Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Mr.
Maka Orion.
He is a very talented sl artist photographer and an active promoter of interesting social media initiatives related to SL photography.
Maka is also a special friend of mine, who helped me to develop this little idea about a talk show interview after he noticed my inclination to curiosity and to make a lot of questions ^^'.
So, after he teased me a little calling me nosey-rosey and asking what school of journalism did I attend :D
we have come to create this first (and probably last :D) episode of the "Cla Jones Not so Late Show".
Hope you'll enjoy!
Cla:Hi Maka, glad to have you here and thank you for letting me interview you
Maka:Hi Claudia, Thanks for having me!
C.:Could you tell us a little more about yourself? Like how did you find SL and when did you start going on SL?
M.:Well, I'm Maka and I'm a 30 year old guy from the Netherlands who loves making photographs and being artistic on SL.
I stumbled upon SL by accident really, i googled "Online open world games that are free" and after scrolling down a few boring options there was "Second Life". I checked it out and i found it interesting from the very beginning to create your own Avatar and basically do whatever you want to do.
And that was in 2014, somewhere in August so i believe i have my Rez day coming up soon!
The funny thing is after i created a avatar, somehow i teleported to this London sim and i literally thought that sim was all of SL! So i stayed there for a good week until people told me about this thing called teleporting and showed me different sims!
C.: Haha I guess we experience the funniest and weirdest things when we are newbies... How has your sl changed after 8 years? What's your vision of sl to day, do you think it's a game or something different?
M.: My vision of SL, hmm...I treat it mostly as a game but with real people behind the screens and real feelings and emotions while being aware and respect the fact that for some people it is literally a second life for them, and for some a escape from reality and all the drama that has happened there.
For me it was about meeting new people, doing fun things, explore new sims and hang out. But for the last few years i have been keeping myself busy in SL with other things, like photography and talking to friends.
C.: You certainly are a great SL photographer and you also are the manager of four Flickr groups: the three themed ones "A Black & White Second Life", "Cosplayers of Second Life", "A Sexy Second Life" and the very popular "Free Spirits of Second Life". How do you like this experience?
M.: Thank you for the compliment, i still see myself as a ordinary photographer who is still very much a student of the game. Yes, I do run them groups, I loved the idea of getting to see people's work and passion and i loved the idea of them sharing it in a group that i created as i felt i wanted to be a source of connection for these amazing artists. Where they could enjoy eachothers work and connect through that group with one another. I love that idea and i hope in some way i have achieved that, even if it's just a tiny bit.
C.: I believe you surely did, Maka! In addition to your groups, you also created the SundayFunday Photo Challenge. Every two weeks you invite all the sl photography's lovers to challenge themselves about a theme you propose.
Of all the themes you launched over these years, do you remember which ones have been particularly loved by the participants?
M.:Yes, and i recently expanded it to a 3 weeks event. The themes that seem most popular among the participants are the more serious ones like Black and white, Poems, quotes, portraits and stuff like that. They are also my favorite types of themes.
C.: Tell us about your SL photographs. What does inspire you and what type of photos do you like to take?
M.: Well, allot can inspire me actually. Sometimes i listen to a song and i get inspired, or read something, or see something on tv, quotes, poems, other people, you name it.
Mostly i like to take pictures with a deeper meaning, accompanied by a quote or poem. Something that puts my thoughts on camera and make a image out of them. Pictures that people might need to look at twice or more to get it or see the meaning behind it..That's what i love most, but i also love to challenge myself with other kinds of pictures.
C.:Which is the picture you took you love the most?
M.:It's hard to say what picture i love the most because they all have different meaning to me in different periods of my life and all in a different state of mind. I ahve taken pics when i was struggling with depression that are darker, and i have taken pictures when i was feeling really good that look really bright and happy.
But there is definetly one i cherish allot, and that is this one
flickr.com/photos/141139571@N08/51713560748/in/dateposted/
C.:Thank you so much for being so open with us Maka and for taking the time to do this interview. I feel that the viewer has gotten to know you a bit better and got a glimpse of how the mind of an artist works. I thank you for your time and for wanting to answer my questions!
ᶜˡᵃ'ˢ ᵒᵘᵗᶠⁱᵗ ᵇʸ ᵛᵃˡᵉⁿᵗⁱⁿᵃ ᵉ.
ʰᵃⁱʳ ᵇʸ ᵈᵒᵘˣ
