Life & Work with Paris Holland of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paris Holland.

Hi Paris, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am a model, gamer, and mixed reality designer based out of Los Angeles. I create with several different mediums such as modeling, 3D design in fashion and gaming using AR/VR, graphic design and more with a focus on creating immersive experiences for the virtual, the physical, or both. I started my journey in front of the camera while studying biology and botany in college, but over time, I found myself drawn to the creative possibilities in virtual fashion and gaming. Now, I use design to bridge the gap between style and tech, bringing imaginative looks to life in both physical and digital worlds.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Initially when I went to college I was a pre-med/biology student at The University of Mississippi. Over time, I had put so many hours, tears, and sweat into studying to go into medical school, but realized that it wasn’t resonating with me. During that time in college, I spent a lot of time gaming and also working on my online clothing shop. After moving back home, I changed my major to botany, focusing on learning California’s native flora and fauna, spending a lot of time outdoors camping, and eventually it led me to working in the cannabis industry. During that time, in those 7 years in the industry, I worked various positions, but once I entered the retail side working in shops, I experimented with photogrammetry and create 3D meshes of the products to use in social media and product design. I was able to get some 3D and graphic design contracts doing this and I enjoyed it so much I felt compelled to continue to learn Blender fully to create avatars, objects, environments, and learn game development. This felt like an outlet to infinite creation and it became my hyperfocus in the past 5 years.

Learning 3D has been tricky at times because I’ve wanted to learn so many aspects. So I’ve taken quite a lot of self taught courses using YouTube, joining online classes, and a cohort earlier this year called GRX Immersive where I was able to create a game demo for the first time working with my cohort team. Even now, there’s still so much to learn. The key to all of this is to keep trying and finding the workflow that works best for you and to JOIN COMMUNITIES. Joining others also learning, you can learn from each other while also growing in skills together. It’s so worth it!

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I work in mixed reality. The majority of what I do begins in 3D and can move into augmented reality and virtual reality. I use a number of tools, with my main stack being Blender, Unreal Engine, and Style3D. At times, I also use AI tools from time to time to mix with 3D depending on the project and client needs, so there’s a lot of versatility in how to come about different results. I spend the majority of my time doing environments or digital clothing. My favorite thing to work on is digital clothing because it’s really fun to create virtual garments either for avatars or AR virtual try ons. For the most part, I try to do a bit of everything as a 3D generalist, but I also love to create environments, especially when it’s nature based and architecture. I believe fashion, nature, and architecture create a really beautiful combination and most of my work consists of a fusion of those.

Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I grew up dressing up. My mom put me in baby pageants for a time. I have always been a girly girl. So when I finally got on the computer, I played tons of dress up games. I was molded by Bratz and Barbie before and at the creation of the internet so it’s always been ingrained within me! Because I grew up a large portion of life before the internet, I was also always outside, always swimming, always doing something nature based.

Also, when I was younger I was SO SHY. Extremely shy, despite being in front of crowds at times. So now, it feels natural to speak publicly, be on camera, and meet new people. I’ve evolved quite a lot in that regard. I believe my younger self would be so proud and inspired by who we’ve become because we’ve come a long way!!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.pariscaliforniaxo.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parischolland
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paris-holland-2600a7176/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbsn9eb9iTwEWp3KbnxsTWA

Image Credits
The Nobody Hole game demo – https://www.kzmtx.com/thenobodyhole