Masoom Interview for Focus Magazine for March 2020

Interview with Amber Shaw the owner of Massom

-------------------------------------------------------------------

[I came to the home of Amber Shaw, the owner of Masoom].

Amber: Hello!

Partee: Thank you ever so kindly for agreeing to the interview. I must say that I am a fan of Masoom and my editor in chief thought it was fabulous. She thinks as highly of your store as well

Amber: Thank you so much. I am humbled. Please have a seat.

Partee: If I might begin then. So you have been in Second Life for over 10 years now.

Amber: Oh yes, I am a senior citizen. Hehe.

Partee: Not quite that senior since Second Life just recently celebrated its 16th birthday. How did you get started?

Amber: Do you mean my work or Second Life in general?

Partee: Well, at first, just how you got started, then we can move on to your work. Unless they are co-terminus.

Amber: I found an ad for Second Life on Facebook, It seemed interesting so I thought I will check it out. That is how I started.

Partee: Oh nice! Anything, in particular, sparked your interest? Had you done much gaming like that?

Amber: I have always been a gamer playing Xbox and Playstation.

Partee: So how was Second Life at the beginning for you? What sort of things did you do?

Amber: Well at the beginning I did not know anyone here, so there were no friends to hang out with. For that reason, I kind of got bored and left Second Life for around 6 or 7 months.

Partee: Not unusual. It can be boring without something to provide interest.

Amber: Indeed.

Partee: How did you get involved again?

Amber: I saw some videos on YouTube. Someone was creating clothing in Second Life. I found it very cool and interesting so I said I will give it a try. I wanted to make something unique just for myself.

Partee: So it was your interest in creating clothes that drew you back in. Did you have any real-life ties in that regard?

Amber: I am an artist in real life. I always liked creating stuff. That is the only tie I would say.

Partee: That is a marvelous reason. So many people are creative in real life and come into Second Life and find a way of expressing that creativity.

Amber: That is the beauty of Second Life.

Partee: Oh yes! How did you start then? That must have been back in the system clothing days?

Amber: Yes around 5 years ago and it was only system clothing and flexis back then. I just actually wanted to make things for myself. So I started just for fun and for myself. To find out more I used to hang around in some of the building schools and making some friends there.

Partee: Did others express an interest in what you were making?

Amber: Yes, at first it was just me sending anyone whatever they thought was nice on me. :)

Partee: When did the light bulb click so to speak, that you could turn it into a business?

Amber: I don’t remember exactly why I decided to start selling, but I do remember my first store had everything in it at 10L.

Partee: What sort of clothing were you making? Any particular types?

Amber: Its always been women fashion such as tops, dresses, gowns, etc.

Partee: So how did it go? Did your store build slowly or was it a rapid process?

Amber: Oh I remember setting up the store and sending a notice in some group about it and the clothes sold like hotcakes! I have always had a great response whenever I advertised anything new. But yes, it was a slow process. Nothing gets done quickly.

Partee: How did you advertise, was it in the fashion groups or other sorts of places?

Amber: I think I was just one group. I was not a part of many groups back then since it was not like I can earn real-life money from it. So it was just for fun. I did not have any social media accounts either. Back then I was very slow in making things. It was like once a month.

Partee: That would have been early. The groups were about the only way.

Amber: Nods. Well, I have been a slowpoke with media anyway. I did not advertise religiously or use any social media until 2 years ago or so.

Partee: Well you have a name now, that I can say for sure!

Amber: That always makes me blush and I am humbled at the love I get.

Partee: I am not surprised, your clothing is amazing!

Amber: Thank you? I try.

Partee: If I might ask where do you get your fashion sense from? Is it a bleed-over from your real-life artistic involvement?

Amber: Well, Its a mix of my things in real life that I like to wear. I never try to look at any one thing and make it, it is more about something I see triggering me into making an outfit. Sometimes I even make things that I literally have dreamed.

Partee: Dreamed of! How delightful!

Amber: I do dream of things. I am not even kidding. My brain usually is in overdrive when I am about to sleep.

Partee: Just curious, does that make it hard to sleep?

Amber: Oh God, very hard. I have to keep reminding myself, please sleep. It is time to sleep. :)

Partee: My dreams are of coding and data. I must say dreaming of fashion still seems far more delightful!

Amber: I keep a notepad under my pillow and it is all scribbles in the dark. I can't understand half of it in the morning.

Partee: I have heard that is common for artists. They often do their best work under such inspiration.

Amber: Well its an age-old habit from even before Second Life.

Partee: I know if I scribble like that before bed I can never figure out what I was thinking the next day! You seem to handle it better.

Amber: Yes, it is so sad when I cannot remember the actual bits that were so visual when I was trying to jot it down.

Partee: I am glad some at least shines thru for you. So you started with system clothing and opened a store back then When mesh started percolating into Second Life how was that for you?

Amber: Oh I was intrigued, new things always excite me in my bones. I have no real-life background in working with 3D so it took me around a year to learn mesh.

Partee: Ah, so you make your own mesh then?

Amber: I do everything myself. The whole production process is me.

Partee: That must be a lot of work. You must be very organized.

Amber: It is a LOT of work. But I learned to manage it by now. And yes I have to keep real life and Second Life organized or nothing gets done. :)

Partee: Did you get started with rigged mesh?

Amber: Yes back when we had rigged mesh and 5 standard sizes.

Partee: What tools did you start with? Did you have any helps along the way?

Amber: I started with Blender, or should I say tried to start with Blender but I found it was not my thing. So I switched to Maya and it is my best friend now.

Partee: Many people I talk to love Maya.

Amber: I feel its like 2 schools of thought. One can use Blender one can use Maya.

Partee: And hopefully no open warfare between the 2 groups, but then I think it is too late for that hope.

Amber: Well it is like I swear by Maya while my friends swear by Blender. No hostilities though! :)

Partee: I thought you said for a second there that you swear by Maya and swear at Blender.

Amber: Oh that I DO! Well, whenever I try and do something in Blender I feel lost.

Partee: I am glad Maya has worked great for you.

Amber: Yes, it is my baby.

Partee: So how long does it take you to go from a thought to a ready product?

Amber: Depends on the mesh and complexity of the idea and how many pieces are involved. If I have decided it will be a full outfit or one piece. It is always different.

Partee: I can imagine. How do you decide or come up with your textures? I have to say you always seem to have marvelous textures for your outfits.

Amber: Aw, thank you, dear. I appreciate the compliments. For textures, I imagine how this outfit be in real life and how I would feel them if I was wearing it in real life. That is how I plan them.

Partee: Sounds like a good approach. How was the transition to fitted mesh for you? Any hiccups or just a natural transition?

Amber: Well mesh is still the same and the process is the same, it's just that we have to make a lot of different things because of all the bodies which make for a lot of added work. But the main process is still the same as rigged mesh.

Partee: How do you thread your way through all the different bodies that are out there? Sometimes it must be so daunting.

Amber: It was very daunting at first I admit, but now it is a process of just taking it one step at a time and to keep on going.

Partee: Which bodies do you generally provide offerings for these days?

Amber: These days its Legacy, Maitreya Lara, Freya, and Slink Hourglass. Just those four.

Partee: They seem to the big ones. On a note, I am fascinated with how much of a storm Legacy seems to be making, though of course, Lara is still, by far, the favorite.

Amber: Legacy is making a storm because it is the easiest to rig for. The kit is accurate. People do not realize how much work it is for a designer to rig for a body. So it is a welcome change with Legacy and the body is beautiful.

Partee: Wonder if they took notes on what previous bodies had done and tried to make sure to not make the same mistakes.

Amber: Legacy, I think, took around 5 years to launch. It still is in beta, but I am sure they have done their best to try to eliminate any body faults, They have a good team at hand and they are approachable and very responsive to designers. It is a breeze to work with them.

Partee: That sounds marvelous. I have been thinking of giving it a try myself and getting a Legacy body.

Amber: Oh I never took it off after I wore it the first time. I suggest you give it a try!

Partee: I will, thank you! I also wanted to talk about your involvement in events. you have always seemed to have a strong presence at events. How many events are you generally involved in from month to month?

Amber: ` I have around 5 to 8 per month, however, the months I am making my exclusive group gifts I keep the number of events lower.

Partee: Commendable, but must be a lot of work?

Amber: It is a lot of work yes. But I love working. I am a workaholic.

Partee: Exclusive group gifts always seems a way to gain a lot of brand loyalty, which I can say for Masoom certainly is the case!

Amber: Yes, I am very thankful and humbled by all my group members, the ones who are constantly supporting each release as well as the ones who come forward and express their love for the releases. It always makes my day. So I try and give back as much I can for making them feel as special as they make me feel.

Partee: That sounds fabulous! I am glad that you have that chance to do so. Back on the events, do you have any events you are involved with month to month and which events are you looking to do this month?

Amber: Oh I do have my regular events every month, like Fameshed, Uber, Equal 10, Kinky. Arcade is also a regular event. As to this month, Fameshed and Equal 10 are already running, I still have Access, Uber, Belle, and Kinky yet to go this month.

Partee: I thought of wearing an outfit from Masoom that I got at Arcade but seemed a bit much for the interview. The other was from Kinky.

Amber: Hehe, gacha outfits are a bit extra. They are more like fantasy or role playing things with a lot of pizzazz. They are not like the normal outfits I make for other events

Partee: Well I am a gacha addict so I love it!

Amber: Yay, love you kind of people, you make gacha fun to create.

Partee: What I love about gacha outfits is that they often have such flair. And thank you for your involvement in Arcade!

Amber: Its always an honor and a pleasure. Arcade is the only gacha event I am doing these days.

Partee: So how do you seem things for yourself and Masoom in the future? Any particular directions or thoughts?

Amber: Oh 2020 is a new year, I have planned a lot of changes for my group, focusing on giving back, the exclusive group only gifts just available for group members, deals and things so come for. Planning on a big move in 2020, with new custom builds and a lot of other exciting things, so the future seems bright. Knock on wood. :)

Partee: I want to thank you for the interview. I loved talking with you! It was an utter delight!

Amber: It was a pleasure sweetheart, you are so sweet and professional.