In “Stanford Creates,” Emily Chen ’29 highlights student endeavors in the arts and how they bring them to life at Stanford.  

Adam Liao ’29 is a creator of all kinds. He’s an expert maker and videographer — and with over 100 videos, his YouTube channel, 3A Creates, shares and highlights his passion for unexpected innovation.

Liao started his channel during the pandemic. Bored by lockdown, he just wanted to experiment with putting something out there for the world to see. Liao uploaded his first YouTube video, a 30-second clip of his pet, with few expectations and felt “very surprised that a hundred people somewhere in the world cared enough to watch a video of a lizard eating a worm.” 

From that first video, his new hobby flourished into something more serious. Combining his passion for radio-controlled cars with his video editing skills, Liao started making STEM videos where he turns innovative ideas into reality through a DIY approach. Whether 3D-printing a designer bag or building a self-driving solar rover, Liao is determined to bring his audience along every step of the way.  

“I think Adam has a confident expression in his videos that allows his viewers to feel his energy while enjoying the content,” said Adam’s friend, Henry Deng ’29. Through his videos, Liao embraces the process of trial and error — and is unafraid to show his failures and willingness to rebuild. 

“The nature of building something is that there is no script to follow,” he said. “I don’t actually script the video before I build, I script it as I build.” 

This mindset is evident in a great deal of his content: in a video on 3D-printed wall art, for example, Liao creates multiple iterations of 3D-printed mesh, walking viewers through the process of varying the mesh holes’ size and thickness in order to create the most polished product possible. In addition to showing the trial-and-error aspect of crafting, the art of video-making and content curation is just as important to Liao. 

“Usually nobody wants to see you code the software for an hour,” he said. “They want to see you putting [something together].” 

As a creator, Liao cites many sources of inspiration, taking inspiration for storytelling and viewer retention from popular channels such as Ryan Trahan and Mr. Beast. Over the years, he’s become more adept at video editing — weaving engaging sound effects, memes and varying camera angles into his videos. Viewers find joy in the multimedia features sprinkled throughout Liao’s channel. 

“​​Adam’s videos help me get cultured on the freshest memes, and his relatability gives me the boost I need every week,” said Adam’s friend, Manit Mehta ’29. 

As an artist developing his craft, Liao believes that when first jumping into video creation, one should prioritize quantity over quality. Having struggled with perfectionism in the past, he emphasized the importance of learning over pursuit of a flawless product. 

“Don’t be afraid to put out 10 mediocre videos versus one perfect video,” he said. “You actually learn more through making 10 mediocre videos than making one perfect video.”

Looking to the future, Liao is gearing up to take his passions to the next level by “div[ing] deeper into the technical aspect of building something.” In addition to his engineering studies, he is currently undergoing training at Stanford’s Product Realization Lab, learning to use new machinery and “unlock[ing] the spectrum of things that [he] could build.” 

Liao also hopes to collaborate with creators at the intersection of music, film and social media in order to further his storytelling ability. Outside of his own YouTube channel, “I’ve worked on many documentaries [and] music videos,” he said. “So if anyone wants a short form content creator or social media manager, hit me up.”