Freya Holmér: Shader Forge, Burn-out. Neat Corp, Building Tools & Half-Edge

Yo! Just dropped one of the realest convos I've ever recorded. Freya Holmér (the Swedish powerhouse behind Shader Forge, Shapes, and Budget Cuts VR) gets brutally honest about her way into game dev, burnout, and why she's building Half Edge to flip off Autodesk. We also go DEEP on ADHD, why sleep isn't negotiable, and how capitalism feeds on crunch culture.SUPPORT THE PODCAST- Donate: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=3VHRDYNMFJ3KW- Get one of the Courses: https://linktr.ee/jack.the.generalist/shopLinks:Freya Holmér's website: https://acegikmo.com/Her burnout recovery notes: https://publish.obsidian.md/acegikmo/...Freya Holmér's BSKY https://bsky.app/profile/freya.bsky.s...Freya Holmér on Twitch / acegikmoFreya Holmér on Patreon / acegikmoTimestamps00:00 - Intro02:13 - Mapping and level design journey10:21 - Collaboration with Valve and career reflection14:10 - External Validation as Motivation?19:29 - Lerp smoothing deep dive and challenges32:12 - Perfectionism and handling criticism41:14 - Challenges of streaming42:52 - Interest in Maths and Shaders48:17 - Shader Forge53:21 - Burnout experience and recovery01:13:04 - Mindfulness and presence01:17:13 - ADHD diagnosis and coping mechanisms01:24:18 - Burnout & depression01:37:02 - Neat Corp01:46:07 - VR design challenges and motion sickness01:53:42 - Leaving Neat Corp and personal growth01:54:21 - Half-Edge02:00:01 - Half-Edge goals02:04:52 - Industry software critiqued02:10:24 - Closing