Category: The Drax Files

“When you mention Second Life to people,” Maylee Oh, the subject of segment #30 of The Drax Files World Makers says, “they picture the noob avatar from 2007. So what I do is, I show them what creative people can do today.”

There’s probably one pundit out there who may well view this as a “distorted” view of Second Life, as Maylee’s vision of creativity in the platform does not mention a certain three-letter word starting in “s” and ending in “x”. However, for the rest of us, Maylee’s words open the door to another fascinating 5-minute exploration of the creative richness Second Life offers anyone willing to set aside prejudices and simply watch.

Maylee is, without a doubt one of the more interesting success stories to come out of SL’s 12-year history. Indeed, she’s been a part of the platform’s unfolding story for eight of those 12 years, using the time to build up her brand Secret Store to become one of the leading creative lights in Second Life – and a business fully capable of supporting her in the physical world.

“I quit art school during the third year because I wanted to try something different, Maylee adds a little later in the video. “I still don’t regret [it], because Second Life is still my main income. To me, this is being successful.”

Given Maylee made this decision when just 20 years old, one cannot help but wonder how her parents reacted at the time; the idea that one’s son / daughter is pushing away a good college qualification to spend time making imaginary clothes for a “game” probably isn’t something that would have most parents jumping for joy.

In fairness to Maylee’s mother however, and as illustrated in  wonderful series of hand-drawn images in the video, she is now clearly enthusiastic about her daughter’s choice and acts very much as Maylee’s physical world promoter – even if, again as shown in the drawings, explanations of Maylee’s chosen profession does generate sideways glances from those outside of the platform who are being told her story. Nor does the very important element of physical world support end there: Maylee has also had the firm encouragement of both her best friend and her boyfriend.

Another fascinating angle in this piece is the manner in which Maylee demonstrates another way in which the real and virtual can combine to present another fascinating potential – and one which Maylee has perhaps been one of the first to creatively explore. This is through her use of the platform, together with external tools to creating highly effective adverts which stand as much as a demonstration of the sheer versatility offered by Second Life for such work as they do as a vivid visual promotion of Maylee’s secret store.

The sheer creative power presented by Maylee’s ads speaks volumes; one wonders what might have been had those companies who flocked to Second Life had actually recognised the creative potential offered within the platform and leveraged it accordingly, rather than simply trying to translate their brand and goods into digital offerings. Outside of this question, Maylee’s work demonstrates how Second Life can be used to enormous effect within mixed media presentations that go well beyond “simple” advertising.

As is often the case in these segments, the show touches upon the collaborative nature of the platform, and its ability to cross social and geographic divides. In terms of collaboration, Maylee both demonstrates how she contributes to this as well as overcome much of the “secrecy” she encountered when starting-out as a content creator in SL, through the expedient of sharing her workflow on-line as well as more directly collaborating with others in her work,

“Second Life is full of creative minds and talents people,” Maylee also observes of SL’s cultural melting pot, although layer of the platform so often missed by commentators looking in from the sidelines. “Everyone has their own culture and we exchange a lot [of] feedback from all around the world.” This also links into matters of identity, which in turn loop back to people’s reaction to the idea of clothing a virtual character in a virtual world; as she points out, the clothes we choose and wear are as much a statement of our in-world identity as the avatar we use.

Identity is also far more the driving force behind Maylee’s creativity than physical world fashions – which might come as a surprise, given she lives in one of the great fashion centres of the world.

“What I enjoy about Paris is the diversity of people,” she notes. “I love to look at everyone, and everyone’s styles and identity; it keeps getting me inspired. Paris is somehow a bit like Second Life. because it’s a huge mess but it’s also full of amazing things.”

Once again Drax challenges perceptions of Second Life by presenting a story that is – as this continuing series of videos demonstrates – very much the “norm” for those of us engaged in the platform. Maylee is no basement dwelling individual without a “first life” as the media and SL’s critics seem to be ever-willing to believe. She is a young woman who has set-up a successful business which is generating an solid income for her and which is teaching her the fundamentals of good business practice: customer relationships, team management and so on.

Hopefully, in watching her story unfolding in these five short minutes, those from outside the platform will find Maylee’s story challenging their preconceptions on the value of virtual spaces like Second Life, and be more prepared to approach SL with a more open mind, rather than merely looking for the stereotypical memes, or those wishing to peddle them to whoever will listen.

“You know, when you first asked me to do the Drax Files, I said no,” Whiskey Monday states at the start of segment #28 of The Drax Files World Makers. I doubt anyone watching the show regrets her decision to actually go ahead and appear on the show.

Whiskey is well known throughout Second Life for her incredible artwork, which started with her single frame stories. Her work is thought-provoking, intelligent, evocative, mischievous, fun, pointed, and more – and all of it is certainly some of the finest expressions of art as a medium for social and general commentary I’ve ever seen. It’s also deeply personal, much of it reflecting on Whiskey’s real life; usually in a frank, honest way free from pathos while laying bare her mindset and emotions.

It is on this latter aspect of her work that the show primarily focuses on, in what is once again one of the most compelling pieces of video journalism I’ve seen in a long while, with Drax almost completely absent from the piece and leaving Whiskey to tell her story in her own words. As such, what is delivered is an incredible journey through Whiskey’s lives (plural intentional) which allows us to witness first-hand how Second Life can be a platform for emotional release, self-expression and cathartic renewal in our lives, as well as a place where creative investment brings additional rewards which help spur us on.

“I have been going through a really difficult personal life the past few years,” Whiskey says just after he opening comment on the video. “And I have used Second Life as a medium to express my frustration with the real world; depression; my issues with my mother; my issues with my sister. It helped me get through those times, Drax. and I couldn’t do that as my physical identity.”

This is an incredibly powerful, open, and honest statement to make; a baring of the soul that requires a huge amount of honesty and trust. That Whiskey is prepared to speak so freely  about matters is itself testament to the degree to which her creativity through Second Life has been cathartic for her.

Through the video, we get to share in Whiskey’s creative process, travelling with her from an initial idea, through to the completed image, with Whiskey describing each step of the journey in creating what are highly personal images. It’s a remarkable and painstaking process, as she honestly admits she’s not that comfortable with Photoshop, and so strives very hard to achieve as much of the finished piece in-world as she possibly can – something which itself speaks to the incredible creative power found within SL, either directly through the tools provided by the viewer, or via scripted tools and systems provided by other users.

Framing her images so precisely obviously requires the execution of a high level of control in terms of the subject matter and how the observer sees it. It’s a level of control Whiskey is very aware of; it’s also something that, given the context of her art, might be too easily dismissed as manipulating the audience.

Yet Whiskey makes no apology for this – and nor should she. She certainly isn’t the first artist to manipulate the environment (virtual or real) to focus the audience’s attention and direct their emotional responses; artists do it all the time be it through the initial framing of their shot or via cropping and editing after the fact, or through extensive post-processing. In fact, I’d argue that Whiskey is entirely right in the level of control she exercises – although I’d perhaps refer to it as compositional direction. At the end of the day, these images are her stories, and as the narrator, she has the right to shape the manner in which they are told.

What’s more, it makes her work all the more striking to those who witness it, as it more than likely strikes a far more personal chord within us than might otherwise be the case; hence why Whiskey also tries to leave the images as open-ended in interpretation as possible.

Continue reading “The Drax Files 28: art and SL as cathartic renewal” →

“You’ll know what your avatar looks like when you find your soul avatar. You’re like, ‘that’s it! That’s me. That’s who I am!’.” so opines Absinthe (aka Sinontherocks or AbsintheMontenegro) at the start of The Drax Files: World Makers episode #26.

This might sound like an obvious statement to make; but like many things that may first appear to be blindingly obvious, Absinthe’s comment contains a huge amount of depth; for many of us who come into Second Life, our avatar is such an extension of our personalities, that we can feel confined, or self-conscious or even inadequate until we find that visual look that encompasses what we feel within, but haven’t perhaps found a way to give it expression.

It is also a statement that opens a segment of the Drax Files which, in just five minutes, once again paints a broad and fascinating canvas encompassing matters of self-identity and expression, the power of Second Life as a creative medium, thoughts on the perceptions about Second Life and those who use held by people not involved in the platform, the way in which the platform can spur on into endeavours that reach back out into the real world, and more.

The matter of identity and our relationship with our avatar is encapsulated within the first 73 seconds for the show, as Absinthe talks about her relationship with her avatar – an SL fashion model – and her upbringing, and how the latter informed on aspects of the former’s looks. I actually feel a strong affinity with the remarks made in this part of the video, as Absinthe and I share something of a similar upbringing, and we’ve moved in a similar direction in terms of avatar looks which has little to do with matters of ethnicity or anything like that, but is simply an expression of various facets of our personalities and outlook; the primary difference between her and myself, is it probably took me a little longer to discover my “soul look” with Inara.

From matters of looks, the programme transitions through a glimpse of the world of SL fashion modelling – something which some may look upon as slightly frivolous  / bordering on role-play, yet the fact of the matter is that modelling is one of the central pillars of the fashion industry within SL, which is itself one of the powerful engines of the platform’s economy. Absinthe provides insight into the complexities involved in working as an SL model – including matters of anxiety and nerves which can be experienced prior to a show.

However, the power of the piece  – for me at least – lies in Absinthe’s outlook on life, her work, Second Life and in how, as with others interviewed through this series, this virtual world we inhabit and which is so often sneered up by those outside, Second Life has been both a welcoming hobby and release and the focal point of growth and the catalyst for new opportunities for creative expression within the physical world. In Absinthe’s case, the creation of the Ferosh  project,

Ferosh, which absinthe describes as a “visual art and fashion experience [in which] our photographers, models and designers use products from Second Life to interpret real life fashion trends”. The result is a stunning publication, primarily offered as a e-publication on-line, but which appears to also receive at least some hard copy prints as well, going by the footage in the video.

It is a project that has allowed her to bridge the virtual and the physical in a unique way, not only becoming the medium through which she can explain her involvement Second Life to her family, but one which has also attracted the attention of digital artists from outside of SL who want to be  part of the project – thus opening doors to ways and means of encouraging people to look at the platform with unbiased eyes.

Ferosh has come about as the result of a number of things – not the least of which is Absinthe’s own determination and her zest for life. It has also, I’d venture to suggest, come about as a result of one other thing she has a lot to say about that should be heard – friendship. And it is in her comments on myriad ways in which people are drawn to Second Life, and the manner in which friendships are formed and  – to return to the open element of the show – we can find outward expression of our inner selves, that Draxtor puts together a little magic of his own.

The images of people alongside their avatars, the clips from earlier shows in the series and clips from the brilliant Login2Life documentary that presents a very poignant and clear message to all who watch the segment.

This is another quite brilliant piece, with a richness of content from both Absinthe and Draxtor that make it a powerful slow burner; I was privileged to watch its development over several iterations, I’ve watched and re-watched the finished item several times – and yet, each and every time I’ve watched it, it has had something new to say to me.

So if you haven’t seen it already, click the Play button below.