Siren Nyoki, from THE SIREN'S LAIR - Interview

Tala all, 

The life undersea is made by residents for sure. also places where we can swim. But how would we look without creators? 

There is a lot of blogs about fashion, places, passions, but no one permet to creators to express themself by another way than creations. 

It's not my point of view. They also have things to do, to explain. And isn't it beter to know a little bit more about our tailors? 

For this first episode of this new part of the blog, I contacted Siren Nyoki, creator and owner of THE SIREN'S LAIR. Remember, the post called SPLASH 2.0 shows one of her tails, and soon we'll see another one. 

but for now, stop talking, and let's place to our guest. 

Siren Nyoki (siren.galicia)

Why did you decide to create outfits for Merfolks? 

Well... Originally it wasn't planned on, It just kinda happened! I randomly read about Second Life while flipping through a business magazine during a fashion marketing class I had in high school (I was 17 at the time) talking about SL real estate businesses and all the money they make. So I thought I would give it a try! I found out right away that being a mermaid in SL was a "thing" something that you could really do! And after about a year of being a mer in SL.. idk... I just... HAD to create... I just got the creative itch to make something!

Most of it is because of my RL..

See in RL I'm Trans, and my father in RL wasn't excepting of that... and my high school years in RL were a very dark time for me. I was coming into my own and becoming rebellious.. I was learning a bit of who and what I was.. and for my whole life.. the story of the little mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson has been a HUGE HUGE impact on me. My dad was so controlling and I saw him as the sea king and I dreamed of a world with so much more and wanted to be like the everyday girls I knew around me.. and it hurt to not be able to be a part of that.. to have to be forced to play the gender role of a boy when you knew nothing about you was male. My dad was beating me just about every other day.. My grades where horrible, and my teachers, and close friends where worried about me, and my safety. All of this happened while I was on SL! And I feel like it sky rocketed me into creating, because I needed an outlet to express myself and get away from just how REAL RL was for me. And I took all that abuse and bad stuff.. and I turned it into a business... and since of.... October of 2008 I have been cranking out one awesome thing after another! And when they say "it gets better." It does...♥ So yeah it wasn't exactly planned out.. it just happened .. it was just something I needed to do.. and for me it's not just business.. creating mer items for me is personal.

when you look at your first release now, what do you trully think about it? 

one of firsts release from TSL

Omg I don't remember my true first release but when I think back as far as I can to my first creations there is a tail that comes to mind...

I was going for something very tropical and Ariel inspired with Barbie like colors... it was supposed to be my personal tail.. Back then I was drawing all my textures by hand and then scanning them into my PC to recreate in Photoshop.. I used to think I was the SHIT back then... I think a lot of us think highly of ourselves and our friendships when we first start out.. It's not until we step outside of our little worlds and find out were not even blips on the SL radar and we can't afford to be.. well unless some of us had a good bit of money coming into SL for the first time.. then you know... shopping for the best or newest things got you caught up with everyone else... but... My story started a long time ago... I know some players who have been on SL as early as like 05? 06? I don't even know.... But yes I have come a LONG LONG way from the early days of not only MY STORE! or myself! but of SL! I am literally a product and child of SL.. I grew with it and it grew with me. Todays newbies will never have known what it was like to BE in SL in it's early times.. They will be picking up from where SL left off as of today... But ummm Looking back at the items and photos.. I wouldn't take myself seriously.. however.. I do see my bubbly personality creativity and sense of detail in even my earliest works.... I may not have been someone to look out for at that time back then... but I was definitely someone to keep an eye on over the years... back then I had nothing to lose.. and honestly still don't that makes me a HUGE force in my community.. even with all my current success if it all falls I know how to pick back up with out a problem so really.... I never lose anything.. I only gain everything!

where do you usually find inspiration to create new tails? 

Oooo GOOD question!

I personally take mine directly from fish found in nature!

I am a huge sucker for realism, because I feel it takes more work and skill for a person to attempt to recreate what it seen in front of them then it does to pull something out of their ass... it similar to the age old art debate "What is art?" where people speak either for or against abstract or realism style art work... I do appreciate abstract or fantasy concepts some of them POP and just SCREAM at you and make you smile... others.... are just cheap ways to make a buck off a person in SL and are total scams and creative in NO way! And thats just pure honesty on my part.. people will feel how they will but after doing this for so long.. you can tell who tried and who is after your cash when you look at the quality of their work.. but yeah.. RL nature always gives the best inspiration Planet earth is my muse ♥

Siren gave me some pics "behind the scene" to show you

 What would you say to someone who wanted to start to create items for merfolks?

Omg I would say a LOT

First of all creating is easy if you love being creative.. however owning a business in the line of creating mer items and tails!! It's INSANE HARD!

Here is why.... there isn't a lot of mer creator support... you might learn how to make items but you wont learn how to make them function properly because most ppl don't know at all, don't know enough, or don't want you to know...

We mer creators... don't normally see eye to eye.. and even the ones that do.. STILL tend to keep to themselves or their own circle of friends.. In my case I have never been shy to admit that I have bad blood with many mer creators.. and they have bad blood with me... however.. such is life... A mermaid NEVER loses sleep over the opinions of SHRIMP!

It's very VERY catty out here! You have been warned lol

Swim at your own risk!!

As for me I'm nice (I'd say.. but then everyone thinks they are nice so...) I just don't like ignorance... and I don't like ppl who DON'T like me! *shrugs*

Also!! The more important stuff!!

You NEED to know photoshop! MUST MUST MUST MUSTTTTT know photoshop

Illustrator is a nice addition to also use along SIDE photoshop but it's not required.

Also You NEED to be up to date on materials!! Be on top of your game at all times! If SL has an update and adds something new to work with.. you need to be learning it like YESTERDAY!

We have a lot of mer creators in the community who still use classic avatars with clothing layer pants covered in scales.. and flexi prim fins....

I don't care how creative you are.. if you are behind the times you will be LEFT behind.. don't be so proud of your work that you hold onto old ideals and concepts... as a creator you MUST adapt change and grow with the programs your working with (meaning SL) and with your market.. if everyone is wearing mesh items of SOME kind... then you need to be working with mesh.. no excuses. 

Just cuz your little clique of SL besties is cheering you on doesn't mean your doing great business wise.. 

for example.. if your besties like your work.. but hardly ever wear it..... and you almost NEVER see it on other SL users when you go out and about in the community... then you need to go back and try again...

Also know your market!

We have Mer RP'ers and Mer SL users the 2 groups do mix often.. but their needs DONT! 

Living as a mer in SL like a person in RL wearing a mer COSTUME all day everyday has a market for certain things and carries itself a certain way.

Going to an RP sim where the owner has rules and a BG story of how mer would be on their sim and the items mer need to play in ALL of these very diffrent RP sims is a  WHOLE other market as well!

You might have a mermaid who does both but what she does and uses in her mer home in her personal time is not what she SHOULD be doing and using in an RP sim...

For example.. in SL a person came up with a mer language and it started in the community of mer SL users and then found it's way in RP sims.. however... if you go to RP sims today... people will look at you crazy for saying TALA as your form of a mermaid hello on sim.. because each RP sim is different and has different mer with different rules and expectations so what you do outside of RP is not what you do in it.. So KNOW YOUR MARKET!

Also have FUN! Don't take the neg things seriously at all.. your going to be your fabulous self no matter what so give your haters the middle finger while you swim over them like a staircase to the surface.♥

Behind the scene again

If you had to explain your work in one word, wich one would you use?

Authentic 

Can you say us something about your next projects? 

As always we plan on doing everything.. if it's in the water.. be it fresh of salt.. and I feel like doing it... I'm going to!

We currently are working with LOTS of new mesh items and I'll let you guys find out when you go shopping what awesome greatness we have in store for all of you!

Our guest, maybe in search of new releases for our pleasure

What is your favorite mermaid/siren or merman/triton ?

I just like mermaids and I like girls who can sing... and I like the IDEA of "Sea Sirens" Not to be confused with the greek sirens from tales of old...

"Quick myth lesson... the sirens had a sing off with the muses and lost and died... and it is said that there are mermaids who do the work OF sirens as there are now no more sirens... This means that mermaids who have a more sinister way about them or simply fit the stereotypical profile of a siren are NOW considered THE sirens of today.. and because they are from the sea NOT fresh water... they SHOULD be known to all as "Sea" Sirens... However please note mermaids who do not have siren like ways can still sing or even out sing a siren... because the word "siren" is being used in the same manner that we use the word "Diva" today it's a name or word given to a person who carries themselves in such a manner.. So being a siren.. is more like a mermaid with a siren like mentality who happens to fit the profile of the word "siren" but she in fact is just a mermaid.. but is now labeled a "Sea" Siren... (FOOD FOR THOUGHT)

ALSO!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the film Aquamarine staring Sara Paxton.

The mermaids from the film HOOK are my all time fav! (The 1991 twist on the children's classic peter pan tale to be more modern and a bit comical staring Robin Williams.

I like CLASSIC mermaids found in old paintings and antiques in art.

She creature was great as well I do like the idea of a monstrous mermaid or sort of a scifi fantasy type. 

And my fav mermaid book of all time is Mermaid by Carolyn Turgeon

Tho I have a collection of mer myth books as well as medical journals from my grand father a study of fish and human illemtns.. the use of herbs in healing and EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know ever on all of the above LOL.

me:<--------------- Mermaid Guru!

Where are you from?

I am from the US

What is the think you enjoy the most when you are undersea on SL?

Hmmm I DO enjoy the free felling you get from just BEING in water.. and feeling it rush past youwhen you swim.. even in SL you get that same feeling translated into RL because you know your in "water" and you know what that "feels" like.. but I have to say it's a tie between the feeling of water.... AND being surrounded by BEAUTIFUL plants and animals.. the kind you only find living a life aquatic! It's awesome being mer!

Something more you want to say before stopping?

Thank you for the interview... Thanks to all who read it FOR reading it.. thank you for allowing me to be ME in SL and while I have the PLATFORM TO speak and have it read by the public to some extent.. I do want to say firstly because I'm a trans woman of color #BlackTransLivesMatter ... But also because I don't want anyone to think that I only see ONE struggle going on at the end of the day #AllLifeMatters 

Just please know that some groups do have it worse then others and we can't act like they don't..... BE the change you want to see in the world...  know SL is SL and RL is RL.. but even if RL is ugly... and SL is your escape... You can never hope to have as GREAT of an RL as you do an SL if you don't get out there and fight for life! #WorldPeace is still a beautiful idea... and #EqualityOnALLFronts is important...

Now that the politics are out of the way... Just go have fun... Enjoying being in SL! Go shake a tail fin and make something of yourselves no matter what life it's in.. and oh! One more thing.... JOIN THE SWIM!!!

secondlife:///app/group/9f72ebb2-b5ff-2545-3ce3-baaa466b8fce/about

 Join our group stay updated!!

 you can also follow out tumblr blog flickr and FB pages! 

http://tsl-thesirenslair.tumblr.com/

https://www.flickr.com/groups/tsl-thesirenslair/pool/

https://www.facebook.com/TSLTheSirensLair?ref=hl

Thank you so much to Siren for her words, and pics she gave me and allowed me to publish. 

We'll soon have intrviews from other creators. 

And also, as I look stats, I can see you are more followers everyday. thank you all for that. Big kisses and huggies^^

Lusa em,

Orlane, Congrejo