William is a thoughtful and community-driven builder, bringing heart, history, and cultural influence into his work. Drawn to Project Zearth by its soul, quality, and meaning, William values collaboration and shared experiences, finding inspiration in historical architecture, personal culture, and storytelling. Through both building and community involvement, he helps shape Zearth into a living, evolving world.

1) Where are you from and how old are you?
I am from a small town in Virginia, USA where I have grown up and lived the majority of my childhood. I had left my town for a few years and have since returned to live. As of the time of writing interview, I am 25 years old.

2) How did you first discover Minecraft, and what drew you to it?
It has been a while since discovering Minecraft, I believe the year was around 2011. Having strong ties to the local library and their computers available, I was informed by another visitor of the game existing after having a conversation about Lego’s. I love Lego’s. I think what drew me to trying out Minecraft was the lack of paywall in the early days, when Minecraft Classic edition was on the Mojang website. This and the correlation between creating with Lego bricks and the endless supply of blocks in Minecraft was enough to draw me into trying out the game for the first time.

3) How did you become a builder for Project Zearth, and what motivated you to join?
I became intrigued by Project Zearth after browsing Planet Minecraft for maps that would be worth spending some time in game playing. What truly drew me to the map, and subsequently the server, was the clear heart and soul put into the project. Being built in memorium moved me to downloading, and seeing the high quality of the overall build of map was enough for me to want to join.

4) Can you share a memorable or challenging experience you’ve had while working on Project Zearth?
No. Im kidding, I’d say that my most memorable experience thus far on Project Zearth, given the few months I have been a member, would be building in the community events. Enjoying the company of others over a shared experience is truly what is keeping me engaged and motivated on the Project.

5) What architectural styles, themes, or projects do you find most inspiring and enjoy working on?
Having been on Minecraft for coming up on 15 years, I am inspired by my past experiences while maintaining a positive outlook on the present and what the future holds. That being said, buildings Ive seen in person such as the historical housing in my hometown are especially prevelant in my mind when building. These houses include Early Colonial and Georgian style homes, Sears catalogue houses from the 30s to 50s, and really anything that represents my culture. Culture is very important as a facet of my life, that in Virginia, the United States, places Ive visited, and online presence are determining factors in what I build. To speak on my current project on the server, I am drawing inspiration from other games such as the Legend of Zelda series, and experiences on old school factions servers in Minecraft.

6) How do you collaborate and connect with other builders within the Project Zearth community? Could you share a successful collaboration story?
Communication is key. I tend to collaborate and connect with other builders over shared interests, whether that be over building styles, hobbies, experiences, etc. At this point I have a few collaboration stories, though the first build I made on server I consider successful in this regard as I was assigned an interior in the city of Altamer. I did not make exterior of building, and I will leave out names to who built for risk of misrepresentation however, the feeling of completing a build someone else started was a good feeling.

7) What’s your favorite thing to do in Minecraft outside of building?
Im not really too sure what this would be as to me it seems everything to do with Minecraft has to do with the sandbox idea of building something together. Build is love build is life.

8) What is your favorite accomplishment or proudest moment during your time on Project Zearth?
Helping build the community, without a doubt.

9) How has your experience on Project Zearth influenced your real-world creativity, if at all?
Building in Project Zearth has motivated me to continue with a variety of creative projects, such as drawing/painting, making music, and writing. I think community is what motivates me the most, experiencing the love of the community is what pushes me forward.

10) Looking ahead, are there any new Minecraft features, updates, or directions you’re excited to explore?
I want to get more into writing scripts for Minecraft in the spirit of creativity and play. I think theres a ton of potential in utilizing all that the game offers as a canvas for ideas. In this way I would like to bring my dreams into reality.

11) Outside of Minecraft, what are your hobbies and interests? Do they influence your building style in any way?
I went away to university for Painting and Printmaking a few years back, and continue to do my studies independently. I also am a hobby musician. Having experience in both fields influence my building style in ways that are hard to describe… they are independent of eachother, however also intertwined. Some of the bridges I find between my interests are the way I go about creating in the first place. Its like a state of flow that I enter. Creating carries me places I haven’t been before, whilst carrying on what came prior. Like a rock in the river, everything moves with time. I look forward to seeing where this growth will take me.

Thank you William!