction while pitching to clients so as to avoid being labeled “too feminine.” But, in the past two years, there has been a considerable shift in acceptance. 

As a South Asian woman of color, I feel empowered being a representative of my community and have started to understand the importance of passing down my skills to others. As a rule of thumb, I also make it a point to collaborate with women on personal projects and recommend them for suitable jobs. At the same time, there is a lot to be done for teams to truly have an open culture where diversity isn’t just an item on the checklist. 

GK: I would say it’s really good to have a clear idea, palette, and direction before you begin your Lens. Look at championing one or two features and tools that best convey the message to your audience. Make sure your concept is original, visually engaging, and interactive!

MA: In the past, I’ve had a hard time learning to create Lenses because there were no lessons in Arabic. One of my goals is to create an AR company to train novice designers in my own language, showing them how to create Lenses more quickly and effectively. 

MA: AR technology miraculously unites the virtual and physical worlds. Enhanced reality has become part of people's daily lives to live digital, interactive, and comprehensive experiences that enhance the realism of the world around them. It’s a priceless tool for providing an innovative learning space as well as a very important marketing tool.

MA: My favorite part is connecting with my female colleagues who have the same passion to help build this exciting new future together. I love to encourage more women to join this beautiful, fun, and useful world. There's a lot of space for women's presence in augmented reality, technology, and the whole future. Women can do whatever they want.

MA: My advice for anyone looking to create their own Lenses is that it's okay to fail. It’s no reason to stop. Keep practicing, keep failing, and one day you'll realize how far you've come. You're capable of doing it. Try something you haven't tried and don't be afraid or ashamed to ask for help, because a great community of developers is ready to answer any question you have! 

It is important, too, to participate in the community and build friendships with other creators. I recommend exploring and learning the tools and templates in Lens Studio that help you to be creative. You can acquire skills as you progress, but you don’t need to learn everything at once. Just practice, be confident, and trust your abilities.

VSPC: Right now, I'm very passionate about Lens Studio’s Physics feature. I definitely want to experiment more with this new tool and use it to create different Lenses. The possibilities with that feature seem to be infinite and I can’t wait to use it on my personal projects.

VSPC: For me, AR can positively impact how we perceive and deal with content in general, not only receiving the digital content but being part of it. It’s a great medium for bringing a new approach, especially to education, games, and interactive applications of different kinds. Unlike other mediums, AR creates an intersection between real life and the digital world, bringing a different layer without blinding us from what’s in front of us.

VSPC: In the short term, I'd love to be more involved in projects that connect art, music, fashion, and entertainment to technology. I’m looking to bring different functional approaches to these fields for different clients and collaborators. In the mid-term, it would be really nice if I could not only create and be involved in good projects but also have space to approach AR in a theoretical way, researching and discussing the role of AR in contemporary society.

VSPC: Being a woman in the AR field is definitely a good challenge. We are building a sense of belonging and embracing other people that identify like us, while also helping to push the limits of AR technology and being part of this chapter of history. Besides that, it's very worthwhile to be a reference for other people and encourage them to start a tech/art career.

VSPC: I would say breathe, respect your own creative time, and try to experiment with the different tools that software provides to us. Let yourself enjoy the excitement of solving creative problems using AR technology. When I started to focus more on the development of a project, instead of the final aesthetics, everything started to flow better and I discovered that I was able to push my own limitations without being stuck in a single pattern of creation. Don’t be shy to ask for advice and allow yourself to collaborate with other creators.

CK: I am passionate about using AR Lenses to create more interactive art. Last year, I designed AR Lenses to use along with my sculptures in Japan. Augmented reality lacks “weight,” so I enjoy mixing AR Lenses with my physical sculptures.

CK: AR can positively impact the world since anyone in the world can be a creator and share their dreams and ideas, even those with limited resources. AR can create instant happiness for anyone, regardless of age, wealth, disability, or culture.

CK: In order to make people feel closer to art, I would like to continue making and mixing AR, live performances, CG, and other fine artwork. I’d also like to create a foundation that promotes and supports creators around the world for generations to come.

CK: In Japan, I have not seen as many female AR creators as in the U.S. or Europe. I hope this changes, as Japanese women have their own rich expressiveness and style which could be shared with the world. 

CK: Run with your great idea and don’t worry too much about the details. Also, always keep an eye out for collaborative opportunities!