As a staff writer for heavy music blog Invisible Oranges, I poured my passion for music into my coverage. From in-depth features and deep-dives to my signature column Metal Shoebox, I plumbed the depths of my love for metal to platform emerging bands and shine the spotlight where it belongs: on the best and most exciting musicians out there.

Early on, I focused on my experience in China, providing Invisible Oranges readers with an overview of all the incredible bands and people working there to make things happen. Band showcases and interviews of key personnel formed the foundation of my coverage.

• Scene Report: Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan Part 1 & Part 2
• Into the Inferno: The Story Behind a Shanghai Metal Bar
• The Lonely Ghosts of Zuriaake
• Heavy Music in China: 12 Bands You Need to Know

I then expanded to a broader perspective, shaping my taste as a writer with examinations of my favorite contemporary bands across the globe. During this time, interviews became one of my favorite mediums as a music writer, as were the opening essays I wrote ahead of an interview or listicle.

• So Grim, So True, So Real: Coheed and Cambria
• Ivan Belcic's Top Albums of 2021
• Dialing in Death: An In-Depth Interview with Hath Drummer/Egineer AJ Viana
• Ivan Belcic's Top 10 EPs of 2020

In addition to music, sneakers are another long-term passion of mine. I created the Metal Shoebox column to explore the intersections of metal and sneakerhead culture. You wouldn't think that there's much common ground there, but you'd be wrong. For Metal Shoebox, i invited other musician to share favorite sneaker from their collections and associate each with a metal record — how they did so was entirely up to them.

• Read all the Metal Shoebox articles