Author: Vanessa Blaylock

Long-time iRez author Canary Beck has a new photo exhibition at The Arts & Culture Community (A&CC) at Wanderstill Ode. We chatted a little about the work today. Here, with permission, is an excerpt of our conversation.

It’s time to fight for Asian French Maid Avatar Worker empowerment! Join us in the streets of Virtual Paris!

Avatar Hangouts is a new meetup! Come visit with old friends & make new ones. 2nd Saturday of the Month: 9a California / 5p London / 2a Sydney.

SL’s camera is too high. It’s a bad view when you enter a building, it makes you build to the wrong scale, and it makes us create avatars that are ridiculously tall. Worst of all it’s a less immersive experience than a more “on the ground” camera. The good news is, it’s so easy to fix! Here’s how…

Wendz Tempest leads the VBCO Travel & Safari Company in a Minecraft Field Trip! Saturday 7-9am SLT

Field Trip! We’re off to the free-2-play (freemium) fantasy MMORPG of Tera! Grab your adventure gear and climb aboard.

The new SL Project viewer features “live” updates to Twitter, Facebook & Flickr. I thought I’d feed them through 24LiveBlog for a Live Blog of my Virtual Life.

The Inventory Game begins! Post a photo of you with something “A” from your inventory, and then add a link to your post here in the comment section.

Friday at Noon PDT / 19:00 GMT Vanessa Blaylock Company will be joining dancers on 6 continents as part of the 10th annual “Dance Anywhere!”

George Carlin famously spoke about my stuff and your shit. In this 26-day photo / blog challenge you have the chance to leave your shame over your obscenely large inventory behind and take pride in your brilliant collecting. Share your shit stuff with the world!

2014 is the year of the treadmill desk. Vanessa Blaylock Company is organizing 12 treadmill walking events in 12 months. Please join us!

Mon 20 Jan from 8:45 – 2p SLT/PST Merriam Galaxy, Vanessa Blaylock, and perhaps YOU will walk 10.2 miles in virtual solidarity with the NH Rebellion walkers on their way from Canterbury to Concord, New Hampshire.

How others perceive me is incidental to how I want my avatar to look to me. I spend more time looking at my own av than any other. If I don’t look good, I’ll fuss with my avatar constantly, and won’t have fun.

I come here to escape, my job is very stressful and the music and dancing afford me an outlet to unwind.

Those Russian girls are dancing queens
Juchei far out in Russian jeans
They look so sweet, they talk so neat
Juchei they twist to Russian beat
— Nina Hagen

Russian Club Luxor is a fun club with great beats and hot dancers. Unfortunately I don’t speak Russian and the peeps there don’t speak English. Good thing dance is a universal language!

You know, I had developed some alts, and then they met people who really loved those (pretty one dimensional) characters, and then I came out (sort of) and donated the alt account to them, and they are living it further. It’s maybe a bit like having a kid, and then letting it go.

It’s so great to watch our avatars dance close, then pull away and swing around and do impossible things! And dancing is major Chat Time! Whether just one on one with Lisa, or in a group at Skybound. Dancing allows folks to let their hair down and vent and tease.

I’d like to be fun, funny, and just a little wild and crazy. I do want to look good on the dance floor. I like outfits that show a bit without giving everything away. I like a little mystery. In truth, nothing is as sexy as quiet confidence.

I never care what others think. Half the time I wear odd stuff to be left alone. I guess I like normal avatars. I’m not into the huge wide hips. But to each their own.

I spend alot of time getting the theme of my avatar perfect. I like sexy looking avatars. And I tend to flirt with people. Male or female.

I personally like to have short, curvy avatars, because I’m short and curvy, but I’ve had other shapes. I mostly don’t consider how other people see my avatar because it’s mostly just for my amusement. I like glasses and well guilt menfolk.

I like virtual dancing because I suck at dancing IRL, yet it’s really fun to do! LOL!

I dance because my avatar is an extension of me, and if there is music and dancing it feels more immersive to be dancing. And I love immersion.

I login to Second Life to go dancing. [Virtual] dancing is amazing and I love it. I look amazing, I think! Hip, funky, crazy, unique!

I dance because I’m a DJ and I love the music.

Mostly I only log in to listen to music and dance. Even when I do something besides on the web, my avie is still dancing in a club!
— Soka

I just love dancing! Music just makes me do it!
— Deli

From all of us here at iRez, best wishes for a 2014 filled with creativity, new possibilities, and more freedom for more people.

Is it “photobombing” when there’s nobody else in the picture?