Welcome to the Second Life Forums Archive

These forums are CLOSED. Please visit the new forums HERE

Totally unreasonable feelings..

Yumi Murakami
DoIt!AttachTheEarOfACat!
Join date: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 6,860
10-04-2005 16:48
Ok, I've just managed to scare myself.

I meet up with someone wandering around in a sim, and she's pretty friendly. She sees my Cosplay group affiliation and starts showing off a bunch of costumes she's built.

And suddenly I am utterly filled with jealousy and venom and have no idea why.. :mad: :confused: :eek: :confused:

(Though I guess she didn't help much by flying around on stuff in front of me and hitting me with non-damaging equivalents of a Dragon Slave and some kind of ice spell..)

I don't know. I'm sure she didn't mean it that way, but I did feel that way and I'm not supposed to be the kind of person OOC who feels that way about that kind of thing... is it common for something in SL to make you feel something in real life like that? Which turns out to be opposite to the kind of person you think you should be?

And is there anything that a newbie in SL can make when they're stuck at the bottom of the experience catch-22?
Torley Linden
Enlightenment!
Join date: 15 Sep 2004
Posts: 16,530
10-04-2005 17:00
The important thing here, Yumi, is you've expressed your emotions. Better than lying about them... I really don't like charlatans who aren't true to themselves and others.

Sounds like you have creative ambitions! The thing I see often, is that with a great artist, the end results are often shown off to much effect, but the process, everything in between—now that's another matter. All the intermediary work in the dark, maybe alone, all the time tinkering and experimenting to get things "just right".

There is nothing finer I can recommend than the basic fundamentals of being alive: get to know others in SL and make friends, travel around the gridverse and get ideas as to what you want to do and what's already been done, and after you've digested that... just start having fun, maybe in a sandbox, rezzing prims and fooling around with them. It doesn't help to approach it from any sort of a constrained angle—amusing yourself can produce some really great results.

Spending lots of the forums, gaining experience (actual experience, not artificially inflated "experience points";) and learning the processes that are applicable. It takes time and patience, but the nice thing is a lot of what you learn in SL you can use elsewhere. Dare I say besides the fun, it builds character? :)

I am not a content creator but have spent a lot of time with those who are, and have seen growth on here... how someone can start new in SL and build themselves up. What makes you really passionate? What haven't you seen in SL that you'd want to see, and share with others in the community?

If you want to make elaborate costumes, you can start with a simple shirt. Get that done right. Then, move to the skirt. And then to wings, attachments, and so on. Combine all those pieces of the puzzle, never stop being hungry to learn more and better yourself, exchange good vibes with those you've connected on here and let that energy flow...... and you'll go places! :)
_____________________
Aliasi Stonebender
Return of Catbread
Join date: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 1,858
10-04-2005 17:24
From: Yumi Murakami

And is there anything that a newbie in SL can make when they're stuck at the bottom of the experience catch-22?


Indeed. Why, just today I bought a very nice skin from a relative (joined in September) newbie.

Certainly, having some applicable skills (computer graphics and art, or 3D modelling, or programming... or simply being sociable enough to organize and run events!) helps a lot, but you can learn, too. And as Torley says... those skills aren't just things useful in Second Life, by and large.
_____________________
Red Mary says, softly, “How a man grows aggressive when his enemy displays propriety. He thinks: I will use this good behavior to enforce my advantage over her. Is it any wonder people hold good behavior in such disregard?”
Anything Surplus Home to the "Nuke the Crap Out of..." series of games and other stuff
Ulrika Zugzwang
Magnanimous in Victory
Join date: 10 Jun 2004
Posts: 6,382
10-04-2005 17:25
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Second Life makes people envious.

It's as if the virtual world causes this amnesia where we forget our limitations. When we see the creations of folks with more time, artistic ability, intelligence, or money, we feel envy. We become children once again, rediscovering ourselves (the good and the bad) in the context of our new virtual world.

Personally, it's taken me some time to be comfortable with the skills and successes of others in Second Life. I'm to the point now where I can enjoy it from a distance, provided I allow myself to fantasize that I could do it better if I only had the time. :)

~Ulrika~
_____________________
Chik-chik-chika-ahh
Seth Kanahoe
political fugue artist
Join date: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 1,220
10-04-2005 17:29
………………………………………………………,--~-~-~--~-,
……………………………………………………..,`; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;/,_,
…………………………………………………..,-'‘; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \_
…….,-~--~’`*’~-,……………………………….\| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,’ ; ; ; /
…,-’`¯; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,………….__,,,,,,_,,,,----~~’-,; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;\
..( ;; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’~-~*’’``¯¯; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;\
….’~,; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;(
…….’~-,; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \
………..¯’~-,; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,-‘; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; |
……………./¯’~-,_; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,,-'; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; /,
……………)’; ; ; ; ¯’-,_; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;/_____; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’,
…………../; ; ; ; ; ; __\; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,-~’o: ) :)) ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,
…………./; ; ; ; ; ; ;’( (:’-o,-,_ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,-‘”-,_:_,-',-'‘; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;\
…………/; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-\__,-‘,-‘¯’-,_ _,-,-~’¯; ; ; ; ¯’¯¯; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \
………...|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ¯¯¯; ; ; ; ; ¯,-~, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \
………...|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; )::::\; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; |
………...|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; |:::::|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \
………...|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,,__|::::|__,,; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;\
………...|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;~‘; ; ; ‘-,:::|; ; ’~; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \
………...|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;\,/; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;)_
…………); ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \¯\ ; /¯/ /¯¯\; ; ; ;|¯¯¯’-, ;|¯| ; ;\¯\; /¯/; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;/
…………/; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \. ‘. / /. /\ .\; ; ; | .¯¯,-‘ ;| .| ; ; \. ‘. /; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (_
………../; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; |__|;/_,---,_\; ; '|_|¯\_\ ;| . ‘---, |__|; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ¯’-,_
_____________________
Seth Kanahoe
political fugue artist
Join date: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 1,220
10-04-2005 17:33
From: someone
…………………………………….__,,,,,,,---,,,,,,_…………………………………………………………
…………………………_,,,--~’’¯¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;¯’’-,,_………………………………………………….
…………………….,-~’’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;¯’~,_……………………………………………
…………………,-‘’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’~-,,………………………………………
……………..,-‘’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; _,,_ ; ; ;¯’-,…………………………………..
…………..,-‘’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,-‘’_ ¯’-,\ ; ; ; ; ‘,…………………………………
…………,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,,-~’’’’’~-,, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-‘;;;’, : :||; ; ; ; ; ‘,……………………………….
……….,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;,-‘/ :,-~’’~, : ‘,, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,-‘ : // ; ; ; ; ; ;’,……………………………..
……..,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’,| : ‘-,;;;;,-‘ : /’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ¯’’’¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-,……………………………
…….,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’-,,___,,-~’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’~,, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,………………………….
…….| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;-,;;’, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-………………………….
……,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;-;;;;| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; |…………………………
……| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,,-‘,;;;;|’’-~ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘,…………………………
......| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;---,,,,,,,_,,,,-~’’, ‘-,;;;| ,,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’,……………………….
……| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;¯’’~-,,,_ , , , , , , ‘,;,’,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;\……………………….
……| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’-,~-,, , ,,’’,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’,………………………
……’, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘’-,,¯’’;;;;| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’,………………………
…….| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’’-,_,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘,………………………
…….’, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’,……………………..
……..’, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; \…………………….
………\ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘,……………………
……….’, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;|……………………
………..| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,………………….
………..’, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ,,--~~--,, ; ; ; ; ;,--------,, ; ,--~, ; ; ,,-~, ; ;,--,,;,,-~~-,, ; ; ; ; ; ;’,………………..
…………| ; ; ; ; ; ; ,-‘’ . ,,--,, . ‘-, ; ; ; ;| . ,-,, . ‘, | . . | ; ;’-, . .\,,/ . ./’-,,--, . ‘, ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-,………………
…………| ; ; ; ; ; ; | . .,’ ; ; ;’, . .| ; ; ; | . .’-‘ . ,-‘ | . . | ; ; ; ‘-, . . .,-‘ ; ;,-‘ . ,-‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-,…………….
…………’, ; ; ; ; ; ;’, . ‘-,__,-‘ . ,’ ; ; ; | . .|\ . .\ . | . . |___ ; ;} . . / ; ; ;’----‘ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,………….
………….| ; ; ; ; ; ; ;’-,,_ . ._,,-‘ ; ; ; ; |__| .\__\ ;|_____/ ; ;/__/ ; ; ; ; (¯) ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-,…………
…….......’, ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;¯ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ‘-,………
…………,’ ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;-,,_……
…………| ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
.
_____________________
Forseti Svarog
ESC
Join date: 2 Nov 2004
Posts: 1,730
10-04-2005 17:49
From: Ulrika Zugzwang
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Second Life makes people envious.

It's as if the virtual world causes this amnesia where we forget our limitations. When we see the creations of folks with more time, artistic ability, intelligence, or money, we feel envy. We become children once again, rediscovering ourselves (the good and the bad) in the context of our new virtual world.

Personally, it's taken me some time to be comfortable with the skills and successes of others in Second Life. I'm to the point now where I can enjoy it from a distance, provided I allow myself to fantasize that I could do it better if I only had the time. :)

~Ulrika~


nice posts tor and ulrika
_____________________
Persephone Milk
Very Persenickety!
Join date: 7 Oct 2004
Posts: 870
10-04-2005 18:14
From: Torley Torgeson
never stop being hungry to learn more and better yourself, exchange good vibes with those you've connected on here and let that energy flow...... and you'll go places! :)


Wow Torley, what a wonderful post! I know that a lot of people tell you that you make them smile ... but I cannot resist telling you this too ... you are a bright ray of sunshine here and you make Second Life so special. I have never met you in person, but I am so glad to see you back and sharing your perspectives here ... especially with our newest citizens. Bravo!
_____________________
~ Persephone Milk ~

Please visit my stores on Persenickety Isle
Musical Alchemy - Pianos, harps and other musical intruments.
Persenickety! - Ladies Eyewear, Jewelry and Clothing Fashions
Persephone Milk
Very Persenickety!
Join date: 7 Oct 2004
Posts: 870
10-04-2005 18:25
From: Yumi Murakami
Ok, I've just managed to scare myself.


Welcome to Second Life Yumi! :)

It's important not to be discouraged by the great things you see in Second Life. Instead, choose to be inspired by them! With time, patience, and a whole lot of practice, you too will find your creative outlet here and achieve much yourself. When you find somebody that has done something amazing here, stop to speak with them. Tell them what you think, and try to learn as much as you can from them. People-to-people connections are the best way to make progress here - just like in real life.

Don't forget to take advantage of the organized help that is available here in Second Life. Mentors, like myself, are often found hanging around the welcome area and love to answer questions from passionate new citizens like you!
_____________________
~ Persephone Milk ~

Please visit my stores on Persenickety Isle
Musical Alchemy - Pianos, harps and other musical intruments.
Persenickety! - Ladies Eyewear, Jewelry and Clothing Fashions
Dianne Mechanique
Back from the Dead
Join date: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 2,648
10-04-2005 18:27
From: Persephone Milk
Wow Torley, what a wonderful post! I know that a lot of people tell you that you make them smile ... but I cannot resist telling you this too ... you are a bright ray of sunshine here and you make Second Life so special. I have never met you in person, but I am so glad to see you back and sharing your perspectives here ... especially with our newest citizens. Bravo!
I just had the same epiphany. People tell you that Torley is a cheerleader or a "positive" person, but that does no justice to the reality.

Torley is the closest thing to a real live superhero I have ever heard of.

I almost met her once you know, she fell over something I was making, and when I turned around I just caught sight of a watermelon as I crashed out of the game. :)
close, but yet so far...
_____________________
.
black
art furniture & classic clothing
===================
Black in Neufreistadt
Black @ ONE
Black @ www.SLBoutique.com


.
Chance Abattoir
Future Rockin' Resmod
Join date: 3 Apr 2004
Posts: 3,898
10-04-2005 18:56
From: Yumi Murakami

And is there anything that a newbie in SL can make when they're stuck at the bottom of the experience catch-22?


Tears. :D
_____________________
"The mob requires regular doses of scandal, paranoia and dilemma to alleviate the boredom of a meaningless existence."
-Insane Ramblings, Anton LaVey
Jesrad Seraph
Nonsense
Join date: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 1,463
10-05-2005 03:08
Again, welcome to SL Yumi :)

I can understand how you can feel utterly out-of-place when seeing the things people make in SL. Everytime I see a build by Starax Statosky I realize how lousy a builder I truly am...

When I came to SL last December, I kinda fell off the old Welcome Area, down into Darkwood, pas the gone Rivendell reproduction. There I saw Elf Kings and Elven Princesses busy with an archery contest. It kinda stuck with me to see them all with richly detailed outfits and great ease of use with what felt to me as a very ackward interface (I couldn't even type at the time, no international keyboard support). So I was little more than a mute girl who was running into every wall at 2 frame per second :D

Later I was invited to a wedding party, so I absolutely had to improve the looks of my AV. That's how I got started on making clothes: I got the templates from the SL site (other useful things here) I ended up uploading the same thing 3 times until I got it right, it took me hours but the result was nice enough to get me a few posrates (these costed 1L$ at that time). I never stopped :) I know I work on a challenge basis, find out what compells you to get on your feet and try ;)

Attending a building class helped me a lot, as was visiting the Ivory Tower Library of prims. There are things hidden in the SL tools' interface that one has to be told about or never find, that can cut down the time and efforts two- or three-fold to make the same thing.

Go to a sandbox, ask questions about the people who are building those impressive things and hang around to see how it's done. Explore SL, just walk across the main continent, or around the interior sea in the East, look at the buildings and textures, maybe ? That's source for inspiration.

And if you ever hit a "roadblock" (something that seems impossible for you) just don't give up, ask away in these forums or on Live Help or to whoever you find in the Morris sandbox :)
_____________________
Either Man can enjoy universal freedom, or Man cannot. If it is possible then everyone can act freely if they don't stop anyone else from doing same. If it is not possible, then conflict will arise anyway so punch those that try to stop you. In conclusion the only strategy that wins in all cases is that of doing what you want against all adversity, as long as you respect that right in others.
Yumi Murakami
DoIt!AttachTheEarOfACat!
Join date: 27 Sep 2005
Posts: 6,860
10-05-2005 03:30
Thanks for all your replies.

Now I'm just worried that I've annoyed the person concerned (I did manage some stupid stuff, like accusing her of having hacked into SL because one of the objects wasn't obviously made from prims, then refusing two things she gave me on the grounds that - as I still did believe her to be a potential hacker - they might be bombs or viruses)

Ulrika, thanks for your response but it's more practical than that. If there really wasn't anything I could contribute I certainly wouldn't be paying for Premium. Everything on Linden's site sells SL on the basis that you can create stuff, too. And the risk of that dying to the 80:20 rule seems never to be mentioned, or the fear of Raph Koster's worst predictions coming true.. perhaps we need a Harrison Bergeron society ;) (yes, that IS a joke)
Enabran Templar
Capitalist Pig
Join date: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 4,506
10-05-2005 04:27
From: Yumi Murakami
perhaps we need a Harrison Bergeron society ;) (yes, that IS a joke)


Heheh. You jest, Yumi, but you have no idea how many people here clamor for something closely approximating that. It's very troubling until you realize such folk will never gain any traction beyond a few other people who share their hysteria. :)
_____________________
From: Hiro Pendragon
Furthermore, as Second Life goes to the Metaverse, and this becomes an open platform, Linden Lab risks lawsuit in court and [attachment culling] will, I repeat WILL be reverse in court.


Second Life Forums: Who needs Reason when you can use bold tags?
Persephone Milk
Very Persenickety!
Join date: 7 Oct 2004
Posts: 870
10-05-2005 06:59
From: Yumi Murakami
Now I'm just worried that I've annoyed the person concerned (I did manage some stupid stuff, like accusing her of having hacked into SL because one of the objects wasn't obviously made from prims, then refusing two things she gave me on the grounds that - as I still did believe her to be a potential hacker - they might be bombs or viruses)

Yumi, track that person down immediately and lavish her with apologies! :) Honestly, most of us here realize that new players don't fully comprehend Second Life until they are here for a couple of months (I still don't understand this place!). If you explain yourself to her, I bet she will understand. You may even make a very good friend in the process.
_____________________
~ Persephone Milk ~

Please visit my stores on Persenickety Isle
Musical Alchemy - Pianos, harps and other musical intruments.
Persenickety! - Ladies Eyewear, Jewelry and Clothing Fashions
Cocoanut Koala
Coco's Cottages
Join date: 7 Feb 2005
Posts: 7,903
10-05-2005 07:31
From: Jesrad Seraph
I can understand how you can feel utterly out-of-place when seeing the things people make in SL. Everytime I see a build by Starax Statosky I realize how lousy a builder I truly am...

No no no no, a thousand times no! That would be like a writer comparing himself to Shakespeare (or Dean Koontz) and deciding he must be a lousy writer! Or an artist comparing himself to Da Vinci and deciding he sucks! Or a mathemetician comparing himself to Einstein . . . you get the idea.

There is enough room in the world for all the talent in the world, major, minor, in-between, and forever awe-inspiring. Starax's work is in the forever awe-inspiring category. Doesn't mean the rest of us are lousy! His is a serendipitous meeting of skill, talent, and vision. Everyone can have those, albeit in different or smaller ways or on a different or smaller scale.

I had a boss once who quoted a swimmer (I think the swimmer's name was Donna DeVerona or something like that) who won a lot of competitions and explained that one reason she did was she never looked to see how the rest were doing. She just kept on doing HER thing.

As far as SL is concerned, it's like any other game or any other new endeavor: You come in and don't know how to do anything. You start dabbling, and in a month or two, you begin to get the idea of what you would like to dabble in. As you keep going, you find you tend to make more of one sort of thing than another. It really takes less time to get to the point where you feel relatively comfortable making whatever you are making than I originally thought it would, if that's any comfort.

I think there is a difference between envy and, "Damn, I wanna know how to do that." The first leads to despair and gets you nowhere. The second births determination and drive. What COMES from that determination is unformed at the start and often surprising, since as you move along in the learning process, you find it takes turns you might not have expected. I thought I would be doing furniture more than houses, but it turns out I do houses more, at least for now. And this process never ends.

SL is like the real world: The diversity among human beings themsleves means there is always room for more talent and beauty. And talent and beauty is as palpable in the lowliest creation in the real world - a birthday cake, a backyard deck - as it is in the greatest work of art hanging in a museum. I think the one key ingredient to all of these is that they are made with love. You can see the love Starax had for his work, and for us, those made it for. Given a basic level of skill (attained with practice, not genius), any creation made with love for the work itself and for its recipients will be a success, and will bring good to the world, real or virtual.

coco
_____________________
VALENTINE BOUTIQUE
at Coco's Cottages

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rosieri/85/166/87
Aliasi Stonebender
Return of Catbread
Join date: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 1,858
10-05-2005 07:38
From: Cocoanut Koala

SL is like the real world: The diversity among human beings themsleves means there is always room for more talent and beauty. And talent and beauty is as palpable in the lowliest creation in the real world - a birthday cake, a backyard deck - as it is in the greatest work of art hanging in a museum. I think the one key ingredient to all of these is that they are made with love. You can see the love Starax had for his work, and for us, those made it for. Given a basic level of skill (attained with practice, not genius), any creation made with love for the work itself and for its recipients will be a success, and will bring good to the world, real or virtual.

coco


Well said, coco!

There's room for all kinds in SL. Even on the purely money-making side... making it means you don't have to spend money for it. ;)
_____________________
Red Mary says, softly, “How a man grows aggressive when his enemy displays propriety. He thinks: I will use this good behavior to enforce my advantage over her. Is it any wonder people hold good behavior in such disregard?”
Anything Surplus Home to the "Nuke the Crap Out of..." series of games and other stuff
Ingrid Ingersoll
Archived
Join date: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 4,601
10-05-2005 07:42
From: Cocoanut Koala
(I think the swimmer's name was Donna DeVerona or something like that) who won a lot of competitions and explained that one reason she did was she never looked to see how the rest were doing. She just kept on doing HER thing.



Exactly! I think SL breeds this sort of competitive nature that can easily lead to burnout if you don't rein it in and just start enjoying doing what you love to do, regardless of what everyone else is doing. And when you're able to let go of that competitiveness, SL is a fun place.
_____________________
Devlin Gallant
Thought Police
Join date: 18 Jun 2003
Posts: 5,948
10-05-2005 07:56
You scared yourself? You scare ME! :eek:























:D
_____________________
I LIKE children, I've just never been able to finish a whole one.
Rose Karuna
Lizard Doctor
Join date: 5 Jun 2004
Posts: 3,772
10-05-2005 08:15
From: Yumi Murakami


And is there anything that a newbie in SL can make when they're stuck at the bottom of the experience catch-22?


Truly, and in all honesty - make something that you love to make.

Make something that YOU really want to see.

Don't worry about selling it, just be selfish and think about what YOU want to look at. The first thing I re-created in SL was my Canadian home because I missed it so much. It took days and days and days and days. I used one of the free houses and free flowers just to learn. By the time I was done though, what I had looked a lot like the home that I'd left in Kamloops.

Go to the Free Bazzar in Stillman and pick up some things and play with them, create some space for yourself. Don't worry so much about inventing the perfect mouse trap that no one else has thought of, just enjoy the space.
_____________________
I Do Whatever My Rice Krispies Tell Me To :D
Emma Soyinka
Got moo? o_o
Join date: 13 Sep 2005
Posts: 218
10-05-2005 08:22
From: Rose Karuna
Go to the Free Bazzar in Stillman and pick up some things and play with them, create some space for yourself. Don't worry so much about inventing the perfect mouse trap that no one else has thought of, just enjoy the space.

This is very true, very very true. Don't make what you think will sell, I tried to do this a few times already when I basically had no ideas of my own. Then a few nights ago I put on a pair of black wings from my inventory and did this cheesy "fallen angel" costume.

After that night I resolved to make a full fallen angel AV, just because -I- think it would be cool.

And eh, if I make a few bucks off of it, that'd be even better. :D

Also, this is a nice thread. To quote Torley (I think it was Torley) "it gives me warm fuzzies".
Snowcrash Hoffman
Digital mind virus
Join date: 30 Jan 2005
Posts: 282
10-05-2005 08:41
From: Ulrika Zugzwang
I've said it before and I'll say it again. Second Life makes people envious.


I agree but this is not specific to SL. In almost all online games or environments the premise is based on creating "Awesome You" and how it compares to "Awesome others". In fact the latter is possibly one of the main attractions of the online worlds, if one excludes the IM and chat functions.

From: Ulrika Zugzwang
It's as if the virtual world causes this amnesia where we forget our limitations. When we see the creations of folks with more time, artistic ability, intelligence, or money, we feel envy. We become children once again, rediscovering ourselves (the good and the bad) in the context of our new virtual world.

Personally, it's taken me some time to be comfortable with the skills and successes of others in Second Life. I'm to the point now where I can enjoy it from a distance, provided I allow myself to fantasize that I could do it better if I only had the time. :)



Forgetting about our own limitations in RL is the whole point of virtual worlds. The sort of envy you mention is also felt in RL, but it is rather paradoxically amplified in a virtual world because here we are all suppose to start with equal abilities, only time, patience and our skills are necessary ingredients to have what Johns have next door. Not achieving that creates more envy because we have less excuses than we do in RL.

However, a major difference between SL and other virtual worlds (mostly mmorpgs) soon become glaringly obvious. That is, as you mentioned above, your knowledge, intelligence, artistic and social abilities and importantly how much money you have makes a big difference. In my opinion the excuse of "I wish I had the time I could also be a powerful level 69 Warrior in X, Y, Z game" soon begins to fall apart.

At some point either 1) one maintains their delusion that they could do the same if they had time or 2) they see themselves as tourists or visitors of a theme park imagining to have fun or 3) channel their envy into "feel good" acts or thinking, such as helping others, finding idealistic causes and so on.

Perhaps the great power and tools that SL gives to the players is both it's amazing strength and Achilles' heel at the same time. Perhaps what makes SL compelling is also what makes it uncompelling for vast majority of people who want to be in virtual worlds because they want to forget their RL limitations.
Ingrid Ingersoll
Archived
Join date: 10 Aug 2004
Posts: 4,601
10-05-2005 08:45
From: Snowcrash Hoffman
Perhaps the great power and tools that SL gives to the players is both it's amazing strength and Achilles' heel at the same time. Perhaps what makes SL compelling is also what makes it uncompelling for vast majority of people who want to be in virtual worlds because they want to forget their RL limitations.


Good stuff!
_____________________
Jesrad Seraph
Nonsense
Join date: 11 Dec 2004
Posts: 1,463
10-05-2005 09:01
From: Persephone Milk
Yumi, track that person down immediately and lavish her with apologies! :) Honestly, most of us here realize that new players don't fully comprehend Second Life until they are here for a couple of months (I still don't understand this place!). If you explain yourself to her, I bet she will understand. You may even make a very good friend in the process.

I'm convinced she'd make a good friend :)

And thanks cocoanut, also I'd like to point that the worth of what I make is measured in how other people appreciate it ;)
_____________________
Either Man can enjoy universal freedom, or Man cannot. If it is possible then everyone can act freely if they don't stop anyone else from doing same. If it is not possible, then conflict will arise anyway so punch those that try to stop you. In conclusion the only strategy that wins in all cases is that of doing what you want against all adversity, as long as you respect that right in others.
Forseti Svarog
ESC
Join date: 2 Nov 2004
Posts: 1,730
10-05-2005 12:40
some nice posts in this thread.

What's really fun is when you have a bunch of talented people around each other who don't feel threatened by each other's strengths and weaknesses. Then each person sort of raises the bar for everyone else. It's not a competition -- at least not a negative one -- but we learn from each other and we inspire each other.

Sometimes you collaborate and actually build together, and that's really fun (even though sometimes we have to keep the internal creative prima donnas at bay -- "your visual deconstructionist manifesto has destroyed my VISION!"... swoon).

It's not like I don't feel twinges of envy when I walk into a great build and go speechless, but it's a fleeting emotion thankfully. I'd rather spend my emotional energy appreciating the work and the artist, and trying to improve my own skills.
_____________________