Today's special guest is one super cute and lovely girl among the most talented and appreciated young SL bloggers. In a very short time she could conquer many of the most famous Second Life brands with her talent and her fresh, adorable style. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the cutest, the sweetest, the gorgeous (as well as my lil SL sis): Ms.
Andie Panda !
Cla - Hi, sis! I've finally dragged you here hehe. Are you ready? Okay, let's get serious and let's start! First of all, thank you so much for accepting to be interviewed
Andie - Aw, thank you so much for asking me to be part of this series, sis. I’m super excited to tell a little bit of my Second Life story!
C. - Let's go back to your first steps on Second Life. Your partner Pengu in NSLS ep.2 told us how back in 2019 you and him started your SL together (www.flickr.com/photos/164400702@N02/52248516615/in/datepo...). What was, at that time, your first impression about this little magical word?
A. – Yeah! Um, I first became aware of SL a couple years before I joined. Only in passing though, I didn’t really know what it was other than being a virtual world. So, the first time I made an account and logged in I was pretty amazed by how expansive the world was. There is so much to explore, and to get involved in. Of course, for me, all the different clothes and mesh bodies and heads were what really drew me in. I was pretty immediately taken with the idea of creating this totally unique avi that could look like anything I imagined it to. To this day I love reinventing my look and exploring the endless lovely sims that make up SL.
C. - With time you got interested into SL photography and blogging. Now you blog for some important SL brands like Tres Blah, Foxy, Mellowcute, Foxcity and many others. Can you tell us how and when did your blogger experience begin? What is your style, the magic ingredient that makes your sl photography unique?
A. - It was really Pengu who introduced me to SL Flickr, and since then I have been in awe of the beautiful art that is uploaded daily. He got into taking pictures before I did, mostly because my laptop at the time was not able to keep up. I would take pictures and they would just be so pixelated, but I would post them on my Flickr and be so proud of my 10 likes!
I really got into blogging in June of 2021. That was when Pengu got his first sponsorship, and to be honest I was a little jealous! I spent most of that summer blogging for a couple newer brands and really focusing on growing my follower count and learning editing software and Black Dragon which changed my photography game immensely. Foxcity was my first major sponsor. Our mutual friend, Ethan Lane, pushed me to enter her blogging contest and I was one of the people chosen, I remember feeling really intimidated but that was when blogging became more than just snapping a cute picture. It’s really about representing brands to the best of my ability because I love their work.
As far as my style, I don’t know that I could nail it down in one specific category. I’ll go, you know, months of doing lots of girly and pink and pretty pictures and then on a whim I’ll want to do darker and grittier things. Last October I really embraced Halloween and did a lot of witchy, more gothic pictures. So, I guess what makes my style unique is that it is always changing!
C. - I know you like to "collect" SL mesh heads, just like me. Do you have a favorite one?
A. – Collect is a very nice way of saying ‘spend way too much money on’ hahahahahha. Um, much like with my style fashion-wise, I feel like I am constantly reinventing my avi to fit with whatever mood I am feeling at the moment. When you and I first met I wore Lelutka Ceylon pretty much all the time. Prior to that I was wearing a lot of Glam Affair skins and I loved the Genus heads. Right now, I’m wearing Briannon. As far as a favorite, it’s so hard to pick just one. I still have fond feelings for my Genus Baby head and the original Lelutka Evolution Nova head.
C. - We all know love is a great source of inspiration, and we can see your sparking creativity at its best in all your couple photos with your partner Pengu. Some of those pics are currently featured, until the end of September, at The Gallery of Photographic Art for the "Three couples telling their stories" exhibit (here the slurl for our viewers who'd like to visit it: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Goldbach/210/153/25 ).
Would you like to tell us something about your story? What is your (second) life with Pengu -and Pengy, the little penguin who joined your family- like?
A. – Aw, Pengu. He is a huge part of my life in and out of SL. Our friendship first started when we bonded over a shared enjoyment of writing stories and from there, we found out we have a lot in common. He’s so funny and so kind. And he is endlessly supportive of me. He is the one who really gave me that nudge to start getting into taking pictures, and from there encouraged me to get into blogging. He makes me laugh and he always knows how to pick me up when I get down on myself. I could never say enough about what an amazing person he is and just how much I love him.
I think at our cores, Pengu and I tend to be more introverted unless we are around the amazing friends we’ve met in world. So, a lot of the time we are just quietly at home, planning pictures or going to shopping events. And of course, whatever we do, we cannot do it without Pengy. I like to joke with Pengu that Pengy is a bit of a diva, and that he has been in more collab pictures than Pengu and I combined. But I love the little guy. How could you not, he’s adorable.
C. - You also are a very good writer, and you just mentioned how you met Pengu thanks to your mutual passion for writing. Last year, this led you two to create a great romantic series titled "August" about two lovers who lose and then find themselves again (www.flickr.com/photos/pengu_wes/albums/72157719750391407). The story is very beautifully co-written by you and Pengu and masterfully illustrated by you both in your respective versions. Would you like to make more photo-series like that? Can we expect for more of those?
A. – Oh yes, the August series. That story was one that Pengu and I dreamed up together probably a year before we turned it into the photo series, and it was so amazingly fun to see characters we’d created be translated into a new format. It was just really special. As far as would we do another series, you know, I think that if the inspiration were to strike then nothing is out of the question. We have several other stories that I think would make for a fun, engaging series. So I guess we will see what the future brings!
C. - Is there one photo you particularly love, among all the ones you took, and we can watch on your Flickr?
A. – Oh man, it is difficult to choose a favorite! I have so many pictures that I love and that have done well, but I think the first one that comes to mind is
www.flickr.com/photos/andie_panda/52014566831/in/dateposted/
It was such a fun picture to take, I love the vintage vibes, and I feel like it really captures Pengu and I’s relationship!
C. - Our interview is almost over. I'm gonna set you free, sis. But not before inviting you to ask yourself a question and give yourself an answer.
A. – I’m going to use my question to ask you a question, sis! I would love to know what picture from your Flickr is your personal favorite?
And thank you again for having me. This was so much fun and I am super excited to see who is next!
C. - Haaa, you got me, sis! Now I realize how hard is to respond this question. Well, the pics from my flickr I love the most are the ones I took with the ones I love. Those are certainly the most meaningful and important, my little memories. So I'm gonna take this chance to remember of our first pic taken together
www.flickr.com/photos/164400702@N02/51357074571/
Thank you kindly Andie for answering my questions and let us to know better about the wonderful girl you are, your fantastic photo skills and your interesting sweet world!
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See you all in two weeks time for a new NSLS episode!
ᶜˡᵃ'ˢ ᵒᵘᵗᶠⁱᵗ ᵇʸ ˢᵖᵉᶜᵗᵃᶜˡᵉᵈᶜʰⁱᶜ
ʰᵃⁱʳ ᵇʸ ᵈᵒᵘˣ
