The Alphaville Herald

Post 6 Grrrl – Ayumi Shinn

by Alphaville Herald on 02/12/08 at 7:39 pm

[It was Darkley Aeon, a former Post 6 Grrl, who drew my attention to Ayumi Shinn's profile. The petite girl in the profile pic looked extremely cute and different and I was curious to meet her. I knew immediately that there was only one place for our photo shoot – Dirty Cute, which is where the second and third pics were taken. The location of the first one was the Creamshop, a place so dark and gloomy that it was the perfect match for her wonderful demon outfit. I hope you enjoy the pictures and the interview with the little angel as much as I did. Thanks for a wonderful evening Ayumi! – Bunny Brickworks]

Bunny: I just looked into your profile; you haven’t been in SL for that long.

Ayumi: Ah, no I haven’t I created my very first Av around the end of May ’08 at the behest of some first life friends of mine. The aesthetic results were… a bit disastrous. I actually didn’t actively start playing SL until a couple months ago when I created the avi “Kitty Mai”.

Bunny: And Ayumi was just your working alt?

Ayumi: Ayumi Shinn was intended to be the business alt for Sinnocent Clothing, I was worried that I would be constantly IM capped by people wanting freebies and things, so I made an Alt to keep track of everything business related… but somewhere in between, I feel in love with her, and I’ve been using her actively ever since!

Bunny: Tell me about your clothes, what style are they?

Ayumi: The clothing I’ve been creating has always been very eclectic in style, mostly created to suit my personal needs at the time. A few things I have created on commission, or per a friends’ request. But that’s generally the way I go about my day in SL. If I can find it or buy it, I try and make it myself!

Bunny: Where do you get your inspiration?

Ayumi: Mostly from my real life closet to be honest. I have a “warehouse of wardrobe” as my sister likes to call it, and I’ve gone so far as to try and recreate first life clothes directly in SL… sometimes to not so elegant results.

Bunny: Which program do you use for your designs?

Ayumi: I use mostly Photoshop CS3, and the SL Clothes Previewer!

Bunny: I deeply admire people who can make clothes that look realistic, the shading and everything is driving me nuts. How did you learn it?

Ayumi: It has mostly been trial and error for me. I had a bit of photo editing experience prior to SL, which has come greatly in handy. Learning to use the pen tool is the key to success!

Bunny nods. I was afraid so!

Ayumi grins.

Bunny: You said your first life friends made you join SL?

Ayumi: Ah, yeah. I had Second Life brought up to me on a few various occasions by first life, and online friends who were all playing fairly actively at the time. A few of them walked me through creating my first Av, and finding some cheap clothes and freebies. In retrospect, my first Avatar was pretty hideous.

Bunny laughs. Made up of freebies and cheapies?

Ayumi: Unfortunately! And the worst part is, there are still avis running around that look similar! *shudders*. I think it’s about time someone started the newbie cultural revolution and exchanged some of these freebies for something a little higher quality. Perhaps that’s my true calling!

Ayumi: All jokes aside though, I am glad that I had friends to help me begin my SL adventure. I probably wouldn’t have done so well without them.

Bunny: What was your first impression of SL? And what did you expect when you signed in?

Ayumi: My first impressions of SL, and I think that this is a common misconception… is that everything in SL is related to sex, that all sims on the mature grid cater to or are adult themed. I expected it to be much like any other online chat room, full of half naked pervs, and guys trying to find girls to “cyber” with.

Bunny: You say ‘misconception’. So there’s more to the adult grid?

Ayumi: I’ve been very pleased to discover over my few months here, that SL can be anything you want it to be. There is a place for just about anything and everything. Right now I spend my time designing clothes, building, and working as he events planner for The BDSM Forum sim. Three things that I absolutely enjoy doing, that don’t involve myself or anyone else getting naked, or having to click xcite! bits over and over.

Bunny laughs. I’ve seen people with xcite! parts in sandboxes… but that’s another story!

Ayumi grins.

Bunny: You mainly use SL as a creative tool, right? I saw you’re also into photography.

Ayumi: Exactly almost everything I do here is an expression of my creative mind. Whether that creativity finds its way into fashion design, or architecture or even more whimsical mischievous pursuits! Like building flying cardboard box airplanes.

Bunny: Your pictures are beautiful. Are you planning to open a photography studio like everyone else in SL?

Ayumi: Those are the pictures I took recently with another former Post 6 Grrrl and good friend of mine, Darkley Aeon.

Ayumi: Definitely not, I try and limit my photography to my own uses and taking pictures of and for my close friends. It’s not that I don’t enjoy photography; it’s just such an oversaturated market. There are a *lot* of good photographers, I’d just be another face in a crowd!

Bunny: Taking pics of Barbie and Ken in the sunset doesn’t seem like you at all!

Ayumi: I think that half of taking a good photo, is having a good subject to take a photo of… It would drive me crazy to have to try and prettify anyone who had the L$ to pay for my time.

Bunny: Do you still spend a great deal of your online time with your first life friends?

Ayumi: I do, but rarely in SL. Most of them have stopped playing over the last year, and kinda left me here.

Bunny: Have you got any aims in SL or do you live it on a day-to-day basis?

Ayumi: Well, my clothing business has been on hiatus for a month or so. I just simply got burned out on logging in and out of the test grid to fix small details. The business name was Sinnocent Clothing, or SIN for short. My new goal is to take a break from building and spend some time building a more… personal line of clothing. Stuff that I think really speaks for who I am and the way I feel.

Bunny: If you could change anything about SL, what would it be?

Ayumi: Honestly the lag, and probably the way the texture mesh for Avatars works. Both drive me absolutely crazy at least once or twice a day.

Bunny: Did you friends give you any good advice when you started? Maybe some you would like to share with newbies starting out?

Ayumi: SecondLife isn’t just a game, nor is it just another extension of your real life. To live a healthy second life, you must walk a good balance between caring too little about those around you (i.e. griefer, or people in SL *just* trying to find pixel porno), and investing your entire life into it. First life comes first, but that doesn’t mean that your second life isn’t important.

Bunny: Finding a healthy balance is the hardest part I think. How much online time do you consider healthy?

Ayumi: Honestly, I don’t know if there is any set time limit. I would say that it all depends on the individual and what they have going on in their lives.

Bunny nods. Any famous last words?

Ayumi: Don’t eat yellow snow? Ah, lol. I’d just like to thank my good friends… Kathryn, Billy, Darkley, and Tizzy for making SL a great home for me over the last couple months, and I hope that I’ve been helping our new friends feel just as welcome!

Bunny: Thank you so much for an insight into your second life. And now off to your latest building project!

Ayumi: Thanks for giving me the chance to be a Post 6 Grrrl Bunny It has been a real pleasure!

Ayumi: Yes and off we go!