Horizon Worlds Spotlight: tmwheeler1

Welcome back to our weekly spotlight on the people building for Horizon Worlds and on their amazing creations.

Last week, we rolled through Bowl-o-Rama from UrbanMasque. This week, we hear all about what inspired tmwheeler1’s terrific work building worlds that help people understand the challenges of dyslexia. She also tells us about her experiences as a filmmaker in Horizon Worlds.

I’m dyslexic and currently teach students with my same learning disorder. Over the last 14 years, I’ve taught kindergarten, first, and third grades and have been a dyslexia interventionist for the last six years.

My introduction to VR was when I came across the Immersive Arts Laboratory - By Future Artists Facebook community. The first time I actually put on a VR headset was at SXSW in 2019. I was amazed by the experience and got hooked right away, so I bought a Quest. Soon after that, I applied for access to the Horizon Worlds beta, and I got my invitation in August 2020.

One of the things I’ve learned since starting out in VR is that because it’s such an immersive experience, it really supports the way I think in 3D pictures due to my dyslexia.

I really enjoy building in VR because there’s something about having dyslexia and building in a 3D environment that just clicked for me.

My inspiration is my life—the places I’ve been and my imagination. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of night thinking about something I want to add to a world, or I see something in my daily life that I’m inspired to build. And some days I just open a blank world and start building.

Either way, building in Horizon Worlds is truly a stress release for me. When I’m doing it, the hours seem to just disappear.

My dyslexia worlds are inspired by my own experiences. Wheeler Dyslexia is a virtual space for people in my Facebook Group, Dyslexic is a story about my life with dyslexia, and Dyslexic Junglea> shows both the strengths and weaknesses that dyslexic people experience.

I want to immerse people in an environment that raises awareness about dyslexia. I do that through storytelling, and in my other worlds, I take you to the beach, to a mountaintop, or into the middle of a fairytale.

For now, it’s a hobby, but I see the potential to make creating for Horizon Worlds a full-time job some day.

Yes, all the time, and I love it because it builds community! My strength is as a builder, so I often ask friends to help with scripting. I’ve learned so much from others and made so many friends by collaborating. I’m a part of Blue Wave Studios, and we often work together to make films, like From Beyond, in Horizon Worlds.

When I began building, I hadn’t taken any classes or tutorials. I just started a blank world, opened the build menu, pulled out a shape, and got going.

So if you're feeling creative, you can do the same and have fun right away. Pull out some shapes and see what you can do. Don't worry about your first world being amazing or perfect. Just create.

But then, I’d definitely recommend attending an Intro to Creation class on Wednesday nights with Horizon World Tours or ask a friend to collaborate on your first build. That’s the best way to learn.

It has the potential to inspire a global community and support social experiences and new careers in the metaverse. I would love to work in some professional capacity in the metaverse in the future.

Being part of Blue Wave Studios and producing films in Horizon Worlds has been amazing. My favorite experience was being on the red carpet in Horizon Worlds during our release party for From Beyond.