The Futurist and Her Music

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Make STEAM Work For You

When it comes to a great time, futurist Celeste Lear is a triple threat. Not only is she a musician/performer: she’s a VR/Virtual event producer, 3D artist as well as a professional DJ of 13+ years. So far, Celeste has released five albums and ten singles of her original music. And she’s taking her gifts to the metaverse. “DJ Celeste” as she’s known, is one of the first of a new wave of futuristic DJs to build 3D modeled nightclub and festival venues and perform as an avatar in virtual reality. Her DJ skills get people up and dancing, onsite physically or virtually. Her various avatars and venue are eye-catching and fun. And she has a rare talent: she can play guitar, live, to match the beats! Meanwhile, as founder of Los Angeles-based entertainment company Boutique Electronique Music, she also acts as a virtual event producer/designer, music director and is working with a professional team on some revolutionary, exciting new festivals, concerts and even conferences such the Consumer Electronics Show (CES®) in VR! When the pandemic forced the 2020 Burning Man Festival to go virtual, DJ Celeste seized the opportunity, conceptualized and designed her own 3D stage & dance floor in VR, using the applications “Tilt Brush” and “Blender”, and brought the party to the metaverse, first inside SecondLife with the BURN2 community (complete with her pet unicorn!) and then to other platforms, including AltSpaceVR (BRCvr), The Infinite Playa and the Dusty Multiverse This year, she’s looking forward to another Burning Man performance. (Here’s a link to her Burning Man 2020 mix!) And if you’d like to know more about virtual stage design, she has a free tutorial on her website. DJ Celeste talks here about her background as a performer, her experiences in the metaverse and what works well for creating a party in VR. On this edition of Over Coffee®, we cover: How Celeste discovered her passion for music; The professional experience that inspired her to work in virtual reality; Her first performance experience in virtual reality; How the 2020 Burning Man virtual experience "supercharged" her interest in working in the metaverse; Celeste's plans for the 2021 Virtual Burn (you can get involved, and if you're lucky you might hear her perform live!) Her favorite mind-blowing memories from Virtual Burning Man 2020; Celeste's advice for anyone starting to create new worlds in virtual reality; Some of Celeste's favorite platforms and resources for working in VR; What's involved, in creating your own virtual venue; One of Celeste's favorite experiences creative experiences, designing a unique venue; How to prevent problems or troubleshoot, if something goes wrong while working "live" in VR; Lessons learned, from DJ Celeste's creative experiences in the metaverse; Where to find DJ Celeste's music, see her tutorials and any upcoming events at which she'll be performing; And how to learn more about being a part of this year's Burning Man experience!