The interview below has been edited and condensed for clarity.

So when did you know that you wanted to pursue digital art? And how did you go about taking the first steps into this?

As a kid, I was always drawing.I got started with digital art when I was in college. I got a laptop and then I started with my selfies. I started editing crystals in the background.The 3D stuff started because I wanted to make a game that was a museum with my selfies in it. What if I just had this virtual space?

So, what is the mission of Opal?

To be cute. To be
comfortable.  To be an expression of what I want.

You know, I kind of even think that the whole point of Opal is that there is no mission.

She didn't exist and now she does. What more do you want?

She serves a purpose and it's not to re-enact a life. It's not to replace a life it's to represent something that you want, which is not to, tell people about “what I ate for breakfast”, “blah, blah, blah”, “ these are my friends” and “this is what we do.” Who cares? You don't know me, Whoa, just look how shiny her dress is guys. I feel in real life you don't really get to just exist.

So I realized that a lot of 3D/CGI models work as influencers. What do you think about that?

I look at Opal as art. I just want to express myself. I don't know if it's the medium or that it’s a new thing, but, I don't think people would be making much of this influencer thing if I was drawing.

You know, I think they would understand it as a self portrait if it was painted. I don't know what it is about the medium that forces it into this box. People used to hit me and be like, “you're an AI?“

You mentioned how Opal is her own person but she's also a representation of you. Do you feel creating Opal and having this kind of external digital version of yourself has had any impact on real life view of yourself?

I don't feel Opal's anything new to me.I kind of just feel it's the same thing as my personal page. I just can't, put myself in a pink sky in some random place that doesn't exist. I can't exist there. So I feel that's what Opal offers me — the chance to, exist there. But I would love for Opal's world to be, the focus of Opal and not putting Opal in this world.

Your style is really unique and it seems to be the perfect representation of your authentic self, which is awesome. Where do you pull your inspiration from to create such serene and dream places and images?

I don't know if there's a formula. I feel it's not much deeper than I really like the sky. You know, it's where I would want to be. Before, you know, I used to do a lot of mirrored backgrounds. I thought it was cute because it's a self portrait as well as  the idea of her being everywhere and her being everything.I’m trying to start learning how to build more natural environments. 

I shied away from doing plants and trees a lot because I wasn't sure what world I wanted for her [Opal]. I didn't want it to be too much like Earth, you know? But obviously, my only reference of a full world is Earth. So, I don't know if I want green things or whatever, because I feel once I start I have to commit to something.

So as you expand Opal's Universe, are you also going to add more characters?

I thought about it, but I don't know. It's just not interesting to me. I think maybe more just hinting that there are more characters, but at first I was really into the idea of her being completely alone in her own world.

If you're alone, you don't have any outside judgement, or perceptions or anything, it's just you experiencing life.No one else matters. No one else can matter because no one else exists. Your perception of you is only filtered through you and how you interact with the world that you live in.

So, I know that Opal is a form of self portraiture and that she's comfortable in her body, and not in any inherently sexual way. What would your ideal feminist world look like?

I think a lot of people get a sexual vibe from my work. I feel it's besides the point. I don't really think that sexy is the goal. I mean, it's nice to feel sexy, but it's not something that I really think about too much. I think and just in my own world would be , at the very least, you know, if people think you're sexy, at least they could respect you as a person. , obviously, people are going to be sexy. I think I'm sexy ,but I just don't need that to be my personality or my worth in this world.

Most people don’t understand the process. What is the process? Can you walk me through it a little bit? So l thought it was a photoshoot where you were the model, taking a photo and then somehow digitizing it?

Yeah, it's a 3D program. Some people do that sort of motion capture thing too, but this is all 3D. Even the clothes and stuff. They aren't pictures. I make them in Blender.

I can make clothes myself, I can modify stuff. So that kind of works. I can't do hair, you know, There are simple objects that I could recreate in 3D, but I'm not the best modeller.

I feel if I spent more time doing stuff that didn't necessarily focus on Opal I can make her world better by having a few more skills.