Happy July, all! This issue of FOCUS has been an interesting one to produce. I happen to be in the role of collecting all the pieces and parts that make this magazine a whole. This places me in a very fortunate position: I get to read everything first!
Not only do I read it, but I lay the articles and photos out so I pay a bit closer attention, and I get what I will describe as an “intimate view” of each raw article. I fix the misspellings and sometimes edit to make the words a bit clearer, or to shorten in order to fit on a page, but I’m tempted to leave the articles as I receive them. While I try to extract the humanness of their words in a genuine way, sometimes nothing can communicate another’s feelings but their own words, typos included.
This issue features very passionate and emotionally aware artists. They are interesting, sensitive people who we as a group can be proud of ourselves to call friends.
The first feature is Trisha Rose, a photographer who wears her heart on her sleeve. Even in the titles of her photos, like “Making Angels with a Friend” or What Bothers Me Most is… I Don’t Miss You,” the intent and message conveyed is crystal clear with heartfelt honesty.
Our Membership feature is Ladmilla. I’ve known her for some time, so I was surprised to learn I knew so little about her passion in her art. Then our live music feature is Kaleb Wolf Avedon, a deeply feeling artist in many ways. He explains his personal connection with music and what it means to him to share his talent.
I heard about Birth from a friend years ago when I first came into SL. She helped me beautify my horrible noobish self and Birth skin store is where we started. It was one of the best then, and continues to be even as SL has upgraded through the years.
But as I promised last month, this article is focusing on the men. You will find skin appliers for the major brands of mesh heads, bodies, and system skins for those of you that haven’t made the leap to mesh.
There are 9 skintones at every vendor to find that flesh tone to match your head and body perfectly. Every body pack contains customizations for colour and thickness of body and chest hair, tone of finger and toe nails, and musculature of your body. Every head skin pack contains a customizeable shape, 4 eyebrow colours, 6 beards, and tintable hairbases that can be turned off and on.
So if you want a new look, grab a demo. I’m sure you will be quite satisfied!
If you love blues and want to dance under the moon and stars, give Junkyard Blues a spin. This venue, launched in 2006 is Second Life’s oldest blues club and 3-time Avi Choice winner for “Favorite Blues Venue.” It’s also “a nonprofit labor of love” owned and run by Kiff Clutterbuck and Richardina Petty. Located on a gulf coast themed estate, their friendly crew of volunteers run things with energy, style, and enthusiasm.
If you want to simply go and dance, go for it. There are usually a few folks dancing most of the time. It is nice to drop in on a Tuesday afternoon (SLT) under blue skies – which is usually a slow time for clubs – and find a good crowd of folks dancing. And tune into Junkyard Blues Radio and stream it where ever you are. They have a nice mix of Chicago, Memphis, Delta, New Orleans, and country blues.
I highly recommend you drop in after a rough RL day, pour yourself a drink, sit in an Adirondack chair, and just listen. No better way to relax!
Doc and I both attended DJ Avalon’s Disco Party at Elysium. A bunch of folks from TSFTG were there doing dances like “the hustle,” and I struck up a conversation with Doc. Angie was shooting pics, so I took the opportunity to “photo bomb” him! He has some interesting outlooks and we had fun discussing TSFTG on the dance floor!
Greg: Where are your favorite spots to take photos?
Doc: I have an unusual technique. After more than 12 years of landmarking and forgetting why I did so, I sometimes zip around what I call ‘the cemetery’ and maybe after 30 or 40 places among my landmarks of long ago I hit gold. I wander around a ‘cool place’ just seeing what catches my eye, and then I zoom in like a primitive hunter out stalking. Snap, snap, snap.It’s a lot like my yearly adventures backpacking in Colorado.
Greg: What inspires you most in your SL?
Doc: Everything in SL inspires me. For me Second Life is more truly my first life. It’s my kind of crazy. If it offered the senses of touch, taste and smell, I’d leave RL without ever looking back. I’m not ‘on the market’ but talking with and understanding women in SL in depth is something I really find mind-expanding. My RL ‘conversations with ladies’ always seem to end in boring platitudes and superficiality. Not so in SL.
Greg: How has TSFTG benefited your SL?
Doc: What a list! I’ve broadened out meeting people (and I tend to be a one-on-one person so that’s new). I have been dragged – happily – into renewing my love affair with art and photography, begun when I was 9 or 10 years old. TSFTG has let me see new sides of people I know. I just love to be around people and learn about them. And once again, I’m in an orderly world (TSFTG) where I can find meaning and purpose. This group means a lot to me. It’s like arriving in a mountain mining town after days of solo hiking, and finding a sandwich shop that serves coffee.
Believe it or not, Kitten and DreVan Sinclair have been building even longer than they have been taking photos in SL! It’s their primary passion and, as DreVan says “the devil’s in the details.” Every build – including their current “city” build – is intricately designed and decorated. From large buildings to lamps, and chill spots to beauty shops – they have thought of everything! Patrick and I stopped by their home for a quick tour that turned into a fun evening event, and we still didn’t see it all! We were so impressed, we took the opportunity to have an impromptu interview for the March 2019 issue.
Angela: Well, first of all, you are an amazing building duo and as a couple you have created some incredible spaces together. How did you two even meet?
DreVan: Okay… how we met… It was at bloodlines east. I had just bought some new bites for my vampire hud and asked in local if anyone could help me with installing them and she messaged me. And then I ended up liegeing to her – which makes more sense if you are familiar with bloodlines and vampires here in SL. I ended up joining her clan under her. And there was something about her that I felt from the beginning.
Angela: So, I guess it was “love at first bite?” (Patrick groans in the background)
Kitten: I guess it was love at 1st bite. I love that! I think I’ll use it on a pic soon. Thanks!
Angela: You’re welcome! So, working so closely together do you ever disagree about the direction of a build? How do you plan out your builds and handle differing opinions?
DreVan: Kitten really matches my creativity. It’s almost scary! The difference is that she likes to focus on the inside. I’m into landscaping so it works out well.
Kitten: Yes, Drevan is more of the outside guy and I work more inside our builds. We do walk-thrus with each other and suggest different ideas. He’s got a little of this, I’ve got a little of that and somehow it all just works. But I’ll tell you, it’s not as easy as it sounds. We both have alts, so keeping up with who has what in which inventory isn’t easy!
DreVan: So true. But as far as differences and similarities, we are definitely on the latter. We hardly ever disagree on ideas of builds and that’s been the best part about it. Sure, we get annoyed from time to time with each other, but what couple doesn’t?
Kitten: Absolutely! We’ve had our rough times and we both thought it was over. But being apart from each other for a short time really brought us closer together. Things are different now – better. You have to learn from your experiences and pick your battles.
Angela: Have you had one build in particular that you felt was the most challenging or inspiring?
DreVan: I’d have to say that one time we made a “heaven and hell” where we built a platform the size of the land and had it about 500 M up. Kitten decorated heaven and I did hell. It was challenging but in the end was pretty awesome.
Angela: DreVan got hell?
Kitten: He CHOSE hell!
DreVan: I have more dark stuff than light in my closet.
Kitten: He is dark; I am light. That’s how we work!
Angela: What kinds of things inspire you?
Kitten: I’ve always been into taking pictures. Even as a child with a little 110 camera! I always had one with me. Then came digital cameras and cell phones and the internet and it just blew up from there.
DreVan: I was mentioning to Kitten about when Patrick did the last class. It was cool how he spoke about how well Doc’s pics have been coming along. This is one of the few groups that really seem to support the new folks as much as the vets.
Kitten: I’d like to say something to that, too. I would like to see a little more coming together from the photography community as a whole. Since I started my own Flickr group, I’ve noticed that people are SO choosy on who to post awards to. It seems only the most popular pictures get the faves and the awards. But there is beauty in all art. We all started somewhere, you know? So, if people would be more friendly and help each other out more, like this group does, it would be wonderful. So, thank you for always welcoming everyone into the group and making them feel part of the community.
Angela: Thank you for your kind words and for having us over!
Kitten: Y’all are welcome to come over anytime. Take all the pics you want! We put a lot of love into this. We hope to share with others because we SO enjoy it ourselves too.
Kitten and DreVan also create the scenes for most of the FOCUS events! You will be able to see their handiwork on the sim usually at the beginning and end of every month.
Wonderful Dreams: Ballroom, Venue & Live Music was created by Yenna Auster & Nighty Pera, a couple from the Netherlands, “with the love and passion we feel for each other.” They have been a couple since June 20, 2015.
Since mid-2015, Wonderful Dreams has had almost a quarter of a million visitors! No matter when you visit, you will find couples dancing. There is a casual dress code except on the ballroom dance floor where formal attire is required. This is a general sim and, obviously, appropriate dress and behavior need to follow from that. Don’t miss the gardens surrounding the ballroom. This is a very romantic place to just walk, talk, or take photos. The amount of time and effort spent creating this venue is noticeable. The love shown is profoundly moving.
Live singers every Saturday from noon to 5 p.m SLT.
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!
