Shoshana's Musings

Steiger Happenings for October

2009-10-06T07:10:00.001-04:00

I have 5 artists this time in Steiger. I'm very proud of who I've been able to collect, this time. Please check out my Steiger Happenings Blog: http://steigerhappenings.blogspot.com/

Steiger Art Gallery Happenings

2009-09-10T22:45:00.002-04:00

I have decided to create a new blog devoted entirely to the art galleries of Steiger sim. Please find it here!

Beloved Guest Gallery Opening

2009-09-08T21:17:00.003-04:00

After years of working with Rezzable and Avatrait, I wanted to have my own gallery where I could show off my talented friends; both old and new friends!

And so, it gives me great pleasure to announce the opening of my first gallery for guest artists in Steiger. The Beloved Guest Gallery. It will host four to five artists every month, 2D RL art, 2D SL art, and 3D sculptures!

-----------
You are cordially invited to the Grand Opening of Shoshana Epsilon's Beloved Guest Gallery!

What: Grand Opening

Where: Beloved Guest Gallery. SLURL: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steiger/123/228/122

When: Sunday, Sept 13th, 11am SLT

Who: Filthy Fluno, DeeDee Deepdene, TommyLee Nightfire, vroun Short

How: Formal dress encouraged, not required.

Long time, no see

2009-09-08T19:56:00.004-04:00

Wow, its been a long time since last I wrote. I want to thank everyone who has been patient with me and waited for me to regain my feet.

My mother has had cancer for 9 years. In 2000, they gave her 6 months to live. She surpassed everyone's expectations by such a long shot that she was off the charts. But last year, we could see that she was failing. And so, this last year has been hard, as I have flown across country, time after time, to see her for her birthday or a holiday, or just because I wanted to be with her for a bit. It was horribly expensive and very necessary.

In June, my mother passed away. My brothers and I fell apart, even though we'd been planning for it for years. When I returned to work after the funeral, I was told that my contract was over and I had three weeks to close out my projects.

In SecondLife, I quit Avatrait as Gallery Curator and as a member of the Board. RL had to come first. I stopped doing commissions. You may remember that I was going to be doing a set of tutorials here. That never got done, either.

Now, I have a new job. Not the best job, but a good one.

In SecondLife, Kisa Naumova offered to sell me her SL gallery and the land under it, giving me nearly all of Steiger sim on the mainland. (I already owned a majority of the sim.) So, I'm adding to my collection of galleries on Steiger.

In the order they are:
Epsilon Gallery of Second Life Portraiture - oldest gallery on the sim.
Steiger Art Maze - the first hedge maze to display ART.
Steiger SL4B Display Space - a copy of my display at SL's 4th Birthday
Epsilon Gallery for New Artists - Artists who are new to SL or Residents who are new to art!

And the latest...
Beloved Guest Gallery - Where I invite fantastic artists to show their work for an entire month. Look for an announcement in the next blog.

I want to thank everyone who has been there for me. Love you all.

-- Sho

Welcome to 2009

2009-01-05T19:18:00.008-05:00

I'm going to try to do better. Really!

I am planning on creating a short series of tutorials to give insight into the lighting tools in SL, that will help you make better pictures. I will publish them here.

Here is a picture I took, using only Second Life lighting. This is a raw picture with no post-processing at all.

Over the next week or two, I will publish tutorials to introduce you to various lighting techniques using light sources, the SL sun, and the environment editor. Hopefully, it will help you create the best possible pictures.

Thirty Five!

2008-11-27T12:22:00.002-05:00

Thirty Five artists from the Avatrait Gallery have combined their efforts for a phenomenal show. The show opens Saturday, November 29th at 1PM SLT. Location is the new sim: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Evoluon/95/116/141

Artists include:
* Ariel Brearly
* Barrowness Beaumont
* Betty Tracer
* Cienga Soon
* CodeBastard Redgrave
* Corbett Howard
* Daequix Scarborough
* Damon Varriale
* Devaughn Aabye
* Flory Watanabe
* Gabrielle Sinatra
* Galatea Zabelin
* Heroine Nouvel
* Hio Taringa
* iam yumako
* Jordan Giant
* Joshua Morane
* Keiko Morigi
* Kimberly Mirabeau
* Kimico Jewell
* Lano Ling
* Looker Lumet
* Mecca Merosi
* Monroe Snook
* Pilgrim Miles
* Rob Danton
* Ryker Beck
* Sebcaen Ulysses
* Shoshana Epsilon
* Stephen Venkman
* Tamsin Congrejo
* Turlututu Chaffe
* Zinc Karas

I'm in a MALL!

2008-10-31T06:38:00.001-04:00

For Official Release!

What happens when a big group of SL designers decide to take matters into their own hands and build a mall just for them?

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Thistledown/25/89/23

Secluded Cove Boardwalk is a quaint seaside boardwalk on the Thistledown sim featuring a unique build of mixed shops. Each shop is filled with a SL designer's goods, including:

Awesome Designs
Tea Lane
She's So Unusual Shoes
Dark Mouse Jewelry
Haven
IC Skins
Light Motif
Calla Hair
Genesis
Ingenue
Image Reflections
Flirt
OPIUM Everyday
Second Wave Apparel
Eolande's
Tea Monster
EarthStones
enkythings
Light Motif (<- MINE!)

And many others!

Our HUGE Grand Opening begins Nov 1st at noon SLT with a ribbon cutting ceremony.
The Public is encouraged and definitely invited to come see the build, the stores, the ambience and enjoy a fun day at the Boardwalk.

These are the official logo, an inworld picture of the boardwalk and grand opening ads. Each ad features different designers.

Thank you,
Secluded Cove Boardwalk

Rowan Carroll, Boardwalk official

Fixed but not fixed

2008-09-01T19:54:00.003-04:00

Once again LL states their problems for the day are fixed, but 5 minutes later, people still can't log in. *sigh*

'Nuff said.

What does "broadly offensive" mean?

2008-09-01T10:54:00.005-04:00

Ok, imagine this ....

You are an artist.
You are creating a photo study of the zodiac.
One of the pictures is "virgo". (Gasp!! A virgin!)
How are you going to depict a virgin? Probably a young girl? The picture was deemed "broadly offensive by LindenLab. (If you are easily offended, you should not visit the link.) Picture is here.

Now, I will admit that I don't find the picture offensive. I know the model -- she is well over the age of consent. Furthermore, there is nothing pornographic about it.

I also know that the picture was at SL5B. The site had thousands of visitors. No one complained about Loki's art. It was at the Cannery for some period of time. ONE person complained. LL had a look at it and told Loki to remove it or risk being suspended. Given all the visitors, and ONE person complained, how is this "broadly offensive"? We're talking about one tenth of one percent, perhaps! DAMMIT, Linden Lab, THIS IS ART!

More details can be found on Loki's blog: http://loki-popinjay.blogspot.com

On a personal front...

2008-06-26T07:21:00.002-04:00

On a personal front, I find myself suddenly unemployed. I was the head of R&D for a 200-person company. The R&D was software development, primarily. If you know of anyone who could use my talents, please let me know.

At least I'll have more time to work on SL5B for the next two weeks.

Fringe Festival Information

2008-06-20T09:46:00.010-04:00

In the wake of all the changes and uncertainty with the SL Birthday celebration sponsored by Linden Lab, several of us have decided to create a new group to run the Resident birthday celebrations next year. Instead of calling it a "fringe festival" it will be the Resident Birthday Bash.

Although our goal for 2009 is to create our own event to celebrate Second Life's birthday, we want this to become a cross-metaverse event, as well. Furthermore, if we have the resources, we would like to make this a venue to run Resident events throughout the year. With that in mind, we have created a parent organization: Virtual Resident Events.

Look for kiosks to join the Resident Birthday Bash group. They will be scattered around SL5B, as permitted. The kiosks will allow you to register your interest (it's not an SL group, so it won't take an additional slot), to get information, to offer to volunteer, or to donate. (We'll get back to you on donations, since we aren't allowed to accept lindens on SL5B property.) Don't forget, you can donate lindens, but you can also donate the use of your sim(s). In kiosks that are not on the official SL5B list, the kiosks themselves will accept lindens for donations.

The current organizers of this particular event are (in alphabetical order) Pyrii Akula, Shoshana Epsilon, SignpostMarv Martin, and Will Web. Welcome to the Resident Birthday Bash.

Open Letter to Linden Lab

2008-06-17T22:28:00.005-04:00

To whom it may concern at Linden Lab,

In the interest of transparency and good will, I would like to inform you of a new Resident-run initiative. A Second Life fringe festival.

For several years, Linden Lab has graciously provided space for the Residents of Second Life to showcase their talents. For their part, the Residents receive recognition from their peers. (Due to my participation in SL3B, I was interviewed for Le Monde on-line magazine and asked to participate in the University of Texas at Dallas' first display of Resident art. Later, I was asked to be the art director for SL4B and SL5B. My continued presence has given me additional exposure to be asked to be curator and board member for several galleries.)

I understand the need to provide a squeaky-clean image to the "outside" world. Honestly, I want Second Life to continue and succeed as much as you do. However, many artists and exhibitors find the "squeaky clean" image that you wish to portray as being too restrictive. In truth, there are MANY aspects of Second Life, and the G rated version is only part of it.

In the image of the International Arts Festival at Edinburgh with its associated Fringe Festival, several of us from within the community wish to have our own fringe festival. The intent is that Linden Lab's Birthday event is to the Resident event as the Edinburgh International Arts Festival is to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival: the official, major event, and the supplementary smaller event. We would welcome your cooperation in coordinating these two separate events so that they can support each other and create a stronger whole.

We have yet to actually name our event, but I am rather fond of calling it the 'fringe festival' following a concept commonly used in Great Britain. (There are actually concurrent fringe festivals in many cities throughout northern England and Scotland.) The festival organizers will be meeting in the upcoming weeks and months to iron out these details, and we welcome input from all sources on how we can construct a truly wonderful festival to celebrate all the things we love about Second Life.

For 2009, we will be asking individuals and corporations, rather than Linden Lab, to donate the use of their sims to host a festival concurrent with Second Life's 6th birthday. In subsequent years, if this is successful, we may include other non-birthday events, especially if we can arrange long term donor support.

The intention of this event is not to take attention away from your primary event(s). It is to allow additional participation by people who love this place and see it as "home".

In thanks for your continued support,

Pyrii Akula
Shoshana Epsilon
SignpostMarv Martin
Will Webb

Open Letter for SL5B protest display

2008-06-14T09:42:00.004-04:00

This letter was sent to Dusty Linden on 12 June 2008. As of now, there has been no response. (This is not to say that she is hiding anything, but most likely a finely crafted response is necessary from the corporate lawyer.)

Dusty,

I realize that you don't make the rules, you just have to tell us about them. This "no adult in the same picture as a child" rule is one I am very saddened about. I will not quit working for SL5B unless you tell me to step down, but I AM working on my own protest. You should know about it so you are not surprised. Furthermore, you (LL) can decide to shut it down if you feel that it is necessary.

I am soliciting RL pictures for my SL5B display. These will be pictures of RL families. They will all be G-rated. I will review each picture before it goes into the gallery. If you wish, I will thereafter submit them to you for review.

The fact of the matter is that I strongly disagree with LL's position on this. I trust that this form of civil disobedience will be seen in the light in which it is intended ... as part of my support for Second Life and its continued diversity.

-- Shoshana Epsilon, Art Director, SL5B

As The Brain Churns (a flashback to the early soap operas)

2008-06-12T14:11:00.000-04:00

I want to make a stink. I really do. This is soooo stupid! I haven't heard a word about whether anyone who has RL pictures of families has been told not to display them at SL5B.

So...

I want to donate my display to a protest. If you have any clean and wholesome family-type RL pictures that YOU OWN ALL RIGHTS TO, please send them to me in-world. I will heavily moderate the pictures, so not all pictures will be allowed. I expect good quality art pictures that are wholesome. Credits will be given to the photographer.

Second Life 5th Birthday: 12 June update

2008-06-12T11:30:00.003-04:00

Good news first ...

The artists who applied should all have their invitations in hand. (An invitation is an offer to belong to the SL5B group and a notecard with some information.) People are starting to claim their plots of land and the sims are filling up nicely.

There was an official announcement from Dusty, who is now the head of SL5B, that Phaylen will be coordinating all the resident efforts.

Now the bad news ...

Several people have been told that they cannot have displays that feature both an adult and a child avatar in the same picture. (I wonder if that restriction goes to real life pictures, too?) Stephen Venkman has decided to withdraw the majority of his display and put a landmark to a special gallery he is creating.

Personally, I find LL's reaction to this difficult to understand. And in support for my friends and in support for diversity on the grid, I will do the same. (Picture to come.)

I will continue to support the artists for SL5B for as long as they let me.

Second Life 5th Birthday: June 11

2008-06-11T14:56:00.007-04:00

First, a positive note on SL5B.

We received an additional set of artist applications for SL5B and the number of art exhibitors has climbed to 98. (There's nearly 300 performing artists, so we don't have a chance to catch up to them. But we DO have more land area than anyone else.) We couldn't fit all the artists in 3 sims, so I've expanded out to part of a 4th sim. If you come by SL5B during the display, we have the middle three sims on the bottom of the map and part of the right sim on the bottom. The first set of artists are nearly all installed and the second set are just choosing their plots now.

On a less positive note...

They are dropping like flies. The upper management of SL5B, a resident-run organization. First, our head, Marv, quit due to clashes with a heavy-handed Linden. Next, Ariel left. She was Marv's assistant. I understand the same Linden pissed Ariel off enough to make her quit. So, Meghan, Trinity, Phaylen and Dawn stepped up to the plate to try to run this supposedly resident-run organization. Unfortunately, they don't all know each other well and trying to coordinate so many people who don't have a history of working well together ... it was a disaster doomed to happen. So now Dawn is no longer "on the board", Trinity has left the group, Meghan is trying to help everywhere at once. Rumor has it that Phaylen (whom I don't know) is the defacto head. I know that Yadni has dropped out. There's been a major turnover in the music department. Many people from the children's groups had already planned to not-display since it sounded like their work would be booted. Other people are grumbling mightily, but don't yet have the final straw in hand.

I hope it doesn't happen, but if things don't get turned around, I'm about to quit as head of the art department. It would be a damned shame -- I don't want to let the artists down. But the whole child/bdsm/gor thing has gotten out of hand. First LL said "no children, bdsm, or gorean displays". That's a stupid statement. It's divisive and unfair. They also said "PG" which, although restrictive, is understandable and even-handed. (Resident uprisings caused them to rethink their posture.) Now they are saying "you can't have a picture of a child and an adult in the same picture." That's STUPID. Their statement should be "we'll evaluate each picture on a case-by-case basis" and then decide each picture on its REAL MERITS. They also said "no pictures of children around beds". So, kids, don't jump on the beds and don't crawl into your cribs!

I understand the intent of these rules, but the words and the messengers being used are less than perfect.

Grumble-growse. Things had better get better.

Second Life 5th Birthday: status as of 9 June

2008-06-09T11:12:00.003-04:00

First, a notice: NO MORE APPLICATIONS FOR DISPLAYS ARE BEING ACCEPTED for SL5B. Certainly, the art sims are completely filled up. I'd even say they are overbooked.

Almost all the first run of artists (nearly 60) have installed their art at this point. These are the people who got their applications in by 31 May. The art sims look AWESOME. Everyone seems to be pitching in and doing their part. Thank you.

I finally have the list of artists who submitted their requests before the second (or was that the third?) deadline of 6 June. It is another 28 artists, making this (perhaps) the largest collection of contributors. (Music may have more, I'm not sure.) I've been given another sim and a half to play with, which MAY be enough.

Just a heads up ... some people have asked for really huge plots. I may not be able to accommodate them in my 3.5 sims. I'm going to spend tonight going over the space and the requests and seeing if any other "cultures" have space in them. The largest plots are the hardest to place. If you have asked for a large plot and you only need it for the extra prims it allows, please contact me as soon as possible. I may have extra prim allotments. The problem is that I want to accommodate as many artists as possible and when people take up large plots of land, others may not be able to display their work.

Once I figure out how to best divide up the parcels, I (or Codie) will be sending out group invites to this last batch of artists. Remember, you have until 20 June to put up your work! (The show opens on the 23rd.)

Oh, and if you've heard about a corporate offering ... the event will actually run 2 weeks. The first week will feature resident displays and the second will feature corporate displays. Don't ask me about those, Linden Lab is coordinating that effort!

Second Life 5th Birthday: status as of 5 June

2008-06-05T09:30:00.008-04:00

You may know that SL5B is primarily a resident-run event. All residents running this are volunteers. Be nice to us -- we're not paid to put up with angry residents. The recent changes are due to LL's recent decision to take a more active role in the celebrations. Probably the biggest change for the artists is that all art must be PG. Also, LL has changed the location for signups. To apply for space, go to this web page. Linden Lab has extended the application deadline to June 5th. (Note: If you signed up on the old site, you do NOT need to sign up again.)

Linden Lab has donated 16 sims for SL5B. Two sims have been reserved for the artist community. Every artist who signed up by May 31st (the earlier deadline) should have received (or will receive tonight) an invitation to the SL5B group and a notecard. With this, the two art sims are full.

Because Art isn't the only community to fill up, the SL5B coordinators are asking LL for an additional 4 sims. If we get that, then one of those will be dedicated to artists. I'll be letting people know if they have been accepted as soon as possible.

Also, if you have art with an oriental theme (Japan, China, Thailand, India, etc) then the Oriental sim is accepting art plots, too. Ask for what you need, but don't be greedy -- we have lots of artists in Second Life!

Once you have your plot, if you find that you need a tree removed, please IM me. I am working on getting into the right role to delete those. (Hopefully CodeBastard Redgrave and Stephen Venkman, too.) The three of us are working hard on getting everything set up. If you find that the plot you are assigned isn't as large as you intended, contact ME in SL. I'm coordinating the space requests.

Comments are welcome. Criticisms are welcome if they are helpful. Nastiness will end up in the bit bucket. Additional information on the topic of SL5B can be found at the Linden Lab blog.

Second Life 5th Birthday - SIGNUP EXTENDED ONE week

2008-05-20T16:01:00.006-04:00

Second Life will be celebrating its 5th birthday (SL5B) this year. The theme will be "cultures". The event will be June 23rd - June 30th.

I am the art director this year, with help from Codie and Stephen. I'm encouraging people to submit their art! 2D and 3D art will be accepted, and the source can be SL or RL. No pornography, all decisions are final.

This is a resident-run event. No selling stuff, please. To sign up, go to this page: SL5B signup. The new signup deadline is May 31st.

If you are interested in the entire set of "cultures", here they are:

Academia

In world educators
RL educators

Anthropomorphism

Furries
Neko
Tinies

Art

First Life artists
Second Life artists
Second Life sculptors

Fantasy

Elves
Fairies
General Fantasy

Geographic

Africa
Americas
Asia
Austrailasia
Europe

Gothic

General Gothic
Vampirism

Miscelaneous

Charity
Fashion
Machinima
Religion
Second Childhood
Volunteerism

Music

Club Scene
DJs
General Music
Live Performance

Science Fiction

Cyberpunk
Fandom
General SF
Steam punk

Sexuality

BDSM
General Sexuality
Gorean
Teledildonics

Look at the Linden Lab blog for additional information.

-- Shoshana Epsilon

Gallery for new Artists

2008-05-12T05:15:00.005-04:00

Second Life is full of opportunities if you have money, and many fewer opportunities if you don't. I would like to offer an opportunity for those who have talent.

I have a new gallery that I have opened in the quiet sim of Steiger. I am searching for talented artists whom I can showcase in this building. My goal is to give new artists the opportunity to show off their work. I will allow artists to display their work for 3 months, then they get kicked out to make room for others.

Price: 0 L
Type of art: 2D SL or RL (10 prims max); 3D (prim request on a case-by-case basis)
Maximum Duration: 3 months
Stipulations: 90 days or younger when you apply; OR no art being displayed elsewhere IN SECOND LIFE. (Flickr, etc, is ok)
Oh, one more thing: The sim is PG.

Contact Shoshana Epsilon in-world and show her your stuff!
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steiger/122/134/119

Avatrait - one more week

2008-04-25T14:13:00.002-04:00

If you are reading this, then you are a friend of mine, since no one else reads it, I'm certain. And if you are a friend and you haven't been to Avatrait to see my show, please do, because the show will be up for one more week.

The art is one-of-a-kind in SL, which means that if it is purchased, I can't bring it into SL ever again. So far, I've sold 8 pieces. (Yay!) Not as many as Kimberly Mirabeau, but LOTS in my book.

I have one more "meet the artist" event on Tuesday, April 29th. Then I'm done. So take this last opportunity to see what I've been creating!

Love you all.

Opening was a smashing success!

2008-04-14T08:43:00.002-04:00

I want to thank everyone who came to the Avatrait Gallery opening on Saturday, April 12th, except that I was so overwhelmed, I have to idea who was there! I had a blast.

There was a bit of a glitch in that 2 people were able to buy the same picture. It turned out to be an SL hiccup. We worked it out, and there will be a very happy buyer shortly. I sold 4 pieces at the opening, then two more since then. All the pieces are still up and will remain up until the end of the show, at which time they will be delivered to the purchasers.

My head is still spinning. Here's a picture of the dance party at the end. Wow, what a day.

Featured Artist for Avatrait Gallery!!!

2008-04-10T16:35:00.003-04:00

This isn't a reposting of a previous post, so please read on!

In April, I will be the featured artist at the Avatrait gallery in SL. The grand opening will be April 12th, time is 1 pm SL time. Location is the Avatrait gallery: Simuality 31, 203, 35. This show will hold many pictures not seen before.

The Avatrait gallery has a fresh new look, with new furnishings and plants. The opening will have a DJ and fireworks. If you've never been to the Avatrait gallery, this is the way it works. The Featured Artist (me!) has to present pictures that have never been sold before. Preferably, pictures that have never even been seen before. If you buy the SL picture, you will own the ONLY SL version of the picture. It is an "exclusive". You can also buy a RL print (matted, framed). I've seen these -- Avatrait does a really nice job of making them.

I'm really excited about this show. If the sim is too crowded (yay!) then don't forget that the display will be up for 3 more weeks. I'll also host Meet-the-Artist events during the month:
Thursday, April 17th at 4pm
Sunday, April 20th at 5am
Tuesday, April 22th at 4pm
Tuesday, April 29th at 4pm

But you should come to the gallery and see ALL the art. Not only my work will be on display, but also many other Second Life artists, too. You will recognize quite a few. Please come by in April and visit!

100,000 Views!

2008-04-08T16:15:00.001-04:00

Short post ... as of today, I have 100,000 views on flickr! The out my stream! WOOOT!

Dear Cannery Artists

2008-04-06T08:42:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week, I wrote a letter to all the artists of the Cannery show "A Different Light". The show was a success in terms of the quality of the art there, and if the art is still up, you should take a look at it. It was a failure in my efforts to get events happening there, get people more involved, etc.

There is currently an event planned for mid-month ... a party, an award ceremony. My friend Vint Falken is planning it. I will attend and help to give out awards, if there are any.

However, my association as curator has ended with Rezzable. My resignation was effective March 31st. I hope to participate in future shows as an artist, but not in a position of responsibility there.

My attentions are now with Avatrait, where I am a member of the Board. I did not have the attention to deal with both. Avatrait is actively seeking talented SL artists. I'll post more about this later.

Best regards to all of you, my friends. I am very glad I had the opportunity to help some of you get your work shown.

Event postponed

2008-03-31T10:19:00.001-04:00

For the few of you who read this blog, I thought I'd let you know that my Gallery Opening at Avatrait has been postponed a week, to 12 April. I'll put up a new poster when it is available.

Down to the wire

2008-03-25T09:36:00.009-04:00

In April, I will be the featured artist at the Avatrait gallery in SL. The grand opening will be April 5th, time is 1pm SL time. Location is the Avatrait gallery: Simuality 31, 203, 35. This show will hold many pictures not seen before.

I've been working privately for months to try to come up with a new set of pictures that would be unique. If you have been watching my Flickr stream, you may have noticed fewer and fewer postings from me. Track Hax, owner/director of Avatrait, is a man with high standards and exacting tastes. It took me a long time to come up with the set he would eventually approve.

I'm really excited about this show. I've really stretched, as far as the subject matter is concerned. There will be topics on display that I've been too sensitive to touch before. Many of the pictures have a backstory. Please ask me about them. Some of the pictures are just pure whimsy. Smiles You can ask me about those, too. If you are looking for vastly post-processed pictures, this show is not for you. I am a photographer first and foremost. If I were presenting RL pictures, I'd be removing red-eye and freckles. These pictures show SecondLife in its beauty.

I must say, it has been an honor to work with Greg on this. He has pushed me harder than I have ever pushed myself. In January, I thought I had plenty of good pictures. They were pretty, but they didn't speak. I think you will be pleased with my newest offerings. Please come by in April and visit.

Dom/Domme Drinks

2008-03-14T22:08:00.002-04:00

I had a bad day at work today and got to wishing I had a drink. Not to get drunk with, but to get that nice warm feeling of contentment and "I don't give a shit about work atm" attitude. Stephen offered me a beer in IM, which was quite kind, but on those rare occasions that I DO drink, beer isn't it. What did I want? Khalua and cream. Or better yet, Baileys on the Rocks. We got to talking, and I got to thinking.

Now, I'm taking an informal survey. What do Dom/Dommes drink when they unwind?

Drop your answer at the bottom of the blog. It will give me an idea of whether anyone is even reading this thing, but also will make an interesting and completely unscientific survey.

Drive safely.

Pedophilia in Second Life

2008-03-13T15:59:00.004-04:00

pedophilia

noun a sexual attraction to children

pediophobia

noun a fear of children
------------------

One of the things I enjoy most about Second Life is the ability to be comfortable and safe. I can experiment with art and literature. I can experiment with building and scripting. I have control over who can come to my Second Life house. If a griefer attacks me or mine, I can withstand the storm ... and if not, I call Linden Lab and let them deal with it. What I like best about Second Life is the ability to talk to friends from all over the world, and to be expressive in my new-found art: SL photography.

I see lots of people doing various things in Second Life. Role players. People who want to experiment with a new "lifestyle". People who want to meet others with similar interests. Diversity and encouragement abound.

Except when children are mentioned.

Are children avatars allowed in Second Life? Absolutely. Is there sexual deviance related to them going on? Possibly. It's illegal in some countries to even depict sexual activities with a child, even when the person behind the "child" is an adult. I am not here to discuss the pros and cons of such strictures. (I know that there are some cultures where "playing" with a child is encouraged, to get him or her "ready" for adulthood. I'm not here to discuss that, either.)

Is it possible for a child avatar to have a non-sexual life in Second Life? Absolutely. Just as it is possible for an adult avatar to have a non-sexual life in Second Life.

Why would someone WANT to have a child avatar? That's a tough one. Personally, I like who I am. Oh, wait. I'm 6'3", blonde, drop dead georgeous, and about 28 years old. (/me looks at herself, typing.) Well, ok, this is how I WISH I'd looked when I was younger. But why would someone want to be a child? Perhaps because that was the last good time they had, and their life since then has been unhappy? Perhaps because they want to feel loved and warm in a totally non-sexual way? Perhaps because they think they are cute?

I am sick and tired of my friends getting harassed by griefers; people who see a child avatar and automatically think that the person is there for deviant reasons. Please, don't assume the worst of people. Assume the best. You will be pleasantly surprised by how warm and wonderful (all) these people really are!

-------------

God loves everyone. Even you.

Cannery Update

2008-03-12T22:23:00.003-04:00

It's sad to say, but I am resigning from being Curator at the Cannery. I had fun, but its just not working out.

I am pushing to have the book completed. It's only 3 months late. The voting scripts are now in place, so have fun and vote for your favorites! There doesn't appear to be sponsor this time. For that, I apologize.

Next time, better planning.

-- Sho

Maturity in Flickr?

2008-03-12T12:51:00.002-04:00

I'll admit ... this is my own flickr account. I was taking pictures of a pair of friends and this is what happened. I have to put it into Flickr's Mature pool, but really, how mature is it, anyway!?!

The hunt is on - Emma Nielsen - 1000 L prize

2008-02-08T11:37:00.000-05:00

You have to find her, you need to take her picture, you need to post process it (if necessary) and you need to post it to this thread in flickr.

The winner will be a high resolution picture. I will get a copy of the picture in-world to use as I please.

I'm not terribly fond of writing on a picture, but I won't count out a picture just because it has it.

The contest opens immediately, and closes February 21st.

No more than 2 pictures per entrant.

If you have any questions, post them in this flickr thread and I'll answer them in public.

-- Shoshana

We're in February already?

2008-02-06T21:31:00.000-05:00

I recently did a photoshoot with Emma and Talin, which came out wonderfully. But the best picture I took didn't show itself until I cropped it severely for a PG forum. :)))

I've been busy with the Cannery. We had two contests. The first was quite successful, but I didn't advertise the second one well enough and we got very few entries. I need to work on promotion. Not sure how to do that.

Speaking of which, a friend of mine has offered to help me with promotion. I'm hoping we can do something. I feel as though I am really on the edge of doing some good-to-great work ... it would be nice to be recognized for it. (You guys who are reading this, you are all my friends, so you would say nice things, anyway. I love you for it, honest!)

I'm on the Board of Avatrait . They are putting together a cool website where you can upload your work, have comments on it, get prints, etc. It is intended to be like flickr, but specializing in Second Life. I look forward to seeing the website in full bloom.

And if you haven't been to Kimberly Mirabeau's gallery showing at Avatrait's gallery, you are missing a wonderful show. Many of her works sold the very first day. Come see and appreciate them! They are phenomenal!

Bad Blogger

2007-12-31T14:49:00.000-05:00

Oh, I'm a bad blogger. It's true! I didn't record the rest of the announcement here about the photo contest. And now its over. Flog the blogger.

The contest was to take pictures of the Rezzable sims. The people who entered watched Flickr where the details were posted. (Actually, I posted to about 6 flickr pools, and forgot to update my own blog!) It looks like 10 photographers sent entries .... I need to look at them in the morning (after the New Year's festivities and subsequent mandatory sleep), upload them to SecondLife, and display them at the Cannery for all to see. A representative from Rezzable will review them and determine which pictures are the winners.

I want to thank all the people who entered. I think they all had a great time. I know I did, although I fell was killed several times in the Toxic Gardens trying to take pictures. (Be careful, a bad step or a big ant can get you in a heart beat!) The picture included here is my companion who was aghast at what was growing there.

Cannery SL Photography Contest

2007-12-26T11:47:00.000-05:00

Friday, December 28th, I will be announcing the rules for an SL photography contest. There will be 1000L in prizes given out, to be divided between first prize, second prize and third prize.

General rules:
1) All pictures must be square and at least 1024 x 1024 in resolution.
2) Pictures must have been taken between the start of the contest (12/28) and the end of the contest (12/30).
3) No pictures will be accepted after 12/30.
4) Pictures must be delivered to ShoshanaEpsilon@gmail.com (bmp, jpeg, png formats are ok).
5) No more than 2 entires per contestant.
6) Pictures must be abut and originated from Second Life.
7) The contest sponsor will have full permissions to the winning pictures. to use as they see fit, without further compensation to the photographer.
8) Post processing is ok, although there should be no watermarks, signature, or other post-processing writing on the picture.

The winners' picture(s) will be used by the sponsor of the contest for whatever purpose they deem fit.

Information regarding the contest sponsor and the particulars of the event will be given out on Friday, Dec 28th, after 3pm SL time.

Have a great holiday week!

-- Shoshana Epsilon

On Line Art Gallery

2007-12-11T11:09:00.000-05:00

I came across a wonderful site the other day ... a place to post your best work and (possibly) sell it.

The new site is called RedBubble. I'm rather pleased with the comments I've received so far on the site. The people there are pretty friendly. There's a Second Life group, too.

Qoop connects directly to Flickr, or allows you to upload a file from your computer. The advantage to Qoop is that you can get copies of your own work for not-much money. Qoop will let you make T-shirts, mugs, posters (on photo paper), greeting cards, mouse pads ... all sorts of let's-have-fun-and-share-my-art stuff.

The advantage to RedBubble is you can get copies of other people's work and you can sell your work. You can get the image as a card, a laminated print, a mounted print, a poster, a canvas print, or a matted and framed print ... all sorts of ways to share your art as ART.

Ok, I'll admit it. I've sold 2 pieces, and now I think people will actually buy my stuff. How egotistical is that? I'm still dancing for joy. In the mean time, I'll post some of my pictures there and hope that someone "discovers" me and soon I'm rich and famous.

It was Too Short

2007-12-08T13:22:00.000-05:00

Ok, we tried.

Vint saw my picture of her, ruthed, and asked me politely to take it down. In my usual "let's be difficult" way, I said "no". She threatened me with a blackmail picture that she felt was sure to cause me to cave in, but I rather liked the picture, so of course I maintained "no". She suggested we should have a pretend war, we each decided on who should be on her side and who on my side, and the war was on!

I posted the first blog and tried to get VERY campy so everyone would know that we were kidding. She posted her picture (thank you, Vint, but I have two, you know) and a very non-specific tale of woe. I was going to follow her around in Second Life, taking picture of dirty laundry hanging out in front of her home, or something equally outrageous, but then I got an email from a concerned citizen who was afraid that a) two friends were going down the warpath and b) we'd get banned from Flickr.

I felt certain I could help our mutual friend see that we were playing, but frankly, I have no such hope that Flickr would be as understanding.

By the way, if Vint was really upset with it, I would have removed the picture in a heartbeat. We're friends and I wouldn't want to damage that.

Volley of the Damned

2007-12-06T20:32:00.000-05:00

Ok, Vint. You have done it. Don't deny it, because you know it is true. I won't go into the gory details of what that rat-cat has done. The deed is too vile to besmirch my blog pages. Suffice it to say that I, Shoshana Epsilon, do hereby, officially, lob the first volley in her direction.

Vint Falken, ruthed at the Cannery Gallery

And beware to any who side with you, girl. I'll get them, too. "You and your little dog, too!"*

---
* Wicked Witch of the East, Wizard of Oz

A Different Light - Opened!

2007-12-06T08:53:00.000-05:00

Jaid at the opening of "A Different Light"

Wow, what an adrenalin rush. I love show openings.

Yesterday, at the Cannery Gallery, Vint Falken and I opened a new show called "A Different Light". What you will see there is but a fraction of the awesome art that was submitted. We wanted to show you a different view of Second Life.

Imagine that the world is a rabbit. A Great Magician pulls the rabbit out of a hat now and then, and the rabbit sees the world. Now, imagine you are a flea on the rabbit. You live in the deepest part of the hairs of the rabbit, close to the skin where it is warm. You don't need to see the universe that is beyond the rabbit, that you can never reach and have no interest in. It is comfortable where you are.

Now, imagine that you are an adventurous flea. You want to see the universe on those rare occasions when the Magician pulls the rabbit out of the hat. You climb up the rabbit hairs and wait there, poised, waiting for a bit of the universe to be revealed to you. *

The concept behind the show is this: There are many different types of people in Second Life. Some people are into being "furry" or mechs; some are into re-experiencing their childhood; some are into slavery; some are into making new friends. Do I want to do some of those things, experience what it is like to be adored or spurned because of my appearance? No. I have a lovely avatar for a reason. However, imagine what it would be like to be a child again .... you see a firefly for the 10th time and you are filled with wonder. It is at that moment that you see the universe that the Great Magician is presenting for us.

So, take off your comfortable skin and come wander down the paths. Come see the universe through someone else's eyes.

-----
* Note: Special thanks to Jostein Gaarder for his outstanding book of juvenile fiction: Sophie's World, originally published in Norwegian in 1991.

Cannery Art Show Opening December 5th

2007-12-04T10:11:00.000-05:00

"A Different Light - a different view on Second Life"

Presented by Rezzable, Inc at Cannery Rezzable

Curators: Shoshana Epsilon and Vint Falken

Opens Wednesday, December 5th 4pm

Featured artists:

Andromega Volare
Isolde Flamand
Kimberly Mirabeau
Marianne McCann
Mylena Aquitaine

Additional artists:
Codebastard Redgrave, GM Nikolaidis, Jazss Saiman, Kim Dench, Loki Popinjay, Luna Zolnir, Raul Crimson, Ryker Beck, Shoshana Epsilon, Stephen Venkman, Vint Falken

Dancing starts at noon and goes until midnight. Official opening at 4pm SL time. Come meet the artists! Buy some art!

Tagged?!?

2007-12-03T09:07:00.000-05:00

I've been tagged? Ryker, I don't think this is a favor, but OK. I'm glad you thought of me. Or perhaps you were just getting desperate because you didn't know who else to choose. You realize that this is the blog-equivalent of a chain letter. And blackmail. I have a picture of you "ruthed", so I guess all is fair in love and war.

I had a list of people to tag, but then I got to thinking about it ... and I don't think I'm going to tag anyone. Fun game, but I am against chain letters in principle. (I won't mention the fact that most of the people I had in mind are already tagged.)

Here are the rules:
(1) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
(2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
(3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
(4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

---------------

1) I hate Ryker. Straight teeth! I've had braces once and I may need them again. I have a mobile mouth. (Somehow, that's doesn't sound very good.)

2) I love SecondLife. It's rather taken over my life. I actually went for nearly 2 weeks without a SecondLife fix this summer. But I thought about the place every day.

3) I love my Beloved. In SecondLife, she is Jamie. In RealLife, she is my best friend.

4) I am not artistic in RealLife. My day is filled with technology and management and I never felt that art was important. My few attempts into the realm of art were doomed by helpful people who told me how to "improve" the work. I was a compliant child, did what I was told, and hated the outcome.

5) I love art in SecondLife. It is so easy to take snapshots! And damn, they look good. I am always so pleased when someone steps out of the shadows and tells me that they like my work. Some people even have constructive criticism that I am willing to take. Sometimes, the end result is better. And if its not, I have a savefile that I can revert to. (That was impossible when I was a child, working in acrylics.)

6) I have two cats and I beat them regularly. They seem to like it.

7) I have a pet theory that goes like this: As you get old, whatever you are, you become "moreso". So, if you are a nice, thoughtful person, you will become nicer with age. If you are paranoid feakezoid, you will go ballistic and take out 20 other people before you die.

8) I have a very peculiar sense of humor. My favorite joke is my rope joke. It combines the absurd with a wicked pun. If you want to hear it, you will have to ask me.

Cannery gets ready for next show

2007-11-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

This is going to be an AWESOME show!

As you may know, Vint Falken and I are the curators for a Second Life photography art show called "A Different Light". We've been accepting submissions for a few weeks, and last night we went through the submissions. So many people submitted such outstanding work, it made it VERY difficult to decide. It took us hours longer than I expected. In the end, we chose 10 pictures for each theme, and 10 pictures from each featured artists.

The featured artists are:

Andromega Volare
Isolde Flamand
Kimberly Mirabeau
Marianne McCann
Mylena Aquitaine

The artists participating in the themes are:

Codebastard Redgrave
GM Nikolaidis
Jazss Saiman
Kim Dench
Loki Popinjay
Luna Zolnir
Raul Crimson
Ryker Beck
Shoshana Epsilon
Stephen Venkman
Vint Falken

I can't tell you which pieces were chosen. You'll have to come to the show to see them. But, with a list like this, it's going to be a show to remember!

RL Art Sold!

2007-11-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

WOOT!

I just returned from a very pleasant weekend at a small convention called "Darkover Grand Council". This convention is held near Baltimore, MD. I'd been trying to get in touch with the convention organizers to see if I could show my pieces from Flickr. I brought the art even though I didn't hear anything. They let me show them and amazingly, two of the pieces sold! (See pictures below.)

I learned a couple of things. This may not work in your neighborhood, but give it a try. Before you tey to sell any of your own art, you should go to a local convention and see how this works in your area. Here's what I learned.

Frame your pieces, or at least mat them. Try to do it yourself, because you are unlikely to recoup your costs if you have Kinkos do it.
Wrap them in bubble wrap or other packing material. It's nice if you can give the purchaser the packing material.
Sign all pieces on the front, either right or left side. (I signed using my avatar name.)
Name the pieces. "Snapshot_001" won't get you any points.
Figure out how many copies of this piece you are planning on making. Keep the number low. (I should have had mine at 10.) Number them, ie, 1/10. I was advised to put the number on the opposite side of the signature.
Figure out how much you will sell each piece for. You may need to wait until you get there to determine the price, to see how much other pieces are selling for, but you need to know how much you need to make.
Bring a list with the titles of each piece.
Each art show is different -- some require advance registration, some accept walk-in artists. Some will send everything to auction, even if it only has one bid. Some shows will wait until there are 3 or even 5 bids on it.
Keep track of your pieces. Which ones sold? If, for instance, you say you will sell 10 copies of this piece, and you sell 1/10 (#1 out of a set of 10 that you plan to create), then you need to keep track of that number, so you never sell #1 again!

All in all, I had a wonderful time. I got lots of encouragement and suggestions. I'm hooked. I will definitely do this again.

2007-11-19T09:18:00.001-05:00

Tyffany Flintoff is back in the world ...
watch out world! She's on a rampage with Lindens to spend and vengeance in her heart. (She'll be shopping with a vengeance.)

SL Photography submissions are coming in for the Cannery Gallery show "A Different Light". If you haven't submitted your work yet, please do! The artist agreement is at the bottom of this blog. Send me questions. Vint Falken and I are co-curating this show.

Our last show was quite successful and I thoroughly enjoyed working with all the artists involved. We made a RL book out of the art involved in the show. Our sponsor gave us 75,000 L to distribute to the highest award winners. Wow! That's like ... real money! Hopefully, you've seen the top winner: Mia Olivier White Cyber Angel. It's a lovely composition and quite popular with the attendees!

That's all I have for now. Perhaps I'll blog again next week.

-- Shoshana

My First Blog Post

2007-11-16T12:46:00.000-05:00

Many friends have suggested that I start a blog. Why, I ask? Who cares what I think? I don't know ... perhaps someone wants to know what I'm thinking. If no one reads it, no one will be harmed by it.

I am heavily involved in Second Life. If you haven't been there, you should check it out: This is NOT a game. If you want to "win" something, you will be sadly disappointed. (Games *do* exist there, but the world itself if not a game.) Second Life is an awesome world where you can be creative and see things you never could have seen in Real Life (abbreviated RL by afficiandos).

In Second Life (SL), I have many activities. Primarily, I am a Mentor, a photographer, and a curator. As time goes on, I'll discuss these activities in more detail. Suffice it to say that I am happily occupied all the time there.

That's all I'll write for now. Thank you!

-- Shoshana