Meet Lauren Schroeder

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Lauren Schroeder. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Lauren below.

Lauren, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I stay creative by working in many different mediums and technologies. In virtual reality, the tools and hardware are evolving fast. New WebXR platforms and tools appear regularly, and game engines have regular updates with new features. Even within a single platform, there’s room to explore. For example, Unreal Engine’s Metasounds system opened up new possibilities for bringing generative music into interactive experiences. I was able to use it to generate rhythms and waveforms real-time.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I work as a creative developer, building immersive experiences for virtual reality, web, and live interactive experiences. It’s exciting working on the frontier of new technology to create something that has never been done before. Day to day, I’m going through design processes, writing code, making art, and doing lots of testing and iteration. My work is often imaginative and playful, blending storytelling with interaction in ways that surprise and engage people. I’ve recently been exploring the metaverse, building worlds and documenting my experiences throughout.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

If you’re planning to work freelance, it really helps to first gain experience at an agency. It teaches you how to manage client projects, timelines, and communication, which are crucial skills when you’re on your own or a small team. Early in my career, I worked as a consultant at an IT company. While the technical overlap with what I do now is limited, it was really useful for learning how to navigate this type of career.

Stable full-time jobs can offer a lot of growth, especially when you’re part of a talented team. Working with senior engineers in a structured environment helped me build skills and workflows that I now apply to my creative projects.

At the same time, I’ve always made art and music on the side. That long-term creative practice has been just as important in shaping my current work. So, my advice would be to seek out a mix of experiences. Take on challenging roles, surround yourself with people you can learn from, and keep developing your creative interests. The combination of structured work and personal experimentation adds up.

As we end our chat, is there a book you can leave people with that’s been meaningful to you and your development?

A book that has recently inspired me is ‘Speculative Everything’. It gives a lot of examples and advice in designing speculative futures. It focuses more on speculative object design, but can also be applied to interactive experiences.

One key takeaway is the importance of avoiding familiar sci-fi tropes. While science fiction often leans on recognizable imagery and tone, that can limit creativity and doesn’t always reflect the complexity of real future possibilities.

The book also emphasizes the value of leaving space for interpretation. Instead of being overly prescriptive with meaning or morality, it’s often more powerful to build a world and let the audience decide how they feel about it. That openness invites deeper engagement and encourages a more personal response. It’s a mindset that’s influenced how I approach my own creative work.

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