The Sultan of Selection: Twirlin Merlin

From Bowler Business Review #4

Facets of Furniture introduction by Eleanor Medier

Those who use the virtual world as a creative platform relate to realism in one of three ways. Furniture designers represent these views:

• Real life (RL) complements Second Life® (SL). Arkad Baxton, Arkad’s Products, explores new paths, using similar talents differently. A man of a thousand dreams, his energies are invested wisely in development and promotion. A proven track record of earning loyal customers, he shares his roadmap.

• RL extends into SL. Candid and courageous, anything Twirlin Merlin, TMS Designs, can create in the real world, he can create in the virtual one (see article by him below). And there are things in the virtual one that cannot be created in the real one,  opening new opportunities.

• RL contrasts with SL. Jillian Fairey, Fairey Angel Creations, finds a balance in unrelated experiences. She can explore new avenues of creativity not possible given real limitations.

Each SL resident is free of the physical inconveniences that use up so much real time, energy, and expense. If the created world is flawed, stressful, or demanding, there is the choice to simply not log on. Business owners, with greater responsibility and commitment, can’t afford such casual behavior. Dependability matters. Business is built upon a good reputation.

The furniture designers in this issue express how similar goals can have different motivations. They demonstrate how the same ends can satisfy in very different ways. For some there is a sharp division between SL and RL, for others, there is no division at all. There are those who wish to be something different when in a created world; there are those who wish only to more find themselves. The virtual community has to blend different approaches. What separates the professional from the amateur is in defining commitment in both worlds.

Twirlin Merlin, TMS Designs, discusses business with Eleanor Medier on his work platform.

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The Sultan of Selection by Twirlin Merlin

Call me a bit of a restless spirit and I have always had a creative streak. Ever since I was a teenager, I have made furniture in real life—and still do when I get the opportunity. My RL profession was graphic design. But I have always been interested in period design. When I started in Second Life® it was natural for me to create here. My friends chose buildings and architecture while I tended to make furnishing and things I was familiar with.

Some of my designs are similar in SL from RL. But in RL my work is detailed wood carving. In SL I can’t hope to recreate that yet, so I work outside my usual comfort zone. For example, I don’t make ‘soft’ furnishings in RL. I would enjoy that I am sure but I don’t have the space to make that type of item. However, some designs are replicas of ones I made in RL. I think I have just about made everything in here that I’ve made in RL over the years but more recently my creations in SL have become my latest work. I wouldn’t recreate them in RL as I feel they belong in the virtual world. In fact, I create more here now than I do in RL.

SL allows me to extend my imagination. I have more freedom to create here—to let my imagination decide on the results and not be bound by costs of materials, etc. And also to make some crazy off the wall stuff that people seem to love! I’m making an alternative Christmas dinner at the moment. A turkey infested with rats. I’ve been to a few places over the years in RL that could easily have that but not something I’d want myself.

A few years ago I got the drive to change my store when I started supporting Action Aid. As well as giving me a creative outlet and getting to meet people from all over the world (virtually speaking), we sponsor five kids now from China, Africa, and India. We also give a monthly donation to the World Wildlife Federation. So although I do this for fun, I feel it has an extended purpose.

Virtual furniture design and sales has evolved into my full time business. This wasn’t something I set out to do. I spent the first year in SL messing around and dancing mostly. Well, in the evenings I did because my SL partner came online. During the day I hung around with my friends trying to ‘out build’ each other. I sort of ‘grew up’ with them in our little building competitions. None of us had a clue of course. We were all just experimenting with the media here. After a while my SL girl friend encouraged me to open a store.

Now my SL business is extremely important to me so I make sure to come online everyday for answering any enquiries, dealing with problems, or updates.

I don’t know the percentages but I’d say 90% of people currently here are addicted. I guess I still am. I am more careful now to keep a balance between SL and RL but I do come in-world when a customer needs help with something they purchased. That’s my weakness. I can’t leave it until later. Besides, if I do, things that need attention add up and then when I get in-world, I do nothing but administration.

I can’t profess to always find balance. I try. I’m probably 80% successful. I make sure I devote time to my RL hobbies and interests—take my dogs out everyday for a long walk. Do the housework and stuff. Go fishing or play with cars.

The most challenging part of business is the techy part; it’s like standing on shifting sands. You learn one thing and then the goal posts move. I’m an artist, not a scientist! Lol! But you need to learn so much it makes your brain hurt. And you can never learn everything! I learnt how to build with prims. It was OK—easy really. But not for everyone. Then I learnt sculpts—much harder! Then learned mesh. Ouch!! Brain pills please! Then there’s scripting. Wow, get me a math professor! Just when you have it figured out, it changes!

Over the almost seven years I have had this business, in some ways things have changed a great deal but in others ways, have not changed at all. The ethos, the way the game is played is exactly as it always was. But the tech has changed a lot—it has improved mostly due to third-party development. The philosophy of Linden Labs has also changed. They have done a lot to improve the stability—must give them credit for that. “Crash City” was the name of most sims here a few years ago! Yet people come here like they always came and for the same reasons. That’s not changed.

Business has grown both in profit and scale but my motivation isn’t to drive profit up nor to make more work for myself. My motivation is to entertain myself, to create ‘stuff’ and to provide for my charities. It is also to work to enhance the game. That last one came late on. Once I realized my work actually did enhance peoples’ experience in SL it gave me focus to strive to create to my best—and to better what I last made. So long as I can pay for the sim and my advertising costs and keep supporting existing and perhaps some more good causes, I will be happy. But I have never ever looked at anything I have made a week after making it and sat back and admired it totally. I always find something that can be improved upon. No matter how good it might be; I keep learning.

I’ve had goals. But they seem silly after a while. Personal goals that is. There are things I’d like to do. And things I will do to enhance the business. But they are superficial things: layout and stock etc. In general terms,  I am virtually very happy.

I used to find all sorts weird here. But I’ve come to learn there’s a whole different reasoning that once you understand, it makes sense. It depends how emerged in the virtual life one gets. Don’t quote me using the term ‘normal’ to describe a three-legged person, btw!

As far as bridging with RL, I don’t mind people knowing who I am but I choose who I tell. My profile gives a lot of it. I will divulge if asked. I don’t tell everyone everything. I’m 49 years old, been and done just about everything. I have worked in the army, as a musician, as an artist… what I tell depends what the asker wants to know and why. I was an editor for a well known publication in the UK too once upon a time. And  I am hopeless at spelling 😉

I guess I wasn’t any good at any of those jobs. None really satisfied me. I’m happy now that I do my creating in the virtual world. I get to chat with lots of people and can mute them if I don’t like them (I only had to do that once) plus I get to choose my hours. I can do what I want, where I want, when I want, and with whom I want—what could be better than this?!!!

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See this article as it first ran in the virtual world release of Bowler Business Review #4 (download PDF).
Contributions welcome, please send to eleanormedier@gmail.com.

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