Savannah Coronet-Jacques

This week we have the pleasure of talking with a country gal from South Carolina! She gives her all each time she performs in Second Life and makes us smile with her strong vocals. Kick your shoes off, leave your hat at the door, and sit down a spell. Let's get to know Savannah Coronet better!

Tell about yourself, Savvy.  Who is the lady that we hear perform and entertain us?

Well ... What a deep subject!  Although I stay fairly busy in Second Life on stage performing, I do spend some time with my Second Life husband Jac Jacques and our family and friends.  Jac is so supportive of everything I do in both worlds and he is my love.  Also I have been breeding Amaretto horses since October 2010 and they are currently not too happy because I have been so busy in Real Life.  Real Life Savvy is a single mom of a beautiful 5 year old boy named Waylon.  With the help of “Nanny” aka BettyJean, I am now in school full time and pretty much perform a full schedule in Second Life. Thanks Mom, I love you!  I am working on a degree in General Technology with a Major in Cosmetology.  Going back to school has helped me regain focus on life.  Although, I will have a career in Cosmetology, singing will always be in my life in some way.  I also love to bowl and have been bowling since I was 14 years old.  I worked in the bowling business for 15 years.  Now, I just bowl in one league a week and my son has started his league as well.  He loves bowling like mommy.  My real first name is Felicia, if anyone had ever wondered.  I share my life with my friends in Second Life and what I feel in my heart while logged in is the same when I log out.

When did you start singing, Savvy? 

I started singing in middle school.  I got involved with school plays.  I was in the chorus line in the first play I was in Give my regards to broadway The second part I landed I will never forget.  I was a female Jesse James named Wild Prairie Rose in the musical Rogue of the Railway.  My feature performance of  “Rose with plenty of thorns” was a sassy number that caught the attention of a local Opry House… and here I am!

Take a look at this photo, starting with the handsome guy on the far left, who are these folks?

Well that handsome fella is my SL husband Jac Jacques.  Then we have on the top row ... me, Skeat Abonwood – she works the floor for me when she can and she knows her stuff!, Starlight Marville – Red Headed Sin Wagon Driver/Tag Slinger … watch out!, Dametria Arebello – Dame keeps the girls shakin and looking good on stage!, Miyushu Babii - #1Tag Slinger ,started out as my manager and now keeps the crowd rolling as a dancer, Adam Spark – Savvy’s Bartender/Tag Slinger ... Adam has a great motto “Love Everyone”, Ariradel Spark – Awesome DJ/Savvy Dancer and host as well as one of my SL sisters ... Ari keeps Adam in line, he can get rowdy with that Jack Daniels. On the bottom we have Jon Jacques – Jon is one of our SL sons and he’s trouble but we love him! The dog is JP one of our many pets. All the awesome folks are a part of “THE GANG” We are blessed to know such amazing people and I am blessed to have them as part of the Gang for such a long time. Jac and I love you all!!

Tell us about this "Hell on Heels" group, Savvy?

Oh let me tell ya!!! These are some of the sexiest, feisty girls in town! The “Hell on Heels” ladies are dancers for my shows in Second Life. An awesome group of ladies who truly enjoy what they do. All of them are some of my best friends and we all share respect for eachother. Love ya ladies!

I've I had the pleasure to hear your performances many times, and each time, I'm blown away!  Tell us what it's like for you to perform ...

It’s an amazing feeling to perform here in Second Life. To feel the emotions of people miles and miles away. I can have a bad day and after a show I feel awesome! I try my best to put everything I have into each show.

Now, you have some RL family in SL, Savvy?

My RL mother is in Second Life now. She comes to all the earlier shows ... 5pmSLT or earlier and she enjoys the people and music. When the show is over she logs out! Unlike most of us, she doesn’t get wrapped up in Second Life.

Do you do duets with other performers in SL, Savvy?

I have had the honor of live dual streaming or single streaming with a number of Second Life Performers. Wayne Davis, Harry Frychester, Hogan Baily, Tristyn Homewood, Johnny Paramour, Groovin Ghost, Quinty Munro and Dougie Moonites. To link your stream with someone across the country or world is an amazing thing!

Back in March of 2013, you performed as part of Relay for Life - Music Through the Years.  Tell us about the songs you chose for that performance ...

I was asked to do a Patsy Cline Tribute for this event. In the tribute I perform some of Patsy’s most popular singles as well as tell you some of her story. Patsy was a major influence to me and I have performed this tribute in Second Life 37 times!

Recently, I saw you at Club Enchanted Diner.  Do you perform there at Ms. Arlene Bronet's venue often?

I have the pleasure of performing at Ms. Arlene’s venue every other Sunday night at 7pmSLT. Sometimes we have a special guest star appear…. Which is Arlene transformed into Tina Turner! Really fun group of people at Club Enchanted Diner.

Tell us what it was like to win Avi Choice for Favorite Country Singer in 2011 AND 2012?

It was a huge honor and I felt so humbled by the love from the people who enjoy my shows. Taking the time to vote ... just meant a lot to me. I would like to see the Avi Choice Nominations advertised more. Every year it seems it is an issue that people are not nominated. Even to the point where some people who are nominated are criticized. Very sad thing to see in the Live Music community. I will do my part and make sure I share information on my Facebook when I see that the nomination process has started. People love to vote and support their favorite Second Life entertainers. Every time Blake Shelton asks me to vote … I AM THERE!

There's a video on your YouTube , "I'll Take Care of You", what can you tell us about this, Savvy?

Oh my! This video is my first attempt at making a video. I didn’t take much time on it… I wanted to do something to surprise Jac, who is my husband in Second Life. This song was our wedding “first dance” song and means so much to us. Love you Jac!

Here is a video of you performing a popular Reba song, "Fancy".  Who did this video, Savvy?

Robert69 Little did this video. He has done over 2,000 videos for different performers. It’s his passion to do videos for Second Life performers and he does this at no charge. The videos he has done for me have been great tools for me. If you are trying to book a show and they would like to hear you… tada… share these videos! Thanks Robert!!

Pia Klaar has a video of one of your performances from 2011.  What can you tell us about this compilation?

Wow! Pia is very talented! I was humbled when she approached me and said she had recorded a few songs from my live shows. She wanted to put this film together. I took a look at her other work and was so excited to see the end result. It’s an awesome compilation of some of my favorite tunes.

In the same video, at time index 4:05, you sing "Need You Now".  You do a great job with that song, does it get requested often?

Thank you! Need You Now is one of the most requested songs that I cover. It was a major hit for Lady Antebellum and won 4 Grammy’s in 2011. It is definitely one of those tunes I cover that I see the screen fill with “I love this tune” gestures.

Often, you have performances at Nashville Music Row.  That's right in my back door.  Can I hop in the car and drive there to hear you?

Oh we’ll pick you up in the Sin Wagon on our way, don’t you worry!

Where can we get a listing of your schedule, Savvy?

The web tab in my Second Life profile has a link to my google calendar or just go here

You have a song list, that we can get a copy of at one of your shows.  What goes into the selection of which songs you'll sing?

That song list needs to be updated (puts that on her to do list). The song has to feel good, have some meaning and be entertaining. You have to connect with the song.. you are not just singing the song you are living the song.Yes! It’s on my to-do list to get that updated!

What suggestions would you have for someone wanting to dip their toes in the world of live vocal performances?

Take all the help you can get!  Sing with all of your heart and soul, build a good team of people to help you and have some fun!! Also anyone needing some help can always send a message to me in Second Life or find Savannah Coronet on Facebook.

You know one of my favorites is "Sweet Home Alabama".  What are your favorite songs to perform?

Man bashin tunes…. Just kidding! I will name one…Purple Rain! I love them all and depending on the day,mood,moon cycle LOL my favorites change constantly… ok I confess I LOVE singing Lady Antebellum’s single Downtown. I can’t help but to smile and dance around when I sing that one!

Thank you very much for your time, Savvy and I look forward to seeing your next performance!

Annie Melson

This week's interviewee is a wonderful lady with a touching story.  Come join us, as we talk with Annie Melson!  She is the designer behind Just BECAUSE and makes a fantastic contribution to the SL world of fashion.  










So we get to learn about Annie Melson and your designs featured in Just BECAUSE.  What would you like to share with us about yourself?

Oh my gosh, I hate talking about myself! LOL! What do I say?? Um... I'm just an average regular person that lives in a beautiful northern state in the USA. I truly am married to my best friend and we've enjoyed 18 years together and we're hoping for many more years to come. We've got two great kids. I'm an award winning artist in RL and have had my work hang in several galleries. I love cats and have four (OMG!), which was completely unplanned for I must add, so it's a good thing I love them LOL! We also have fish and one crazy bird who thinks she's the queen of the house. :)

How did you get started in design work, Annie?

My start in design work isn't really a happy one, but it has turned out happy. I had been in SL long before creating and selling furniture. That was going pretty well, but then I left SL. I was gone for over a year. My dear husband, Terk,  was diagnosed with cancer and it threw us and our little family for a loop. It was the worst year of our lives. He's recovered and is doing well now, but during that time we were on the edge of losing everything because of the mounting medical bills. And while being a RL artist is fun and fulfilling, it doesn't pay worth a hoot, so I had to go to work to keep us going. It was my husband who suggested I come back to SL and sell my creations, whatever I decided to create, that way I could be here for the kids too. I spent the next 3 months spending hours researching on creating a successful business in SL. Failure wasn't an option. My husband and kids needed me to succeed.

I decided that I didn't want to go back to furniture. I hate scripts, and working with them drives me batty, so I knew the best design work for me was in clothing, which has been so much better than furniture creating for me. It fit me so much better, and I enjoy doing it so much more. As an RL artist, it made it perfect, because it dealt with painting, which is what I do when I make my clothing. Now, with the mesh, it adds sculpting which is another RL art I love to do, but instead of clay it is digital. :)

Just BECAUSE was named as one of exclusive 24 menswear designers in The 24.  What can you tell us about this?

The 24 is an invitation only event that features 24 of the best men's fashion, 24 of the best women's fashion, 24 of the best home items, and 24 of the best pose/animation makers in SL. Each of these designers has a shop on one of the four sims (each sim is dedicated to each category) and they are showcased in the shows they put on throughout the week. This event is put on by Siren Productions, and they host many other incredible events throughout the year, one of which is the Menswear Fashion Week which I have also participated in.

Let's talk about your textures for a moment.  Are each of your textures hand-painted and original creations?

All of my finished textures are my own creation, meaning I never use templates. Every crease and fold, every stitch is hand painted. I will buy and use background fabrics and patterns (like a cotton weave) to save time because hand painting everything takes a lot of my time, but many times I make those too. It just depends on how much time has already been spent. I don't like taking too long because it is good to keep releasing new items in a timely manner. But, yes, the final textures I upload to apply to clothing are completely mine. They aren't someone else's template or creation.

However, there is nothing wrong with people using texture templates to create and sell. They do good work and it allows many others to have a business of their own, which is one of the wonderful aspects of SL. But I like to stay away from it because as an artist I never want to infringe on copyright, or make  people question even an inkling whether I have. I would never want it happening to me, so I do whatever I can to stay away from doing it to others. So making my own not only protects me from this, but it also gives the customer a creation that is original and unique, which is also really important to me.

So Annie, you are involved a few hunts ... Season's Palette, Menstuff, and Homestuff.  Tell us about your part in these hunts.

Oh my goodness, I love hunts! Not only are they a lot of fun, but it gives me the opportunity to give people something nice to enjoy. It's kind of a way for me to help give back. :) Season's Palette is a hunt that  requires the designers to use 3 or more colors from a selection of colors given to them to use on their creations and I like the challenge of doing that. The Menstuff/Homestuff hunt is a combined hunt. I don't make Homestuff items, so I'm participating in the Menstuff side of this hunt. I'm also one of the Womenstuff designers from this same group, but Womenstuff doesn't currently have a hunt going on. They should have one coming up sometime soon though. :)

I noticed an advertisement for Mad City on your event board, what is Mad City?

Mad City is a group of brilliant game creators who create very cool interactive hunt games for SL. I absolutely love them! They create hunts that are much more than just a hunt - they are games you have to play in order to receive the prizes from each of the stores participating at the end. They are usually spooky and dark in nature, throwing you into a mystery you have to solve. The Mad City hunt I was participating in just finished. I really look forward to participating in the next one they have. They are incredible!

You have a new men's release, Men's Splash Collection.  What does this include?

The Men's Splash Collection are my latest swimwear for the men and already it is proving to be incredibly popular! I created three different swimsuit styles in mesh for the men to choose from - the longer board shorts, the mid thigh length swim trunks, and the very popular speedo style swim briefs. Of each of these 3 styles I created 2 different versions, which has 5 different colors. You do the math and you come up with 30 different choices of swimwear! I know, I went crazy! LOL! I also made full packs at a discounted price so people who love them all can save a bit of money. :) These of course come in all five standard sizes.

Just BECAUSE was one of the solo shows participating in Menswear Fashion Week back in April 2013.  Tell us about your involvement in this event, Annie ...

Menswear Fashion Week is created by Siren Productions, which I spoke of earlier regarding The 24, except this is strictly for the men. I was thrilled that Just BECAUSE was one of their solo shows, meaning I had a fashion show exclusively showing Just BECAUSE clothing. I had to create a whole new collection to showcase called Modern Gatsby. I used this event to launch into making my own mesh clothing as well as starting a whole new way of releasing clothes - by collections instead of one item at a time.

Another outfit caught my eye, Modern Gatsby.  What's the story behind this classy men's outfit?

Modern Gatsby is a pretty special collection of clothes for me because it was when I learned how to make my own mesh clothing and I used some of my new mesh in this collection. This is the collection that was debuted during Menswear Fashion Week 2013. Before this I was using mesh created by others because I hadn't learned how to make it myself yet. (Please note however that the textures for these mesh clothes were solely my own, keeping with my stance on originality.)

Current trends in men's fashion in RL was what inspired me to make The Modern Gatsby collection. Men's clothing was taking on a 1920's flair, brought about by the release of The Great Gatsby movie that just came out at the time. I fell in love with it and wanted to make them for SL too, but with a slight modern twist to it by adding jeans and a button down casual shirt. Class meets casual. And that's how Modern Gatsby was formed. :)

Back in January, you held a open chat, "Coffee with Annie".  Tell us about this unique opportunity to spend some time with you ...

Designing clothes is a very solitary and lonely process. I call myself a Sky Platform Dweller because that's where I am always found! LOL! All of my time is spent creating. I don't leave my platform much and often times I may look like I'm online, but the SL window is shrunk down and I am working hard in other programs creating, such as Blender and Photoshop. But I like to be able to talk with my customers and give them an opportunity to give me ideas, tell me what they love, what they would like to see changed, etc. I like for my customers to have a voice. Just BECAUSE only exists because of them and I want them to be a part of the creation, so I created "Coffee with Annie" to give myself and them an opportunity to talk, get to know each other, and hear their thoughts and suggestions. It's my way of helping people connect with me, and for me to connect with them. I really need to have another one soon.

If people can't make these events, or they just don't want to wait for the next one, they can always connect with me through my social media networks like Facebook, Twitter, and SLX Connect, among others.

You have a blog for Just BECAUSE that you operate.  Do you post regularly, Annie?

Yes, I do! :D I post whenever I have a new collection released, but I will also post work in progress pictures and news. I don't post every day, but I do keep the blog updated at all times. If I haven't posted in awhile it is because I'm working hard, not because I'm not doing anything, and it certainly doesn't mean I'm not updating it regularly. I means an update is coming. :D

Tell us about the Just BECAUSE Fun & Flirty Collection.

The Fun & Flirty Collection was a lot of fun to make! It was summer and that inspired me to make something... well...  fun and flirty for the girls! LOL! Girls like pretty ruffles and ribbons but they also like to show a flirty side and tease those boys out there and what better way to do that but in the summer? ;) So out come the capris and shorts, and cute hankie tops, camis, and tube tops! I went with some really fun colors and patterns too, and since I couldn't decide on which textures and colors to go with I added a texture changing HUD to all of them but the hankie tops. Let me tell you, trying to figure out the scripts for that HUD was NOT fun! I hate scripts and what an ordeal that was! LOL! But I finally got it and the result is a really fun and versatile collection. :) The Fun & Flirty Collection is my own mesh creations and you can see some of the work in progress shots of them on my blog.  

For those of us not in the designer world, especially mesh, tell about Blender.  How is this used in your designs?

Blender.... How can I talk about Blender in a simple way that doesn't scare anyone?? LOL! Well, I guess I'll just be blunt and hope for the best. :) Blender is a very complex and powerful program, incredibly intimidating and overwhelming, especially to someone who doesn't know a thing about hot keys and shortcuts, which was me when I first was trying to learn it. I first started playing with Blender when I was learning how to make sculpties back before mesh was introduced to SL. You should have seen me when I finally "got" it! LOL! I have to admit that I was super proud of myself because I am not a natural when it comes to techy stuff.

Blender is a free program, but that doesn't mean the program in a lesser program. It has everything and it is very powerful. But it is also very complicated and hard to get a grip of. It took me a month to get a handle on it just to make sculpties, and then when mesh came out it took me another solid week with very long hours to grasp that. It's intense! You definitely have to have determination to figure it out and not let the frustration get to you, because it is very frustrating at times. But once you got it, it gets very easy and very rewarding. :)   I use the Avastar plug in for Blender to add the SL avatar easily, then I add a mesh cube and start molding it into a shirt or pants. It's like digital clay. :) After that comes rigging it to the avatar and weighting it to the bones so that it moves with the avatar. Weighting is my least favorite part. It's tedious and finicky and I could tweak it all week long because I'm a perfectionist. :P LOL!

I'm really enjoying the mesh tank top men's group gift.  Do you offer group gifts on a regular basis?

I'm so glad you like the group gift, Michael! I wish I could say I offer group gifts on a regular basis, but it hasn't been very regular at all, nor am I happy with that. I truly need another pair of arms - maybe 2 pairs of arms! But I highly doubt I'll be sprouting a new set anytime soon. :P Do you think cloning myself would work better?? LOL!

It's very hard to keep up with everything. My main focus is on creating new collections for people to enjoy (and with them being original it starts from the very beginning each time, making it more time consuming), then I have a lot of events and hunts I participate in, next comes maintaining the business side of things, and then after that comes group gifts and Coffee with Annie. Often times I'm not left with anymore time for those. My husband, Terk Sak, handles customer service, which is a big help, but he works a RL job and that takes most of his time. But I do plan on releasing a new group gift within the next month, which of course will be original. :)

You have a collection named Shawn that features jeans, t-shirt, and a leather jacket.  What else can you tell us about the Shawn Collection?

The Shawn Collection was made when I was still learning about mesh. I hadn't learned how to make my own at that time yet, so those are made with premade mesh. There are a few mesh pieces in my store using these before I learned how to do them myself. However, the textures were fully created by me. I did not use the templates for that, nor for any others I used the premade mesh for. I learn as I go, and these few items are the turning point pieces. So the Shawn Collection was a fun new creation for me. It's when I fell in love with mesh and decided that I was going to learn how to do it myself and never go back to system layer clothing, unless in the rare occurrence it is needed for a finished look. :)

Back in May 2013, you released a mesh dress and floppy hat, Eden.  Tell us about this beautiful design that offers texture changing options.

Eden was my first original mesh creation for women that I am happy with. I had created a previous mesh dress called Gabby, which is my first ever mesh creation, but it is not up to my standards, which is why I have it for sale at an ultra cheap price. It's cute, but was part of my learning curve. Modern Gatsby came after Gabby, and it came out well. Eden was my next creation. I made Eden because I needed a new dress to wear to my solo show at Menswear Fashion Week 2013 showcasing the Modern Gatsby Collection. I wore it  to the show without having even finished making all of the color options, and the hat hadn't even been created yet. The hat was fun to make, and because I couldn't make up my mind on textures, I decided to put in a texture changing script. Eden ended up being very popular with the girls. They loved the classic style of it. :)

What would you say are your best selling men's and/or women's items?

By far my mesh creations are my best sellers, and the new men's swimwear is the biggest best sellers for the men, even more than the Gatsby Collection, which sells really well too. My best sellers for the women are the shorts in the Fun & Flirty Collection. I have to admit I am particularly fond of those shorts myself. :D

Do you have any suggestions for someone wanting to start designing inworld?

Before I opened my store I spent 3 months researching everything I could about creating a successful brand and business in SL, and I really think those first 3 months are what gave me a giant leap on the learning curve. I learned so many valuable things from other business owners in SL through this. It saved me a lot of mistakes. Those 3 months were spent learning, creating a business plan, and creating some items that could be put in the store from the start. Also, social networks are huge. I started my blog, created my Facebook, and Twitter accounts before I even opened my store in SL. Use the social networks. I believe they are imperative to success. But whenever someone asks me for tips and how to start a business I always tell them to start researching. The internet is a wealth of information and knowledge is power. :)

Annie, you have a new store opening soon, can you tell us about it?

My new store is going to be mesh!  It has a long ways to go yet to be completed. I'm hoping by the end of next week or beginning of week after that to have it put out and replace the old one.  Here are a few photos of the work in progress!

It has been fantastic talking with you.  Thank you very much for your time, Annie!

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Kristine Schomaker / Gracie Kendal

This week we have a performance artist, a curator, an instructor, a lecturer, a painter, and an art historian that we will be visiting.  Three people?  How about one fantastic lady named Kristine Schomaker (Gracie Kendal in SL)!  Welcome to The Spotlight, Kristine!

Kristine Schomaker

So tell us a little about Kristine, Gracie, and what you'd like to share with us...

Kristine is the brains of this operation. I am the beauty. No wait; she will kick my ass for saying that…LOL Kristine and Gracie are the same person. We don’t role play other characters; just wear other ‘masks’ per se from time to time.  When I speak about Kristine or Gracie, I normally use ‘I’ because that is who we are, an I.  I am a new media, performance artist and painter in both worlds. When I came to Second Life, I found it an amazing place for artists to show their work to a universal audience plus I saw the capacity for new art made entirely using the tools within Second Life. I love using the medium of Second Life for my performance art, for meeting new people, listening to my favorite singers and DJs and sharing my vision of art. I am not much of a shopper. (Shhhhh don’t tell my friends!)  I love watching people discover and share Second Life with the real world; mixing realities. Using SL with the Oculus Rift is going to be a game changer. I am so proud to be a pioneer artist among many others bringing Second Life to the real Art World. It’s scary right now, because a lot of people still don’t understand it, but we are working on that.

Gracie Kendal

What brought you to Second Life, Kristine?

My aunt and uncle actually brought me to Second Life. They came into SL in 2006 after reading about it in SPIN Magazine. They loved the idea of hearing musicians streaming concerts from their homes to people from all over the world. They met a few visual artists and thought it would be an amazing place for me to bring in my paintings. Within a week of being in Second Life I had a gallery with my paintings, a condo, the Avatar I still have today, a closet full of clothes, and well, ummm… a boyfriend…LOL.

Kristine, what's your history with the arts?

I have always loved art. Going to my grandparents I was always looking through their coffee table book of Norman Rockwell images, or admiring their faux Rembrandt hanging over their couch. My aunt and uncle collected contemporary art and I always loved visiting and looking at the brilliant color, design and patterns in the world they collected; Maxfield Parrish, Miripolsky and Mark Mothersbaugh.  My other grandparents were in construction and real estate. I wanted to be an architect from as early as I can remember. I used to go to their office and draw the plans of houses on graph paper. When I was in school, I realized how much I hated math and wasn’t very good at it. There went that dream. So I decided to take an Art History class. The professor was so inspiring and brilliant; her class made me want to continue on in the world of art. I started taking painting, drawing, color theory classes and more Art History classes. I have my Bachelors in art history and my Masters in studio art. I also had the pleasure of teaching art history at a community college for a few years. Over the last few years, with the help of Second Life, I have ventured out of my comfort zone of painting to performance art, installation and new media/digital art. It has been a really wonderful ride and I am looking forward to what the future inspires.

a scene from LEA16

Who are some of the artists that have inspired you, Kristine?

Oh gosh, there a quite a few. A major inspiration is the 2^nd Generation Abstract Expressionist Sam Francis. In 1998 my painting professor took us on a field trip to MOCA in LA for his retrospective. I stood in front of these immense colorful abstract paintings and knew that was my direction. Then I saw artists such as Gerhard Richter, Helen Frankenthaler, Pia Fries and Beatriz Milhazes. As I got more into conceptual and performance art I was totally inspired by Cindy Sherman and Yasumasa Morimura. 

Tell us about your art work in real life, Kristine, and does it tie in with your work in Second Life?

I believe my art work in Second Life is my art work in real life. Everything I do in Second Life is meant for a real world audience. I am just trying to figure out how to share it in galleries etc. Before I started Second Life, I was only painting and doing mixed media/collage work. Last year I was awarded a sim as part of the Artist in Residence program through the Linden Endowment for the Arts. I created a full sim immersive installation inspired by my paintings and mixed media work called Ce n’est pas une peinture. I wanted the viewer to get a feeling that they were floating through my colorful abstract paintings. I think it was very successful.

In real life, the painting I do cannot be translated in Second Life. It is very messy, watery and drippy. The application of pouring paint and using a blow dryer cannot be duplicated in its physicality over the computer. I hope it stays that way. With some things, the lines should not be blurred.

Kristine in My Life as an Avatar

Tell us about your project, My Life as an Avatar?

When I was working on my Master’s Degree, I showed my painting professor my work in Second Life. I showed her my avatar, the art galleries and the life I created in Second Life. She was absolutely blown away by what I was doing here. She asked me some very telling questions about my Avatar. Why did I create my avatar to look like she does; tall, thin, elegantly dressed, etc? She wanted me to explore this aspect. As I delved deeper into the psychological aspect of having an ‘ideal’ avatar, I started to see the potential for performance art.  I started comparing myself with my avatar. I took pictures of both of us every day, transformed into her and did a 9 min video and most of all, learned so much about myself and learned to accept myself for who I am rather than who I want to be. The whole project has been a life changing experience. 

There was a performance that you did, challenging society's standards of beauty, called The Bald and the Beautiful.  Tell us about this, Kristine.

One day over a year ago, I had opened up yahoo, and the first news item was about how Portia Di Rossi cut her “signature” locks. I just thought, wow, how is that news??!!! So what if a woman decides to cut her hair. I started thinking about how women are mostly seen as objects for their physical attributes. They are defined by their bodies rather than their talent, personalities, intellect, wit and character. That is normally the first thing that people see when looking at a woman. So I decided to challenge those notions of the woman as object and do a performance where I had my head shaved. There was the perfect moment when I was invited to give a talk about Second Life in a series called Artist21 at the Brewery where I live in Los Angeles. I performed a skit with a friend where we talked about body image, female sexuality, physical appearance vs. character, etc. Then she shaved my head. It was THE most liberating thing I have ever done. I was ready. Over a year later, I still wear my hair buzzed and every day I consider the question why. I still have people telling me it looks better longer or asking when I am going to grow it out. I also don’t get asked out on dates, I am thinking mostly because of my hair. Having a buzzed head has some stereotypes associated with it that I am trying to break. Anyone can have short hair.

You also did a project with 2,000 avatars.  What was the focus of this performance?

This wasn't so much a performance as a whole project/installation. After dealing with My Life as an Avatar, I wanted to pursue the idea of identity in virtual worlds. I decided to take portraits of avatars and showcase them in a huge installation. It started out with 100, then 200, then 1000 and eventually 2000 individual portraits. All of the avatars are shown from behind, because I wanted to focus on the idea of anonymity within Second Life. So many people keep Second Life separate from real life, mainly because they can. I wanted to show the diversity and the creativity that each and every one of us brings the Second Life table. I ended up publishing a 2 volume set of books featuring all 2000 portraits.

You have a blog, as well, what is the focus of your blog?

My blog is a place that I share what I am doing, or feeling or finding. Most of the time I share stories based on art that I am working on. It is mostly editorial pieces that get people thinking and asking more questions that offering answers. I talk a lot about body image, stereotypes, art and Second Life.

What can you tell us about the Linden Endowment for the Arts, Kristine?

The Linden Endowment for the Arts is an organization put together to help artists in Second Life with land and resources. They have 20 sims that they award to artists who submit proposals for unique artworks. They offer them for either 5 or 6 months.

a scene from LEA16

On August 11th, at 9:00AM Pacific (SL) time, on a sim parcel named LEA16 you started rezzing something.  What was that?

Funny, I can’t remember what the first thing I rezzed was…LOL Do you remember? LOL this was the beginning of a 5 month performance/installation called “Binge and Purge” where I am going to rez my whole inventory on an LEA sim I was awarded. Since we are only allowed 15000 prims per sim, I am rezzing a little bit of my inventory at a time every 3 weeks. When that 3 weeks is up, I will delete the sim entirely and rez 15000 more prims until my inventory is completely empty.

a scene from LEA16

What was the inspiration for Binge and Purge?

I can’t say what the exactly inspiration was. I am always conscious of consumerism and materialism. I try to live a more minimal lifestyle and don’t feel the need to own expensive stuff. I thought about reality TV and shows like Hoarders. I have an eating disorder, so I understand how people do stuff like hoard, drink, smoke and shop excessively. I eat to excess sometimes. I have learned through therapy and an eating disorder support group that it isn’t about the food but about an underlying need for something. For me it may be comfort or its filling a void. I am still working on that.  I honestly don’t have an exact answer to this question. One day, just like that, I thought, I have to purge my inventory. I have to delete everything. I know there are some deeper philosophical/theoretical concepts behind this piece of art, but I will leave that to the critics and historians.

a scene from LEA16

Now you have a few rules that you've made for yourself, what are those?

These are the rules I typed up on my blog. Of course, remember, rules are made to be broken!  







Rules of the game:

• Buy Buy Buy. I will spend the 20,000L I currently have in Second Life until it is gone. (Done)
• I will rez 15000 prims worth of ‘stuff’ from my inventory every 2-3 weeks. (Sunday morning 9am SLT/PST)
• After the 2-3 weeks, I will delete all 15000 prims. (This will include all my art, presents, furniture, houses, clothes, pictures, notecards, landmarks, calling cards, collected art, etc.) EVERYTHING.
• I will take pictures of my inventory window/the interface after each purging
• Each Binge and Purge will be documented through filming and photography.
• Everything I own in Second Life will be on this sim and eventually deleted.
• Then what?

a scene from LEA16

I had the pleasure of being there for most of the items that you rezzed on 8/11, as did Kiki Szetey and several others.  What was it like to have an audience?

It was really a lot of fun. It was nice having a sounding board. It was great hearing the comments. “I remember that.” Or “I had that when I was a newb.” Etc. Even with the embarrassing moment when I deleted the clothes Gracie was wearing, I felt it was important to have an audience. It wouldn't have been the same if I was alone.  I needed people to be there who understood, who asked questions and who supported me. Would it have been a performance if I was alone?

Overview of LEA16

So, now you have, what ... 15,000 prims rezzed at LEA16.  What will you do with these items?

On Sept 1^st, probably about 11am slt, I will delete all of those 15000 prims. They will go into my trash in my inventory where I will delete them again and they will be gone from SL never to be seen again. Well except in photos and video.

So you said that you will "empty out and delete EVERYTHING from your inventory".  Surely there will be a few items that you want to keep for sentimental reasons, yes?

Nope, everything will be gone. Notecards, calling cards, textures, landmarks, all objects, clothes, etc. I would like to say, I want to be a newb again. I want to bring back the naiveté from our SL youth, but I don’t believe that is possible. Everything is sentimental and nothing is sentimental.

a scene from LEA16

Your current performance, Binge and Purge, has been also been in Ziki Questi's blog too.  

Ziki is a great promoter and supporter of the arts in Second Life. She is a lovely friend and I am honored she wrote about the project. It is important for people to write about it. It has already brought up some controversy questioning one-of-a-kind objects in SL and what happens when they are gone etc. Writers like ZIki are important for keeping these conversations going.

What's next for you, Kristine?  Do you have other projects in the works?

I don’t really have any projects in Second Life in the works. Currently I am creating some new mixed media pieces in real life, getting my art ready to sell at an upcoming Artwalk and planning a new performance. It is going to be the bravest performance I have done yet. It will involve me being nude (in RL of course). Stay tuned into my blog for more details!

Kristine thank you very much for your time today, for letting us get to know you better, and for sharing your work with us.