Kat Johnston

Tag: virtual worlds

  • I wish, I wish, I wish I were a fish.

    Kat Johnston – Another Second Life jewelry image – that’s two in two days. Don’t worry, I’ll post something else later on to make up for it!

    Another Second Life image today for another choker made in the game. The hubby accosted me this morning and said ‘Wait a second! You can’t put that up, that’s not a sketch!’ to which I must admit, I shrugged. I’m thinking of this more as a repository for my creative output, whether that be a sketch, an artwork in progress, or even just a snapshot of some virtual jewelry I threw together (as with yesterday, click to zoom to get at least some of the detail… although not much, sadly – I need to take close-ups!). I did sketch yesterday and have been sketching today, but I think that these pictures are far better indicators of what I’ve been doing on these days.

    How are these things other than sketches relevant is perhaps a question you may wish to ask. Everything I do creatively feeds my artwork, my drawing and triggers the imagination in a way that challenges the ‘same ole same ole’ mentality that sometimes tends to overcome me if I am feeling uninspired in one medium.

    Sometimes, you just need a little kick to get things flowing smoothly again; playing with another way to be creative is one of the ways that I do this. Of course I can sit down and look at the work of artists I admire most and draw inspiration from them, browse the internet for randomly inspiring things, or even just leave the house and go for a walk… but that doesn’t always work. Sometimes for creative-block, all I really need is another way to be creative. Its for this reason that I will sometimes compulsively pop into the studio and paint a canvas black in preparation of a painting when my sketching doesn’t go right, or sit down and make a necklace when a painting is going wrong.

    All the little bits and pieces that interest me, that fascinate me, that I create because ‘I need something to do that isn’t such-and-such’, contributes to what I ultimately do as ‘art’. Transferring creative energies from one medium to another helps drive my interests and opens me up to avenues I wasn’t previously aware of or perhaps hadn’t followed before – it forces me to think about things in new ways, seeing how concepts can transfer across mediums and how the glimmer of inspiration from one creation can then be utilized to fuel another. If sketching isn’t working, I need to stop for a bit, put it aside, then come back to it later, or it drives me further  and further into frustration and I miss out on an opportunity to find a different avenue for my need to create. Much better to look at it with new eyes after taking a break, doing something different and coming at it afresh.

    So, long story short, do expect a few things that aren’t sketches up here occasionally. It probably won’t happen all that often, but it may occur every now and then. Whether virtual jewelry or real, paint splattered on a drop-sheet because I just want to see what it looks like, or an overly well-presented meal I’ve taken pains to prepare and make pretty – if it is an output of my creativity and more indicative of my creative drive for the day, that may just be what I post.

  • Ok, I admit it. I’m a geek.

    Kat Johnston – Ok, I admit it… I’m a big ole geek, complete with SL account and an enjoyment of making SL jewelry. On the up side, you get to see it. Yay!

    Ok, so I do play Second Life… want to know why? On top of the fact that is is a glorified chat program with pretty pictures (and virtual fashion one wishes could and would look good on you in real life), I get to make said pretty pictures (and fashion) myself. My activities of the day have been rather centred around making some virtual jewelry, so rather than show you a sketch, I thought I’d throw up this picture instead.

    You might want to zoom in closer (picture should be clickable) to get a better look, because the detail is rather tiny. I made a full set, top to toe, with facial piercings, earrings, choker, so on and so forth, all with three levels of glow to make them all pretty pretty. A friend was looking for something and it didn’t sound like she was going to find what she’d want, so I thought I might as well make up a set to pass away the time instead of hunting high and low.

    I first got into Second Life about a year ago, as I was doing an assignment about the intellectual property right issues with regards to virtual worlds, with a particular focus on Second Life, since all of the content is created by the players themselves. I decided that rather than just reading up about it, I might as well have a peek inside the ‘game’ as well. I use the word ‘game’ rather loosely, of course, as it kinda is just what you make of it. For me, it is about creating pretty things (from landscaping islands through to creating intricate jewelry, etc), for others it can be things like roleplaying elves or dragons, or becoming a virtual entrepreneur selling your wares or dealing with real-estate and so on.

    Anyhow… I did my research, wrote my paper, got an A and decided to stick around. I’ve been entirely suckered into the creative aspects of the game and am quite happy to sit under a virtual tree and chat while I make pretty virtual jewelry.