Cyrene Quiamco: I’m an artist. I create drawings, paintings, sculptures, and digital art. What I find amazing about augmented reality is that I’m not limited to a piece of paper, canvas, computer screen, or how much clay I have. I can paint and sculpt using the world as a canvas! I also like how my art can be experienced anywhere and shared easily through a Lens by anyone. 

On the other hand, I am also a storyteller. I like to tell stories with my art. But what I also love about AR Lenses is that I can help others tell their stories using my art. My story doesn’t end with me posting a picture or video — that’s actually where it starts. People can continue and add their own stories using my Lens! 

CQ: Augmented Reality is so new, and I think it’s fun to share this journey with the most talented and supportive people from around the world. We are like a group of explorers helping each other grow, discover, and shape this new world of AR. 

CQ: There are two things in my head right now: Rambo, our bearded dragon pet (she’s starred in a lot of my AR Lenses), and the other thing is my next AR project. Those are my two obsessions right now. 

CQ: I’ve always spoken through visuals and art. I find it hard to start a conversation with people. I think augmented reality will be a new language that people can use to communicate. Whether that’s to say hello to a friend, communicate a brand message, or educate people on a topic, I think AR will play a big part in how we communicate. 

CQ: AR can enhance learning. It allows us to turn our living room into an educational wonderland, historical sites into time machines, enhance museum visits, translate foreign signs and scanned objects, and turn state parks into an interactive journey. While there are pictures and videos, AR makes these visuals more relevant by being in the same space, the same reality, and at the same time. 

CQ: I think it’ll be a surprise! Ten years ago, I would have never guessed I would be collaborating with some of the biggest brands on augmented reality projects. I just hope I keep waking up every day with amazing opportunities to show my art. I want to keep pushing where I can show my art using whatever medium or technology will come next.

Atit Kharel: I made my first Lens four years ago when Snapchat launched the first version of Lens Studio. The ability to bring your imagination into the real world is what draws me to AR. I feel that once you start creating AR experiences, it is almost impossible to stop as new ideas keep surfacing and the excitement in seeing them come to life is what keeps me going.

AK: It is very inspiring to talk to other creators who share the same passion as you and constantly motivate you to work harder. Everyone in the creator community is uniquely talented and creative, and we all learn a lot from each other. The community includes people from all around the world, and seeing their unique creations and skills inspires me to learn more and create more every day.

AK: I’ve been creating experiences for Snap’s next-generation Spectacles currently and have been exploring the possibilities of AR glasses. I particularly enjoy creating mini-game experiences and educational Lenses, as they are always fun and easy to share with your friends and experience together. AR glasses have been a new chapter in AR for me to explore these experiences and I plan to continue to learn more about this side of AR. 

AK: I believe that augmented reality will be at the heart of entertainment and education systems in the future. AR will soon play a vital role in everyday activities around the world as more creators start focusing on creating unique and useful experiences. 

AK: With all the new developments in digital technologies, there are increasingly more possibilities for augmented reality to move beyond the entertainment space and step into utility. AR introduces new methods of learning, which makes the process fun and interactive. It creates real-life experiences and punctures the traditional learning process by introducing new methods of learning, drawing on practice rather than just theory. 

AK: I'm currently working with other creators from my local community and focusing on helping brands adapt to AR to reach their audience in a unique and interactive way. We are trying to change the AR space here in Nepal and around the world through our agency Kerkar Creations and have a vision of implementing AR in ways that are not only entertaining but equally helpful and informative. I’m very excited to be a part of this creative community and help build the future of AR. 

A huge thanks to Cyrene and Atit for sharing their stories with us. To be able to provide a platform for their work is a huge honor, and we can’t wait to see how languages around the world will be represented through Snap AR.