The Level Event is up and ready for your shopping pleasure! If you are like me, you have a habit of dressing the for season (ok, it might just be me), this event is perfectly timed to kick off Spring!
New season means new look! Hair, nails, skin and make-up to begin the season’s new you. Stunning options from Mila, Glamocracy, and Ascendant just to name a few.
I personally adore the Cindi outfit from Safira and will be giving up the 1299L for the 20 color fatpack. The color options are perfect for moving into warmer weather with an aire of sexy sophistication.
If you need something a little more risqué and eye catching, A Breakfast Convo is offering up the Eiffel Sparks Dress in 13 colors. This dress would pair perfectly with the Enviee Aremana Metallic Heels and the Nadiyah Earrings from November. Talk about cocktail party perfection!
Second Life has cursed me with a bit of a shoe addiction and Marchese is making sure that I don’t leave this event without at least one new pair! I adore everything about these shoes! The design, metallic accents, and the fact that they are only 299L!
Purses have never really been my thing, in RL or SL, but the Slow Me Down Bag from DDl is an adorable accessory and could make me a convert. At least this season.
I have always LOVED the shopping events. You can get a little taste of the latest offerings from so many different designers without having to search 20 blogs or landmarks. Though never rule out a designer based on a single event or outfit. Some of my favs took me a while to fall in love with. It’s like that guy you are good friends with but you’re convinced he is in the friend zone, and then, BAM! You love everything about him. In SL, you might change partners as often as the season’s style, but at least with shopping you will get an amazing wardrobe and not a single hit to your reputation!
Dear Mahogany, I met the love of my life in SL many years ago. We were friends for a year, then partnered for another year before becoming a RL couple. Three years into it, I found out that he was having an affair in SL. He eventually partnered this woman against my wishes, then left me for her. I guess the grass wasn’t greener, because after almost a year with her, he showed up on my doorstep saying he had made a huge mistake.
I took him back, because I am still in love with him, and I miss having him in my life. Things seemed to be going really well, until I found out that he is still financing this woman in SL. He is spending a lot of money in world to keep her SL business going, and to make sure she has everything she needs. He justifies it by saying if he helps her in SL, she won’t ask him for money IRL and he won’t have to have any contact with her. I am okay with that. I don’t depend on him for money, so as long as he pays his bills, I don’t care. But, I’m afraid that this continued contact will cause him to leave again.
I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to appear too needy, but I don’t want to be alone either.
Sincerely, Don’t Want to be Lonely
Honey, Here is what you need to do: get some self respect!
I don’t know what kind of game this man is playing with your life, but this is not something you want hanging over your head or your heart.
I can understand being in love, and not wanting to be alone, but is it really worth your peace of mind to constantly worry about whether or not this guy is going to dip out on you again?
Ask yourself what’s more important, being with someone who clearly wants to be with someone else, or being able to love the person you face in the mirror each morning?
Whatever you decide to do, you have to live with it. Just don’t get mad when the people close to you start to look at you funny for staying with him.
A person who imagines or foresees a state or society where there is great suffering or injustice. The dystopian protagonist challenges that which would control his or her life and helps others see the truth of the dystopian world through a unique perspective.
Patrick Ireland of FOCUS sat down with our friend, Dystopyan, to get to get a better sense of his “view of the world.”
Patrick: Thank you so much, my friend, for being our FOCUS artist for April 2019! Let me begin by also saying thank you for being such an inspiring friend. Truly, your talent in RL and SL is tremendous!
First question, just so we can get to know you personally: What’s one memory in SL that you have, or an event or experience here, that you have incorporated into your daily real life?
Dystopyan: Three and a half years ago, I had no clue that SL even existed. It was so intriguing to me when I first heard about it. After joining in, and seeing the amazing creations produced by the SL community, a spark was triggered in me. Since then, it has been a constant learning curve, taking creative inspiration from SL to RL, and vice versa.
Photography in SL has caused me to perceive photography in RL a bit differently too, pulling my work outside the box. And one thing I learned the hard way, posing people in SL is so much easier than RL. 🙂
Patrick: What is your background? You get bonus points if you can tie your life experiences to your artwork.
Dystopyan: I’ve always had an interest in different types of art since I was young. I used to draw a lot and play guitar. To be honest, I never thought I would ever go professional in RL photography and digital painting until I was forced to make the decision to drop everything and pursue the passion I have.
Since then I’ve tried to create a different approach — mixing photography, image editing and digital painting — to pull off some surrealist concepts and themes most of the time.
Patrick: What does your work aim to say?
Dystopyan: My work is about people. My work says: People are different and no 2 are alike. My work can mainly be split into 2 categories, commissioned and personal work. If you really analyze my images you will notice that no 2 photos are the same. Whenever I want to photograph someone or create a specific look for someone, I try to pull the person’s character out. I try and get to know the person behind the avatar and the reason why they look the way they do. Doing that helps me visualize the photos in my mind, makes me able to fine-tune their avatar and push the photos to the extreme. The other half of my work is my personal work which shows my interests in BDSM and erotic art, fantasy and some surrealistic views of the world — trying to capture whatever SL has to offer.
Patrick: Does your work comment on current social or political issues?
Dystopyan: I know that some artists are huge social and political influencers. Not me. I try to capture emotions in my work. I like to meet different people and help spread the beauty of those people living in different parts of the world. The main message I have to share is to accept the person in front of you for who they are. Find the beauty in them and spread that out. I do not bother myself with politics either, and as Plato said: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” I am willing to live with that risk for the sake of what I love.
Patrick: Who are your biggest influences?
Dystopyan: I was first a musician before becoming a digital artist, so music plays a big role in my life. I enjoy all music, from the classical masterpieces to the more heavier and aggressive genres. As for visual artists and photographers, I like the genius classic work of Ansel Adams for some reason even though my work is exactly the opposite. On the other hand, I like Alberto Seveso, Aaron Nace and Aleksi Goferman —to name a few — who inspire me and push me to advance and develop my photography, image editing and painting skills, to be able to do what I do now.
Patrick: I’ve noticed that you’re quite helpful to “younger” photographers here in SL. Have you collaborated with others here and how do you feel your real life experience in art and photography has helped others in SL capture their own spirit for design and composition?
Dystopyan: I haven’t had big collaborations in SL — except for a few with other friends who are photographers — but I always try and help people who want to discover photography in here. Maybe because I am self-taught in RL, and I know how hard it can be for someone to learn by themselves. So I always try and lend out a hand whenever I can. Seeing other people’s work and creativity is inspiring to me. Some photographers see that as competition. I see it as growth and inspiration. Explaining some few techniques in composition, color theory and light can bring an amateur’s photos to professional levels, and that alone gives me pleasure when I see it happen.
Patrick: Lastly, is there a story behind your name?
Dystopyan: Long story short, I guess it’s because I think we’re heading towards a very dystopian era in the future. I like works such as Lovecraft and everything related as well. I guess it’s a combination of stuff. It’s just something that resonated with me when I created my av and I’m damn impulsive. 🙂 So, Dystopyan.
Patrick: Your photos have an air of your perception of dystopia as well.
Dystopyan: Yes. I try to show that.
Patrick: Thank you again, Dystopyan, for your time and sharing with our readers.
The saying that March comes “in like a lion, out like a lamb” has always seemed a straightforward enough proverb: when March starts, it’s still winter, and by the end of the month spring has begun. As I write this Editor’s Note, March is coming in like a lion in the northeast. We are expecting 18 inches of snow this weekend alone!
The proverb also seems to ring true this month at FOCUS Magazine. The March issue represents a few big experiences for us. Firstly, this issue will feature our first couples interview with Loegan and Rachel Magic. Their interview has a sweet, romantic dynamic that is a pleasure to read. We have also begun our photography classes, which will occur around the 20th of every month, led by Patrick Ireland, our new Managing Editor. Inspiring, incredible changes are afoot for us all! More and more people have been coming together to help with the FOCUS vision of combining art, friendship and celebrating both. Pleases contact me if you’d also like to participate!
Something I like to do, from time to time, is go to one of my favorite artist’s page on Flickr and look at the very 1st picture they posted. It’s fun to go through their photo-stream and see how far they’ve come. I’ve asked Ornella Batriani to be our re-creation focus for this issue.
Kitten: Thank you so much, Ornella, for agreeing to be the 1st to do this project with me. I just have a few questions for you. You posted your 1st pic on Flickr in November 2011. How did you get started with SL photography?
Ornella: I have always loved photography so since my arrival on SL I always had this desire to make photos but I lacked a lot of technique
Kitten: Did you have any mentors? Did you teach yourself to take pics?
Ornella: I never had a mentor, but it was when I discovered the photos that Bruno Kessel made that I wanted to do the same. Then I discovered Flickr and I wanted to make more elaborate photos too
Kitten: What tools do you use while taking your shots? (LumiPro, Anypose, etc)
Ornella: I work mainly with Lumipro, Anypose and sometimes Animare. For the viewers I use Firestorm or Black Dragon.
Kitten: What are some of your favorite windlights?
Ornella: I use the windlights of Firestorm a lot and I also downloaded some. My current preferences are Anan Adored Dusty, Firestorm phototools and some others but the list is long.
Kitten: Explain your post pic editing. What types of programs do you use? Any favorite filters?
Ornella: I work on my photos with Photoshop or Polarr editor. I adjust my lights and remove the defects with photoshop and for the filters I use those of Polarr editor which are quite well done.
Kitten: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to get started in SL photography or for those who want to progress with their current skills?
Ornella: If I had any advice to give it would be: have fun, take pleasure in doing what you do; the main thing is not to please others but to love your own work.
Liz Winterstorm has been in SL for 7 years and a member of Flickr photo community since 2013. Her artwork spans the sensual, the artistic, the abstract as well as whimsical, creating beautiful and unique color, light and shadows.
Seline: Hi, Liz! It’s so nice to meet you and spend time looking through your photographic work. The images you put together have a very unique feel and look to them. Where do you draw your inspiration from?
Liz: Hi, Seline! So nice to meet you, too. A lot of the time my mood of the moment comes into play, I can’t seem to take a picture that doesn’t fit with how I feel. I love poses so I put a lot of effort into finding a pose that represents how I feel and go from there.
Seline: What is one thing you wish you knew when you first started with SL photography?
Liz: Everything! Seriously… I’m completely self-taught and early on I found out I don’t have a lot of patience for learning, so I’ve never watched tutorials. I’m sure that could have gone a long way to making it easier. But a big one for me was derendering. How to simplify a scene by just making things go away.
Seline: Among your work, which is your favorite or means a great deal to you?
Liz: The one that means the most to me is ‘The Story of My Life.’ It’s a very personal photo and a special moment with Vrir.
Seline: Do you have any favorite Windlight settings?
Liz: I absolutely love windlights and I spend so much time searching for the right one for each scene. For me, it’s one of the most important parts of a photograph… along with the pose and the angle. I use the [TOR]Big Sun set of windlights a lot and [TOR]Sunrise, Chernoble is one of my favorites. I tend to use a lot of sunrise and sunset windlights. I like the glow a low sun can create.
Seline: What is the most interesting thing you have learned about yourself that you would not have known if it weren’t for SL?
Liz: I know a lot of people say that in Second Life you can be whoever you want to be, but what I’ve found is that it’s enabled me to be who I truly am. I’ve found a voice to express myself that I never would have if not for Second Life. Before I found SL I felt I had a creativity inside me but no way to let it out, and when I found SL and then started blogging I never thought photography would become a passion of mine. But it has.
Seline: What is your favorite thing to do in SL aside from photography?
Liz: The time spent with my partner, Vrir is always incredible and never seems long enough. But when he’s not in-world, I like taking in live music, particularly Jack Slade, who’s one of my favorites. I’ve recently started working for Elle Boutique, which I’m really excited about. I keep busy, bringing Elle coffee and rubbing her feet, plus I’ve been known to screw-up and make her life a little more difficult. Overall, it’s lots of fun! And of course, I’m on my pose stand a lot, just looking at myself.
Seline: What is the wildest, most insane, or weirdest thing you have ever seen in Second Life?
Liz: Hmm, wild, insane or weird… That can sum up any given day in SL. I know we’ve all seen a guy with his junk outside his pants so that’s almost mundane now. Early on in my SL, my sister and I put ourselves through a wood chipper. We laughed like crazy as our avatars were spewed out in chunks!
Seline: What does a perfect day or moment in SL look like for you?
Liz: The perfect moment for me has always been to sit looking out on a sunset, whether on a beach or somewhere flat with a big sky. The Hazardous sim comes to mind. I really miss that place. I’ve always enjoyed the serenity and peace a sunset can bring, in Second Life and real life.
Seline: And finally, how has TSFTG affected your SL?
Liz: At first, TSFTG was only a group on Flickr that I could post my photos to and keep up to date with other photographers, which I’ll add, is a really great group of photographers! Then I took in an event, which isn’t common for me, being an extreme introvert. I usually stay home and work. But, I ventured out to one of the exhibit openings and really liked the atmosphere. The art was incredible, but for me what’s more important is that I felt welcome and comfortable among the crowd. It’s great to meet some of the photographers that I’ve been following on Flickr for so long and being around creative people is always inspiring. To be a part of something that’s as accepting and encouraging as this group is, is important for me. I believe we’re all here to help lift each other up.
“Spirituality” was once a word that almost always referred to formal religion. Today, the term also refers to personal experiences of a transcendent dimension and the deepest values and meanings by which people live. Outside of organized religion, a spiritual belief can be in something beyond the observable world. Perhaps a belief in personal growth, a quest for the meaning of life, or encountering one’s inner self. Virtual spirituality? Same meaning.
In a virtual environment like SL, the opportunities for spiritual pursuits are limitless — as befits our nearly limitless environment. Spiritual organizations of every type abound, as do the opportunities for individual discovery. Some celebrate formally in groups and others just provide opportunity for individual thought and contemplation.
A celebration in June you will see observed in SL is the pagan celebration of Midsummer or “Litha.” The focus of this celebration is the power of the sun. The earth has warmed up and is pouring forth its bounty in crops, flowers, and general greening of the northern hemisphere. Days are longer, and nights are softer. There are many ways to celebrate this holiday, both formally and informally. Perhaps the best celebration is to spend some time enjoying the outdoors and connecting with nature, or — in our virtual world — visiting one of the many beautifully designed nature sims with a bit of imagination.
Spirit Pond Chrystal Mountain
Also in June is the new moon around June 3, and the full moon around June 17. New moons are traditionally a time for making wishes and plans for things we wish to manifest in the future. The full moon is a time of releasing whatever no longer serves us in our lives. This can mean anything from physical cleansing to letting go of old limiting beliefs. The June full moon is the Strawberry Moon and celebrates the sweetness of the ripening fruit and the fertility of our world, which makes it a good time to identify and release the things that are keeping ourselves from ripening or growing. Whatever your spiritual path, these markers — which occur every month — are just two of the ways our universe (if we listen) gently guides us to self-care and offers us an opportunity to grow.
Namaste (the divine in me sees and recognizes the divine in you).
CybeleMoon is a renowned artist in SL and RL who effortlessly translates her world of Celtic mysticism, rich childhood stories of her youth, and poignant Scotch-Irish traditions into her photography. There is an old anecdote that the Irish have an abiding sense of tragedy that sustains them through temporary periods of joy. This dichotomy, or perhaps harmony, of the woeful and the joyful is one of the many unique qualities that make Cybele’s art so inspiring.
Patrick: Let me begin by saying thank you so much, Cybele, for being such an inspiring artist and friend for so many in Second Life. What is an early-childhood memory that you could share with us that speaks to the character of CybeleMoon — and if you mention “ice cream,” then real bonus points!!
Patrick: Let me begin by saying thank you so much, Cybele, for being such an inspiring artist and friend for so many in Second Life. What is an early-childhood memory that you could share with us that speaks to the character of CybeleMoon — and if you mention “ice cream,” then real bonus points!!
Cybele: Ha! Well, I love ice cream! And I love snow. An early-childhood memory is of a snowy Christmas. Under our tree, I opened my gift, which was a children’s book of myths and fairytales and a beautifully illustrated story of a doll who was left behind in Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. From then on, I was hooked on stories.Cybele: Ha! Well, I love ice cream! And I love snow. An early-childhood memory is of a snowy Christmas. Under our tree, I opened my gift, which was a children’s book of myths and fairytales and a beautifully illustrated story of a doll who was left behind in Santa’s workshop at the North Pole. From then on, I was hooked on stories.
Patrick: Are there any stories from SL that have hooked the RL you?
Cybele: That’s hard to say, except I discovered that it’s easy to blur the lines between the “fantasy” aspect of a Second Life and reality. But after seeing some incredible artists in SL, I found I could blur those lines in an artistic and hopefully synergistic way. Also, when I first came into SL, I was introduced to a marvelous sim called Egypt Nile Valley and the Sahara, and I joined them in role play for a while. The sim, which was done beautifully and very historically accurate, inspired the storyteller in me.
Patrick: It’s easy to surmise from your photography that you have a Celtic background. How do you think your cultural background influences your art?
Cybele: I would say I’m moved by misty glens, and valiant and tragic histories. Old Celtic legends, the rituals of the Catholic Church, St. Stephen’s Day and other fun traditions — like (mom’s side of the family) addressing the haggis and, of course, porridge and potatoes — inspires me.
Patrick: Your work is steeped in faith, in light and dark, and in romantic movement that is rarely seen in SL art. What do you aim to say through your work?
Cybele: I try to put a touch of mystery and magic into my pieces, and I’m often inspired by old legends, myths and actual history. I suppose I’m very romantic in a broader sense, and I like to add a touch of darkness to emphasize the light — both physically and spiritually. I love old stones and haunted woodlands, enchanted children and houses of the holy. Though I work more with dreams than nightmares! Some of my images have led to actual stories that I put together on my blog, but it can often work the other way as well.
Patrick: Yes. Your blog and stories there are brilliant. And I can see how your use of light and shadows can be perceived physically by what we see, as well as spiritually in how we feel the power of the soul. What other artists do you think are your biggest influences?
Cybele: Real life artists and photographers, or perhaps musicians or actors. Those artists who enliven my spirit for passion and art. Besides the old classical painters and sculptors that awed me when I traveled through Italy and Greece, I’m very inspired by John William Waterhouse, the old landscape painters of the 1700s. Maxfield Parrish, Brian Froud, and French artist Christophe Vacher who works for Disney Studios. He painted a portal in the forest that looked like one of my own images. I discovered him through a delightful video called A Knock at the Door by Duirwaigh Studios and sent him an email inquiring about his work to which he was kind enough to respond.
Music often accompanies my images and, again, apart from the classical composers of symphonies and operas, I love the movie score composers like Klaus Badelt of The Time Machine, Ennio Morricone of The Mission, James Newton Howard of Lady in the Water, Karl Jenkins who wrote Adiemus is another, and Dougie MacLean who wrote The Gael. If you don’t know who they are, look them up. They will uplift you, I promise. I won’t even get into rock music or blues, which I love too.
Patrick: Thank you so much for this interview, Cybele. But lastly, how has TSFTG influenced you?
Cybele: TSFTG has been a marvelous group of friendly and welcoming artists who are providing challenges and opportunities to the SL art community. I feel very honored to be part of the group. I have not collaborated, but I can envision all kinds of themes and events in the future as they seem to be on that track of creating excitement and enthusiasm while inviting all to participate.
Patrick: It is so true that TSFTG is very inviting of so many from the very new artist to those like you, who have shared their hearts and experiences so openly! Truly, Cybele, we’re all so happy that you’re our featured artist this month, and we appreciate your sharing in the grand opening of our new FOCUS Gallery! I cannot think of a brighter light to grace FOCUS!
