Boundary-Busting Part 1: Ideas

I've been thinking with some consternation about my place in SL, and I've discovered that this is not an uncommon phenomenon at all. Turns out there is a whole discussion thread on the SL Forums about "how do you fit?" that demonstrates many people seem to struggle with this notion. It also revealed some cynicism and a little bit of aggravation with those who "have arrived and know everything" (I'm paraphrasing here, of course), and I admit that felt familiar to me too. Some of the discussants said they had found mentors to help them achieve what they wanted to achieve, others said they gave up doing with they thought they were "supposed" to do and finally went with what seemed enjoyable and learned to be happy with just being happy.

Not a bad approach for SL or RL, for that matter.

I spent some time thinking about what makes me happy. It's cool that in SL I have money and lots of great outfits and a great funky house on the beach, but tooling around shopping is getting tiresome and sunbathing by yourself is just boring no matter which Life you're in. I'm not much of a party animal, I'm more a "low-key hang out with friends" kind of girl. My artwork very much reflects that. I don't think, right now at any rate, that I want to build enormous complex interactive prim sculptures or make jewelry or design and build clothing, although at some point I will probably try all of those things. (As my friend Jazz noted, the very best thing about Second Life is that no matter what it is you think you might want to do, the barriers to entry are very low.) I think right now I really want to focus on my original premise, and tackle some of those SL boundaries.

So this is my current plan: as my first "blur the boundary" moment, I want to show some of my RL-shot video work in SL. I'm going to try this on my own property first--build a couple of display screens and place them around my groovy little rental house, and run a couple of my favorite video pieces through them. Maybe they'll be tiny "surprise" screens in unexpected places, or maybe they'll be large, like yard sculptures that play video. I haven't decided yet. But I'm anxious to get on it and try. Maybe this weekend. And if it works, maybe I'll have a little party and invite everyone who lives on my sim, and some other folks as well.

I have to say this is the first time I've been excited about art in SL and specifically my own art in SL. We'll see how it works out.

XOX,
Asimia