Second Life Career: Fashion Blogger
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
There is only a relatively small select group of people who have actually made a career from Second Life. That is either people who work in Second Life or those content creators fortunate enough to bring some very real profits from their given venture which, in turn, make a difference to their real life.
All things considered, generally speaking, when we think of a Second Life career it's usually a job that we love and therefore that we dedicate time too. Wether it be a career in virtual journalism or torturing prims into whatever you've decided to make that day, it's safe to say that very few people make any money from their Second Life career.
Undoubtedly the virtual world of fashion is a highly demanding fast-paced one. Couture comes in and out of fashion in Second Life as quickly as it does in real life, of course the real difference is that for many of us Second Life fashions are much more affordable than those of the real world. There is a plethora of fashion orientated blogs and magazines in second life and for many of the top bloggers/ writers they can hold the key to a product, or brands visibility and success rate. With that in mind I set out to speak to one of the biggest and best known fashion bloggers, Ana Lutetia about her career as a model, and blogger, including the highs and lows which come from her chosen career path.
What made you want to be a Second Life model?
I don't remember when or how it started. It just did. I remember deciding that I wanted to be a model inSL and I started looking for agencies and opportunities. Nowadays, I am more a (fashion) blogger and a magazine writer than a model. My RL European work schedule is not compatible with the majority of SL events.
When did you realise that you were a well known model/blogger?
I don't consider myself a well-known model. I realised I was a well-known fashion blogger when people would IM me around SL saying that they love my blog. Nowadays, I must be one of the oldest fashion bloggers around.
What, if any, have been the experiences of this ‘fame’ (good and bad)?
In the catwalk, I was always surprised to see people knowing my name and it still amazes me to get feedback of people saying that they know my work (mostly about my work as a blogger).
The good part is making friends. Some people that follow my work contact me and we start talking and became friends.
I love blogging. I am a addict blogger and if it wasn't for my blog I wouldn't log as often as I do.
It's weird to get random friendship offers and random offers from people...
The bad part is the jealousy involved that results in nasty anonymous comments in my blog and in some SCD SL Secrets. I call it jealousy because I can't think of a better word and because there is no reason whatsoever for anyone to have any issue with me mostly because I don't get out much and don't socialize. (I simply can't find time to do it all.) So the majority of people don't know me in a personal basis and only know me through my blog.
Some people don't realise the hours of work involved for being a fashion blogger and mainting a website updated daily. There are only a few bloggers that keep their blogs updated daily...
On occasion, I feel the fashion blogging pressure and that makes me very anxious. A lot of people send me gifts as well as review copy items and I simply don't have the time to blog it all even though I wish I had but it's impossible. I am only one person and it takes me around two hours (sometimes more) to make a simple post. And... the time I have to be inSL daily is only between two or three hours.
Are there any trends in the fashion world you personally like/dislike?
Personally, I don't like the new freebie and hunts trend. I believe that a lot of designers feel an obligation to release freebies and to participate in hunts. What about the hours spent by designers creating an item?
The sense of entitlement of freebies is bad too.
Do you have any suggestions for budding fashion stars that are starting out now?
Nowadays there are two many fashion bloggers and models and I encourage people to learn another skill like building, texturing or scripting because the fashion world can be overwelming and people will need a break from it.
*All images reposted with the kind permission of Ana Lutetia*
More information about Ana Lutetia can be found on http://analutetia.com
Creative Profile: Siddean Munro of Slink
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Since opening it's doors in June 2007, SLink has grown to occupy it's own sim, providing a one-stop shop for the fashionable avatar. Creator Siddean Munro has turned her hand to all aspects of avatar accessorising, from skins, shapes, hair and eyes to clothing, shoes and jewelry.
With formal training in sculpture, her primwork is superb, and when paired with rich, hand-drawn textures, creates a selection of high quality products ranging from casual, through formal, and now even fetishwear. Perhaps most interest has been generated by the three recent skin releases - Isabelle, Bijou and Asian-inspired Miyu - with favourable reviews thronging the fashion feeds.
A long time gamer, Australian Siddean first learned of Second Life back in 2003 when her brother told her about a new game in which real life money could be made. She created an account and logged in, experienced a lot of lag and watched her avatar disappear off into the ocean. "I decided it wasn't for me. The character creation thing was very cool to me though, but I couldn't make a really nice looking character, and that was a big turn off." Another visit in early 2005 again failed to convince. "I really think I still didn't see the point of it. I was playing EverQuest every night for hours at a time, and was heavily involved in my guild and raiding, and SL seemed the exact opposite to what I was looking for in a virtual world."
However, Siddean began to dabble in character art for EQ and other games. "When I finally created Siddean, I had been developing my digital art skills for [a year], and my focus had changed. I wanted to learn how to create for SL. I'd been seeing a lot of media hype about it and I wanted to see if I could do it. SL really is the perfect mix of game and art, but I do miss gaming. I think I've grown past spending hours logged in to grind exp and make virtual gold though." So Siddean Munro was born, primarily as an artist, but also as a businesswoman.
Rezzed in mid-April, Siddean opened SLink just two months later. "I was pretty dedicated. I read a heck of a lot of tutorials in that time. I played around with prims and started learning how to make skins, since I didn't have the money to buy one, nor the faintest idea of even where to buy one. Once I figured out the steps of skin-making, I started on hair. I had a particular style in mind for this lady, and I couldn't find it anywhere, so decided to make it. My first attempts were woeful!! I should thank [blogger] Amelia Book, she had a few things to say about my textures - liked the style, hated the textures, so I went back to the drawing board."
Her inspiration comes from many sources. "It's partly about doing what I can't find [in SL], partly about recreating something I've seen in RL with my own twist to it, and partly about wanting to create my own designs. I love to look through the fashion magazines, and even the tabloids, to see what people are wearing. I really admire Angelina Jolie not only because she's beautiful and talented. I think she's brave to take on the family she has, even with her status in life, and she has a great sense of style. Not many women look as good as she did eight months preggers with twins! I also admire my sister. She knows what to wear to suit her shape, and she always looks polished and groomed." Another style icon is Victoria Beckham. SLink's unique heelless latex boots were created after seeing the pop star turned designer wearing a similar design.
{Siddean herself created the merfolk statue that is the centrepiece to her store}
The design process tends to be an ongoing one. "Often it's something I've sketched out or spent a lot of time thinking about whilst doing other things. If I am washing dishes, chances are I will be thinking about what I am going to create next and designing it in my head. I tried that formal designers sketch thing but it's not me, so I have done sketches that never evolved into designs. Mostly I will think 'Slink needs a...' or 'I want to try my hand at...' and go from there." This explains the huge variety of different products available at SLink, as Siddean experiments with different techniques just as she does with her RL art. "The art in my little gallery is watercolour and ink, and the portraits are graphite and charcoal. Most of the other work up in the store is digital. I like to dabble in as many mediums as I can, I love going to art stores and drooling over cool pencils and I own a million sketchbooks!"
One of her latest projects is learning to create animations. "Poses are something I can do, and will add in the future. I am learning animation at the moment, and hopefully will be able to add some nice animations and AO's to my collection. I have searched and searched for the right AO. My problem with a lot of animated poses is that they are too busy! I am looking at my avvie 99% of the time and I can't see her if she's bouncing around. So yes, nice animated poses that don't move around a lot, that's what I want!"
Currently on leave from her management day job in technical support, Siddean is focused on her art skills and portfolio. Speaking of the future for SLink, Siddean says, "I never thought I would get to this point in little over a year. I hope just to keep growing and keep up with it. I'd like to move to a higher prim piece of land and expand my store, but I'm not ready to do that yet. In my RL, I've taken on a little bit of work in character modelling so I will be able to apply those skills to SL. I am learning so much that I can bring back here. SL has really shown me a very clear idea of what I want to do in my RL career. I've totally changed my focus in the last 18 months. I have a little voice in the back of my head steering me in future career directions. One is modeller/texture artist/animator, and the other is fashion designer which has been something I've always wanted to do, though I think I will have more success in the former. Fashion designer might just be my SL career."
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Image one (Siddean):
Dress - SLink - Heartbreaker Gown
Boots - SLink - Paige Ankle Boots - Black
Jewelry - SLink - Diamond Solitaire Pendant and Studs
Skin - SLink - Bijou Fair - Matte Red
Hair - SLink - Holly - Black (Unreleased)
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Image two (Efemera):
Shirt - SLink - Tie Front Shirt - White
Pants - SLink - Leather Pants - Black
Shoes - SLink - Paige Tstrap Sandals - Red
Jewelry - SLink - Red Stone
Skin - SLink - Miyu Olive - Dancer
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Image three (Efemera):
Coat - SLink - Reloaded Leather Coat - Brown
Boots - SLink - PVC Thigh Boots - Heeled Gold
Earrings - SLink - Diamond Solitaire Studs
Skin - SLink - Isabelle Sunkissed - Makeup 4
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Image four (Efemera):
Catsuit - SLink - Sexy Catsuit - Red
Boots - SLink - PVC Thigh Boots - Heelless Red
Skin - SLink - Bijou Fair - Red Liner
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Images two, three and four:
Hair - SLink - Suzie Ponytail
Lashes - Cake - Flutter Lashes
Eyes - Tuli - Luminous Eyes - Steel
DE Designs - 3rd Birthday
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
What's your Achilles heel in SL? You know the kind; the place you ALWAYS go either to hang out or to spend money? One of mine is DE Designs. A wonderfully, beautifully different clothing shop in SL. With a real sense for fantasy, gothic 3D designs DE catches my attention each and every-time. 
DE is approaching its 3rd birthday (I know this from the fan group!). With a new outfit planned for the birthday (previews on the blog).
I had the privilege of speaking to DoC Eldritch the owner and sole DE artist.
Trin - DE Designs is approaching its 3rd birthday, can you tell our readers the highs and lows of the last 3 years?
DoC - The high for me is what I have learned personally as far as creating these designs. Taking the 2-D aspect of clothes in SL and making them look as 3-D as possible. This has also allowed me to get into doing more art work. Something I had never done before. When I get im’s from someone saying how much they enjoy and outfit, or how they love a background, that’s my high. Lows, hmmm, I try my best not to get down about things. There are going to be those days when SL isn’t running right, something happens and you get dozens of im’s, someone “sets” you off so to speak or everything just piles up at once and I have to step away. You’re going to have those days in any business be it SL or RL. You learn how to deal with situations, take a breath and focus that energy in what you enjoy doing. It’s easier said then done at times.
Trin - What was your inspiration behind DE?
DoC - For the most part I wanted DE to be somewhere anyone could shop for clothes. Regardless of your appearance and or preferences, I had something to fit. As far as the designs, it really all depends on my frame of mind in a given week to be honest. Some weeks I want to create complex Ladies and Men’s matches, while other weeks I rather do a trendy or formal design.
Trin - Do you do all work on the outfits including promo pictures etc?
Doc - Yes I do. In the last year in particular all my backgrounds have been drawn in Photoshop. A lot of times it may take me just as long to draw the background ad as make the outfit but it is something I enjoy doing now. I have always done all of my ad’s however since day one.
Trin - Roughly how many outfits do you have and what is your favorite style of clothes for designing?
DoC - Its over 1000 I know. I’m not really sure on an exact number however. At this time I enjoy doing the Fantasy style the most.
Trin - Do you have any fashion experience in RL?
DoC - None at all, most of my items lean towards an art, fantasy and or gothic old world look however.
Trin - What does the next 3 years hold for DE Designs do you think?
DoC - Hard to say, I take things day by day. I have expanded somewhat into other things outside of SL but I won’t to the point where it affects me creating for SL. Hopefully there will be more options within SL to expand creations, such as in the last few years with Flex and Sculpt options. A couple more clothing layers as well as another face layer would be great.
I personally adore DE Designs and turn into a child at Christmas when I go there. Its never out of my cache! Check it out in world here and the official blog here.
