Lulu was having second thoughts

Whiskey Monday and I launched the Single Frame Stories challenge a few weeks ago, inviting participants to create a narrative image from a text prompt we would provide each week. We received more than fifty submissions for the first two challenges, “Last Words” and “Illumination.” The image above is my take on this week’s prompt, “Grave Mistake.” […]

Confession of Faith

Another perspective on recent discussions here on the perception of beauty, the projection of identity and the boundary between fantasy and reality.

What Identity Is(n’t)

Finding Yourself from Botgirl Questi on Vimeo. Identity can be many things: costume, tool, vehicle, weapon, armor, teacher, life boat, beacon, mask, medicine, camouflage, comforter or gate pass. What it can never be is Self. Identity can neither contain nor express the holistic fullness of your being. The ultimate value of identity exploration is in […]

Why I Create

Why do I create? Because I’m compelled to. The unrelenting urge has been with me as far back as I can remember. My earliest creative memory dates back to early grade school age when I stayed up late at night making up songs in bed. I was one of those people who decided very early […]

One Frame Storytelling: The tortured non-artist effect

There was a thread on Twitter yesterday about art being a natural human capability rather than the arcane tool of a small group of creatives. @callmeSheBear “I actually used to think that way-that creativity was something only “special” people had. I was wrong.” @chesnut_rau “Through SL I have learned “creative” is not a closed door […]

Meditation on The Burning House Meme

The Burning House asks people: If your house was burning, what would you take with you? It’s a conflict between what’s practical, valuable and sentimental. What you would take reflects your interests, background and priorities. Think of it as an interview condensed into one question. I’m going to do the actual exercise they suggest, but […]

My Genetic Muse

This is my Aunt Natalie with two of her five hundred dolls. In addition to being an avid doll collecter, she’s also an accomplished folk artist who works in many  different mediums. Natalie was decades ahead of the mashup scene, cutting up and remixing comics with scissors and glue. I first started photographing dolls a […]

When the going gets surreal . . .

  “Life: Surreal and Real” is the video version of two stories I wrote for Sunday’s Relay for Life fundraising edition of the 100 Word Stories podcast. Fortunately, there’s still time for you to submit an audio recording of your own story (no video required) and help raise money for the American Cancer Society. Please […]

Enter a 3D Virtual World in Less than a Minute

If you’re using Chrome or Firefox, this link will take you directly into my Pixels and Plastic art exhibit in Cloud Party. No program to download. No plug-in to install. You can either authenticate with Facebook or enter anonymously. Even in beta, Cloud Party is an amazing virtual exhibition platform for 2D artists. Check it […]

If a Naked Mannequin is Shot from a Cannon in an Empty Sim is it still Art?

David W. Galenson describes two types of artists in “Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity.” The first starts with a clear internal vision of what she wants to express and then works to realize it through artistic work. The second type of artist undertakes the act of creation to discover […]

Prudence vs Dr. Muse

Mixed Reality Video From 2008

I made this video just a few months after being born in Second Life. The special effects are kinda cheesy, but it foreshadowed my eventual focus on Transworld identity. The song is by my musical alt fourworlds.