Round Brilliant Cut Diamond is Here

I started this blog because people wanted to know what I am working on at any given moment. This morning I finished the untextured, unscripted, pure prim Round Brilliant Cut Diamond.

I believe diamonds are not dead and stagnant crystals, but in the light should be alive, even in Second Life. So I spent a couple of weeks experimenting with refraction, such as is possible in the Second Life environment.

Shown are multiple variations. The diamond, on the bottom right is a 24 prims, 25 facets (including the table), brilliant cut white with an approximate 33 degree pavilion. I do need to upload some means of exactly measuring degrees of angle and add it to my jewelers ruler.

The Brilliant White is copied up and colored to a sapphire with the same stats. This picture was taken at sunset, as evidenced by onyx background I used, but also as seen in the reflection within the gem itself. I like how the sapphire and the diamond each have their own way of coloring the light coming from them. This is the SL equivalent of refraction. In the diamond the sunset is orange, in the sapphire it is appropriately purple.

The ruby to the left in the photo is a modified brilliant with the same stats except the pavilion is at 45 degrees. I am experimenting to find the optimum pavilion angle for the SL environment and suspect, after seeing the depth of this ruby, it will differ with the type of gemstone. I am floored by the ruby and how it treats the same sunset light.

The amethyst is a different gem altogether. In physical life the brilliant cut is an 8 sided cut, as with the other brilliants shown in the photo. This amethyst is a 16 sided cut, consists of a 45 degree pavilion, 33 facets (including the table), and 48 prims.

What these diamonds do not share in common with physical life is the girdle. I did make one with a girdle but, frankly it was ugly. It is a case of too many prims spoiling the light. I believe the level of detail available to us in Second Life today is not adequate for girdling a diamond. In 10 years or so I'll put another one together, or if significant environmental upgrades are made. I think we're still living in the original environment, as beautiful as it can be, but without upgrades.

There are two other cuts I need to complete before I move on and turn them into my phase 2 jewelry, unless someone changes my direction, which has happened in the past. Those are the emerald cut, which is about half complete, and a teardrop crystal cut, which I haven't started. I am very much looking forward to the arrival of the teardrop crystal cut. For those familiar with my phase one, special limited pearl necklace and set called The Gatsby, imagine soon - this year - The *Great* Gatsby with the new gems. My day, that day, will be filled with unimaginable glee.

The Gatsby as she is today.

A Glimpse of Marc Loves Cleo

I don't have much in the way of photos of Marc Loves Cleo. It is one of those pieces that just surprised me coming out. I hadn't dwelled on it much as it was a purely visual thing.

My dear friend Neit Tackleberry had introduced me to her friend Kaffe, whom I mentioned in my post about Elizabeth. In guessing something Kaffe would like I handed her the unlimited Lady In Waiting necklace with the Matriarch pieces. Kaffe started looking for the right thing to wear with it right away.

(The Matriarch Set Picture is Below)


She sent me a photo of herself wearing an amazing outfit. I didn't even notice she was wearing Lady In Waiting with it. The dress was a real piece of work and I hope Kaffe comments on here and tells everyone who made it.


I barely stopped to think, I just started building. Obviously this was accidental on my part, on Kaffe's part, and on the dress maker's part. There was none of my normal stewing over the design aspects, it just happened. I remember shooting for something in onyx and pearls.


When it was almost complete I realized the necklace was scarab-esque, which also wasn't intentional. I didn't mean to make an egyptian sort of piece and almost never go into creation with a niche like that in mind. What becomes simply becomes.

The first time I really stepped back and took a look at it I realized a few things:
1. I wasn't sure I liked it.
2. It was probably too erotic.
3. I could have made something more complex.

I tossed #3 aside because often simple is better and I ignored #1 and #2. I guess that means I ignored all three. I've since heard someone said it is the shape of an angel, so I suppose it's all in the eye of the beholder. So #3 and #2 have been pretty much squashed. I still wasn't sure I liked it.

The name, Marc Loves Cleo of course refers to #2 and is referring to the Marc Antony/Cleopatra affair.

I made it available to the RC New Jewelry Hotline Group for silent auction. That really bothered me because I don't like the silent auction concept. In the past simply announcing to the group something was available to the first to respond meant that many die-hard fans of my work didn't know I had something new until they were gone because they didn't log in within an hour of my announcement. RL comes first, always, as you know. So the silent auction was the way I handled it.


Well, I don't care for the "auction" part of it because it's not about money. But then I don't know of a better way. I mentioned to someone that maybe an essay contest would be better. I come to suspect that people feel cheated out of something if they don't get to pay for it. Maybe we can get to the point where we take public bids here, but then just because someone doesn't have enough money that doesn't mean they shouldn't have the work. I don't know. I'm pretty much at a loss for a better way.

In the group the bids that won were between $L7,000 and $L13,500. It was a long, long time before I considered doing anything with the "public" availability of Marc Loves Cleo - probably a month while I worked on Elizabeth. That's when I was made aware of Ayeshe's Angels. When I took the two others to the Ayeshe's Angles auction the winning bid was $L20,000 or so. That was just for the necklace. The rest of the set is unlimited.

During the auction Neit Tackleberry unveiled her excellent work on the graphic for it, which features KaffeBean Doowangle wearing the same dress that inspired the piece. I was so happy with Neit's work. I am indebted to her deeply.

Here it is:


So Marc Loves Cleo #10 has been in my inventory unowned for a couple weeks now. I had agreed to donate the last Marc Loves Cleo to a fundraiser to keep a group up and running that benefits so many causes and organizations that it boggles the mind to think about it by informing us all about the need and introducing us to the people.

During all the above I met someone at a blues club whose wit has been engaging me on and off. But Tall Poppy Syndrome? ROFL. That's exactly the kind of thing I needed to know about at exactly the right time.

I had started hanging out at a blues club because I wanted to do something with sapphires. SL really needs some good sapphire work. I know that it's odd I'd think of the blues and sapphire, but it was a start and strangely accurate.

This person I met, who shall remain nameless, and who is NOT familiar with my work at all and whom I have never seen wear jewelry of any kind (I believe jewelry only calls attention to the real beauty, the bare neck), came to Lucas' jewelry shop where Lucas has some very creative designs and good prim work. I think it's the first time my friend and I had been in the same sim at the same time for a couple of weeks. We talked. She told me the kind of jewelry she likes, but only because I asked. Of all the pieces in Lucas' store she was only interested in the dragonfly earrings. So I went on to ask her what her criteria is. I was taken aback that she pretty much described Marc Loves Cleo. She had no idea it even existed.

Right at that time I got an IM telling me that some kind hearted soul had donated $US1,000 to the benefit I had promised the last necklace to and it wasn't needed any more. How's that for cosmic alignment? Someone ought to write a book on that phenomenon.

While my friend and I were agreeing that she would not look into my work, and we did agree (I remind her in case she's reading this although she shouldn't be) I gave her Marc Loves Cleo #10 registered in her name, which at this time I'm not divulging because I'm a stinker.

At the moment I passed it to her she crashed. She didn't know she crashed. She thought I did. She said that while she was hanging out in that eerily quiet "I don't know I crashed" world she put a broomstick in my arms. Ok.... I won't be surprised if I get a picture of that later.

So anyway, she doesn't have it (Marc Loves Cleo) yet, but she will, unless it's in her lost and found folder. Furthermore it must stay in her inventory and never be rezzed or worn because she said she wouldn't look into my work. No tainting of our conversations is allowed by such a blatant act of going back on your word.

The point is that Marc Loves Cleo is now officially gone. They're all owned. It was an interesting piece and I look at it now and I like it. I like it a lot.

Bye Marc.
Bye Cleo.
Thank you for your adventure.

Preliminary Thoughts on Virtual Diamond Standards

Much has been going through my mind lately on the standard for diamonds in SL. Whether one likes bling or not one has to admit that any physical-life type diamond will have to compete with bling for how the diamond calls attention to itself. It is my belief that any realistic diamond of supreme quality in Second Life will not have to compete, but will stand alone as its own phenomenon. Isn't that what a diamond is anyway; a phenomenon?

It is not just the diamond that is a phenomenon in physical life and in Second Life, but any gem. When I speak of diamonds below I am including all gems in my thinking, except in the specific physical characteristics list, the same rules apply.

I would like to concentrate in this entry about Second Life qualities, not physical life qualities of gems and how we, as a virtual society, can create rules to determine what qualifies as a diamond and what does not. The physical qualities of a diamond are:

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF DIAMONDS:
(from http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/elements/diamond/diamond.htm)

1. Color is variable and tends toward pale yellows, browns, grays, and also white, blue, black, reddish, greenish and colorless.
2. Luster is adamantine to waxy.
3. Transparency crystals are transparent to translucent in rough crystals.
4. Crystal System is isometric; 4/m bar 3 2/m
5. Crystal Habits include isometric forms such as cubes and octahedrons, twinning is also seen.
6. Hardness is 10
7. Specific Gravity is 3.5 (above average)
8. Cleavage is perfect in 4 directions forming octahedrons.
9. Fracture is conchoidal.
10. Streak is white.
11. Associated Minerals are limited to those found in kimberlite rock, an ultramafic igneous rock composed mostly of olivine.
12. refractive index is 2.4 ( very high)
13. dispersion is 0.044, fluorescent.
14. Notable Occurrences include South Africa and other localities throughout Africa, India, Brazil, Russia, Australia, and Arkansas.
15. Best Field Indicator is extreme hardness.

Again, these are PHYSICAL characteristics and we will have to determine which apply and which do not as well as providing VIRTUAL characteristics that do not apply to the physical world.

1. Color - applies in VR, but is easily changed. With caveats.
2. Luster - applies in VR, but is less easily changed than color. With caveats.
3. Transparancy - applies in VR, but is less easily changed than color. With caveats.
4. Crystal System - Does not apply
5. Crystal Habits - Does not apply
6. Hardness - Does not apply
7. Specific Gravity - Does not apply
8. Clevage - Does not apply
9. Fracture - Does not apply
10. Streak - applies in VR, but is less easily changed than color. With caveats.
11. Associated minerals - Does not apply
12. Refractive index - Applies, but with changes
13. Dispersion - Applies but with changes
14. Notable Occurrences - Applies
15. Best Field Indicator - Applies

So the above are PHYSICAL characteristics of diamonds in general. We need to create definition for those items which do apply in a virtual world and add those which are not applicable to the physical world such as "base prims".

On to specific diamond grading. If you're familiar with "The Four C's" of diamonds you'll understand what I'm actually attempting to define here. The four C's of physical-life diamonds are:

• Cut
• Color
• Clarity
• Carat Weight - 144 carats equals one troy ounce

A good, understandable brochure of these is at http://lgdl.gia.edu/pdfs/4cs_brochure.pdf. If you are interested in an extended definition I recommend http://www.tradeshop.com/gems/ as an intermediate level resource.

These are all good, but they're a generalization. I prefer the categories used by the Gemological Institute of America, or GIA Diamond Grading Report. You can see one and an explanation at http://www.4diamond.com/Anatomy/.

Here are the major categories from which the four C's are derived:

1. Shape and Cutting Style (Cut)
2. Measurements (Carat)
3. Weight (not applicable, however "size" is) (Carat)
4. Proportions - (Cut and Carat)
5. Finish - (Clarity)
6. Clarity grade - (Clarity)
7. Color Grade - (Color)
8. Flourescence (full bright) (Color)

I should stop here and propose the formation of a group of individuals who should assess and come to agreement on the attributes of an SL diamond. The charter of the group would be to:

• A. Identify the characteristics of virtual diamonds (see Physical Characteristics above)
• B. Identify the definitions of those physical characteristics which continue to apply in a virtual world.
• C. Provide a body of oversight for diamonds released in virtual worlds and a GIA-type grading report for each for use by potential consumers.

Once A and B are done then C would be the on-going chore for the GISL (Gemological Institute of Second Life), except during cases of reassessment of the characteristics and quality criteria which may have to follow upgrades in the SL environment itself on occasion.

Feedback is welcome. Please IM me in-world with the names of anybody you feel may qualify for membership in the GISL. They would not have to know how to make a diamond to identify what it should be.

Current Work - Assassin Collar

Aside from a piece I really, really want to do that is giving me a hard time because there simply is no inspiration for it in my SL life right now, I have been creating a Gorean work. It is a collar for an assassin's slave.

Before you say it, no I'm not Gorean. If you've read the books you'll learn that the whole slave thing is just something that is on a very basic level on Gor. I'd compare its base existence with something like our desire to have clean bodies on Earth. Slavery is just that foundational on Gor. The way John Norman, the author, describes it's reason for existence is actually pretty brilliant. It makes one wonder about humanity, but to do so one has to toss aside all their prejudices and sit down and do some serious thinking.

That said, if one twists their mind around the culture described in the 20+ books in the series there is actually a LOT of untapped artistic fodder that in some way expresses a feeling we all have. So if you see something coming out of me relishing the "glory of the kill, capture or whatever" then that's my mind attempting to understand what it would be like to be such a one. I'm not such a one and have no desire to kill, capture or whatever, but it is an imaginative exercise of emotion and expression.

One of the problems with SL Gor is that most of the people who role play it haven't even read the first book. They have no idea what they're doing. Newbie men will go in and grab a love slave and treat her like a dog he hates. Gor isn't about that. It's more about the appreciation of beauty of the human form and desires. I'd guess that only about 10% of Goreans know that, so SL Gor is somewhat disappointing. It could be much better.

A while ago I was speaking with a Gorean friend about all this. We had the thought that perhaps if SL Gor had some of it's own original culture aimed at injecting a pride of Gorean beauty into the world then the number who actually understand what Gor is about would increase. That doesn't mean they'd read the books, but they would have a means of actively cherishing their slaves like they're supposed to do. Yes, Goreans are supposed to cherish their slaves and not kill or hurt them unless they deserve it (I know, "who deserves that?!?" All I can say is it's not Earth).

Okay, so, I'm working on a Gorean Assassin collar. It's nowhere near finished, but here's a picture of what it isn't going to look like when it's done:



As it is it is too busy and not nearly as stealthy as it should be. With assassins it's all about gold and the knife. There is nothing else. Their training includes killing their friend, so what more can there be?

No, I don't like assassins and no, nobody else does either. Goreans just get out of their way and hope they're not the target. Assassins don't kill for the fun of it or to torture anyone, ever, they kill for gold and that's all. So the collar is all about the knife and the gold. Nothing more.

This was requested as a one of a kind, but I don't do custom pieces. So it was suggested as a limited piece. I don't think I'm going to do that either because, frankly, limited pieces are pieces that express a picture inspired by a person I know. This collar is just an imagination thing, not an inspiration thing. What I will do though, because nobody likes assassins and because I can't fathom being ultra nice to someone who would kill their friend, is I'm going to put a $L10,000 price tag on it as an unlimited piece just to be a shit in my own way. If they want it they can use some of that blood money and suffer a little bit themselves. I don't care if anyone buys one. The price isn't anti-collector, it's anti-assassin. The collectors that I know won't transfer them can come to me and get one, probably for free.

See how it works?

In the meantime there are quite a few other things going on. I am keeping my eye out for the inspiration for a piece describing a particular part of nature.

Oh, and nobody is reading this blog, so I'm being pretty unselfconscious about what I say.

Farewell, Elizabeth

The fund raising ball for Ayeshe Millions was last night at the Stardust ballroom. It was a stunning success. The thought that is foremost in my mind is a warmness for the generosity of those who attended. Many of us were crashing left and right and coming back anyway. The sim crashed HARD and still they came back to give of themselves. Donations were going into the fund all evening from everyone in the crowd.

It is moments such as those that make me realize humankind's sense of humanity is the pinnacle of wonder, beauty, and is the very definition of the right way to be.

http://richpalmer.com/richdesoto/?page_id=28

Welcome Elizabeth

Last night was certainly a busy evening when I got in SL. Aside from a visit from an old friend and a new one too, an article in the M2 (Metaverse Messenger) was published. With that (and the list here on the blog) Elizabeth was "out of the bag".

I announced to the RC New Jewelry Hotline that they may bid, in a blind auction, on Elizabeth sets #5, 6 and 7 between now and Saturday at 7pm SLT by sending an IM to me with their bid. Sunday will see the sale of #8 and 9 at public auction with the proceeds going to charity. Before anyone asks why THAT charity (see the M2), think "acorn".

I'll talk about auctions, first come first serve, set prices and all that in some other post. It's a dilemma, but I'm doing the best I can at the moment.

I rather like Elizabeth though. I want to talk about her this morning.

Concept

Elizabeth has been a very interesting experience for me. Initially she was born as a puzzle piece, similar to the Mata Hari, and throughout her build that is what I had in mind. I wanted to make her to exacting specs since she would be enjoyed by many. That's the overall view.

The Inspiration

The ruby in Elizabeth is a new technique I was trying out last month and it turned out surprisingly well for the piece and helped inspire the whole set. What is different about it is that it is actually a full-bright ruby inside a non-full bright ruby. I didn't use any of my old gems for it. It was a new one. The day/night effect was so calming that I thought it was exactly right for the period piece. I built wrought iron around her as earrings.

When the initial earrings were done I asked Kaffebean Doowangle for a huge role play favor. I gave Kaffe the first draft earrings and she went shopping. She found the perfect outfit, at Rebel Hope I believe, and then gave me a call. In the meantime I dressed up in the only period clothing I had. It was from Vindie Vindaloo.

When Kaffe tp'd me to her place she was sitting in her parlor at the piano dressed in her finery, wearing the earrings. She had no other jewelry on. I watched. The earrings were on fire. The shimmer moved so fast across them I was amazed what was happening to the wrought iron from the new ruby and the daylight on black. These weren't the quiet pieces I had supposed they might be. Resting, unmoving, yes they are, but worn they come alive.

Kaffe played the piano and I watched. I imagined what a necklace to suit those earrings might be like. Visions of gas street lamps, the industrial age, graceful manners and the emergence of decorative iron as an art form filled my brain. In silence I watched as the Elizabeth necklace formed itself in my brain following the refined curves over her shoulders and clavical coming to rest exactly where it should and how it should.

At that point I knew what Elizabeth had to be. That is what she became.

I thank you Kaffe. It is amazing to me the vision you sent me to channel into Elizabeth that day. I hold to the idea that the art lies not within myself, but within those to whom I listen, if I would but listen to the voice with which they're speaking.

The Build

The building of the work was a separate challenge. I modified the earrings to be what they are now and went to work on the necklace. The gyroscope around the ruby was first. Imagine if you will a piece which grows itself by itself. Each prim knew where it had to go and was telling me. I wasn't telling it what had to be.

When I got to the shoulders on the necklace I asked Kaffe to join me in my studio. She did, and I was thrilled to have been able to arch the iron over her shoulder as it is. This was a first where the prim conformed rather than a series of angled prims. She was extremely patient and I wonder what someone does when they're being built upon and not burdened by the busyness and concentration of the building process itself. It helped to have her there and brought out the original "piano" vision of some days before.

I completed the necklace in that sitting.

The tiara happened of its own accord. I hadn't planned it, I just made it without really realizing what I was doing. So much so I can't say I actually remember doing it. It just came into existence.

The ring is quite different. I began by trying something as I had with other slim prim pieces and really didn't like it. The problem was that I was telling it what to do. I let that thought go and made the ring as it is now. I asked the question about whether it matched and honestly the design simply told me that it will, but wait for the bracelet. What an odd thing for Elizabeth to tell me!

I spent days just stewing over the bracelet. There was no way she would not have one, but I had two nearly different styles here with the slim wrought iron necklace and earrings and that darned bulky ring. It's not really bulky to those who hadn't just spent a week on wire thin prims. I didn't realize that. So I gave it some time and and stopped making false starts. When the bracelet wanted to come out she would.

The day it happened, perhaps a week later, it happened exactly like you see. On a technical level the bracelet, I believe, is one of the most difficult pieces I've ever done. I did not feel the pain of that because on a stylistic level, when she stepped out of me and revealed herself, I became enamored by her. I still am.

Welcome, Elizabeth. I bow to your grace.

A Dreaded Realization

Please excuse the rant if that is what this becomes. I am simply bothered, perhaps needlessly, but probably not needlessly. I hope someone finds this blog and reads it so they aren't taken in by what I'm about to describe. I name no names and I quote no materials intentionally. If you're the one perpetrating the scam described below just stop. You are abusing people's trust and stealing their money.

It pains me to find a course called "SL Master Jeweler Career" course in SL that isn't led by a master jeweler. I know of only two in SL and I am neither of them, but my work is passable and respected by those masters I look up to.

A friend IM'd me because she was having issues with some of the terminology they're using. They are teaching "snap to grid" (in a "master's" course!?! Get real!). My dear friend had points take off her score because the jewelry box she made didn't have a script to open the box. More points were docked because her logo wasn't up to par. Puhlease! What does any of this have to do with becoming a master jeweler? Master marketer, perhaps, but it is so far away from being relevant to being a master jeweler that it's ridiculously insane.

But how would the uninitiated know this?

The syllabus ranks the levels of jewelers as Apprentice, Journeyman, Master, Black Belt. Uh... there is no such thing as a "Black Belt". Either one is a master or not, and Master doesn't follow Journeyman. Expert might, but Master is above that level.

But how would the uninitiated know this?

So I had to go see the store of the instructor, whose name I had never heard of. I kid you not, I was dropped into the middle of a store with most work containing fewer than 20 prims, heavily textured and extreme bling scripts galore. I felt my gut wrench.

Not all the work in the store is by the instructor. Some students have displayed work as well. Looking around I rated all the abilities and came up with "Beginner" to describe the majority of the store owner's (the Master class instructor, mind you) work and "Intermediate" for the work of one or two of the students. For $500 per two hour block of class they're giving out "Master Trained Seal" certification... for beginner to intermediate level skill?

But how would the uninitiated know this?

I teleported a dear and knowledgeable friend over and showed her the syllabus. She looked around and was as flabbergasted as I. Guess what she said to me...

"Do you see now why you have to market, Random? People don't know any better than this."

Resignation. I had to, in the face of obvious fraud and deception, admit she is exactly right.

We shall see where this goes. I don't now yet. But I do know someone has to do something. There are way too many people being scammed, misinformed, and dispossessed of thousands of their linden dollars.

The Random & Tayzia Story

While I'm working on downloading pictures and figuring out what I have to say about each piece I thought I'd say a word about me and Tayzia Abattoir, the curator of the Crescent Moon Museum and the NMC Museum. Occasionally I'll google my name and see what's being said and I was surprised to see our names connected with one another on one blog out there.

I also read into the post the misconception that we're business partners in a sense. I can certainly see how some might think so, since Tayzia sometimes posts my work on the SL forums. It is sometimes odd to me how everyone is so used to the predominantly vendor society we've created that they assume everyone is a business. Oh well.

Back when I did the RuGarDi tiara, which was shortly after I made my first gems, the final product seemed like something a museum might be interested in showing. I wandered around looking for a museum and happened upon the Crescent Moon, which at that time was located in Montmarte, a peaceful sim then owned by Mae Best. There I met Tayzia. As it turned out the Crescent Moon was the oldest resident run museum in SL. According to my travels up to that time it was the ONLY museum in SL that was actually a museum showing works by somone other than the owner. The rest were one-artist galleries, really, if I want to be truthful about it. Since then some wonderful museums have cropped up and I love every one of them.

There was something about Tayzia though... I watched. I watched how she not only encouraged me, but other artists. I watched how every one of us felt she cared about our work. I watched until I realized she was and is entirely sincere about it. Not only does she rave about the artists, but they rave about her too.

So we struck up a friendship. I registered the RuGarDi tiara to "Museum" and handed it to her. From that point on I reserved a copy of limited pieces for the museum and gave her one for display. Doggonnit, but she really did display the stuff and raved about it. The funny thing is that she wouldn't wear it.

It was when I gave her the museum version of Kijakazi-Eupe that it dawned on me why she wasn't wearing any of it. She's just THAT HONEST! I'm slow sometimes. :)

So she and I had a conversation and I told her she could wear it. Frankly, it's one of the best things I've ever done. Let me count the ways:

1. She was just ecstatic. Well, that made me beam because I could tell she had been sincere about her praise of my work at that point. I felt great about that! I knew why, for certain, I'd be doing what I'd be doing at that point in SL.

2. Frankly, I'd never seen my work worn much, except on my mannequin avatar, which doesn't really get out of the dark room studio much - and maybe on someone far away at a tringo game. I really started to notice the shimmer of the untextured prims. An avatar doesn't ever really hold still unless it's commanded to do so by a pose, so every "breath" movement she made while wearing the work really brought out the shimmer. hmmm... I wondered if I could control the direction and intensity of that...

3. I realized that if the work isn't worn it isn't worth squat but a bunch of technical prim mumbo jumbo.

It was at this time that I realized the meaning of "Value". That's fodder for a different post, certainly.

So Tayzia and I have been great friends since, well, the beginning. I think she's irritated that I don't advertise. I don't build so something will get sold, so it makes sense to me not to advertise. I build so something will exist, be worn, and be appreciated. I fail to see how "exist, worn, and appreciated" ties in with advertising.

I do respect her opinion though and I think her raving about my work has pretty much put my name out there. I am loathe to use the term "biggest fan", but she's right at the top, shoulder to shoulder with some others, and she does say my name a lot when I'm not around.

But I do respect her opinion. I give her permission to rave and post pictures all she wants. She's even putting together a huge invitation-only charity event for next weekend where a new piece will be auctioned for charity. But I don't feel good about her going through all that work. She says she's having fun with it. She's a museum curator, not my personal marketing person. I really don't want her to be what she isn't.

I just want to design and build and not be bothered by all that businessy stuff. Tayzia has jumped in and filled in a gap she sees missing. I'd hire a business manager and marketer so she'd stop being concerned about it if I found someone I trust as much as I do her and who is capable.

So anyway, there's the long version of the Random and Tayzia saga and what's what. TMI? Probably. Are we partners? Well, no, not really. Are we friends, you bet we are! I, among others in SL, am very proud to count myself among her biggest fans.

Layout and Content Ramblings

I ramble. Thanks for even attempting to follow it and for excusing my eccentricities.

It is too tempting to add information nobody really wants to know, so I'm chewing on the question of what, exactly, to put here - on the blog. I put out an in-world almanac in notecard format with pics for the start of 2007. Do I want the blog to be a complete almanac? If so then there will be some days while I get it up-to-date with past work.

I envision this as a place where I'll just talk about what I'm currently working on, but two years of past is a lot of work to not cover since I'm positive I'll reference it.

Heck, it's dynamic. I'll go with my gut and can always rip it out later. For anyone who might possibly ever read this just tell me what you think and I'll roll with your ideas if they're not more work than I can manage.

Thanks to arraiin Grayson for making me think through even considering a blog.

Welcome

Blog opened by request of interested parties. Under construction.