Rhiannon Ford || Chestnutscoop
Author // Actor // Artist
The Author
Up until University, writing had never been a particular passion of mine. I loved English, however I mostly studied the sciences as my career pursuit had been astrophysics ever since I can remember. Writing, either in the artistic form or the academic form never appealed to me. However, after a change of career into the arts and after encouragement from my friends, I wrote a couple of experimental articles and poems for the University of Reading's Spark Newspaper in 2018. I quickly realised that putting my creativity into writing rather than exclusively 3D art and theatre-making was very rewarding. This then expanded into various mediums, such as writing articles and tutorials on my DeviantART page specifically for MMD, writing poetry for various University produced projects, writing scripts for a Video Game related radio show, and finally setting up the Society named Reading University Writers Room with a group of friends.
From August 2020- 2021, I was approached by the owner of LearnMMD.com to write educational articles for the site. This year-long experience set me up to create my own website, The MikuMikuEffect Archive, partnered with my other MMD projects the MikuMikuEffect DeviantART Group and the MikuMikuEffect Discord Server. These three services provide MMD artists with the knowledge they need to expand their artistic abilities within this 3D program, as well as showing them how to respectfully credit the asset providers they use in their art.
The Actor
From a young age I pursued a career in science, specifically astrophysics. However, I discovered a much stronger passion for acting when I was 15 years old, and so changed my outlook on my future accordingly. Unfortunately due to a lack of drama courses at my sixth form, I was not about to take Drama as a formal subject after GCSE. Instead, I taught myself by analysing the performances of actors on stage and on screen. At 17 I joined Stagecoach, a British children's stage school where I actively learnt the physical basics of singing, acting and dancing. Around the same time I joined Acorn Theatre, a local theatre company for children and adults based in West Yorkshire. These two opportunities helped me learn how to perform confidently in a range of genres, and opened up doors to perform at Her Majesty's Theatre in London and land my first acting job with the University of Leeds.
After moving to study English Literature at the University of Reading, I acted in various student films and theatre productions with the Film, Theatre and Television Department who kindly adopted me despite not studying with them. I worked closely with Reading University Drama Society as an actor and theatre technician, which landed me a volunteering role at Reading Fringe Festival as a Technical Consultant in 2019. I also took up professional work experience in two plays and one term's worth of acting training with RABBLE Theatre, and a workshop with Professor Grace Ioppolo the RSC's Jenny Hall. These confidence boosts have allowed me to pursue other careers and helped me believe that anything is possible if you work for it.
The Artist
I began using the 3D software MikuMikuDance and PMXe in March 2012 when I was 13 years old, and since then my skills have developed from simple model edits and video rendering to fully original models, effect modding and high quality rendered artwork. Like most 3D artists, I am entirely self taught in engine and Photoshop, as well as video and audio editing software such as Vegas Movie Studio and Audacity. I have received no formal education in art past the age of 12, and everything you see I have taught myself through trial and error or through online tutorials. In 2015 I collaborated with Vocallective Records to create the album art for Songs of Gaia, which you can listen to on Spotify. I am also a hobbyist photographer, and my photography portfolio currently resides on my Instagram.
Aside from private commissions, everything I make for MMD I put up for free download. I believe that no one's creativity should suffer because they haven't got the money. Instead, I accept generous donations from those who enjoy my work or those I have helped. Any donations are currently going towards funding my The MikuMikuEffect Archive's subscription fee.