From the Sculptress: Season 2

From the Sculptress: Season 2

Hello my friends and welcome back to The Gallery Lapideus, I am your hostess Monyca Medusa Meiyers. But please call me Mony all of my friends do.

So I bet you thought the good ol'gallery was finished didn't you? Well I think it and me still have a little bit of life left in us and after some rejuvenation we are both back for a new season. What is "Season 2"? You might ask. A gimmick, a way for me to get people's attention and see if I still have relevance. It may or may not work but I am willing to give it a try. Though it is more then just that, it is after all a new start to the gallery, the blog, and myself in this. I get to come back with all the things that people loved and what worked and possibly trim the fat a little and do away with what didn't work. Without further ado, let's begin.

2012
The previous year was both a blessing and a curse for me.

The Blessing
When I had first thought up the idea of the gallery I was more or less hoping to attract some of my fellow SL residents who I knew loved ASFR. It was my hope that I could possibly get one or two to set up a box or post and hang out with me. I was floored by the response, not just floored but driven into it (see below for how this would effect me) by all the responses I got from people. Within days of opening up I was flooded with requests from people who wanted to be an exhibit. When I had first tumbled this concept in my mind I had never even figured anyone other then my friends would come, but come they did. People from all around the grid would eventually begin to make their way to the gallery to look at both the collections of artwork I had gathered for the walls and the avatars who made up the exhibits. In a short time I would be meeting some of the most talented and best people I would ever meet on SL. So many people were either on board or supportive to the idea and I was often praised for my project. I was thanked for what I was doing for the community or for introducing others to it. That really did feel nice because it wasn't often that I felt I had accomplished much on SL. In fact after over five years just prior to the opening I was a little on the fence about remaining active on it due to the drain it was putting on me emotionally at times. Little did I know this drain was about to be unclogged.

The Curse
I do not do well with success. In fact I do not do well with being the person that others are looking to for anything. I just have the terrible tendency to either shrink from it when the going gets tough or spread myself way to thin. I think I did a little of both. At first I was gung-ho on making sure the gallery was a nice place to be for people to come and relax and take in all of the ASFR work from so many of my friends across the net and possibly show off their own work. It would be very soon that I would realize just what a mountain I was climbing. Within the month I was busy either explaining the premise of what the exhibits were or setting up space for them. Now I did try and keep some strict rules about what I would or would not do/allow. How quickly I would be bending and breaking them. At first I was the one who would be taking most of the punishment, many many nights were stretched way to far and I was worn very thin. But hey, only I was really being hassled by this. Around here is the big oops I should never have done. I begin to "play" with a number of exhibits in the gallery. This would come back to bite me. Because I should have been following my mission statement and not my erogenous zones. This was way unprofessional. Because while I was saying the gallery was not for play I was showing that it indeed was. Combine this with me caught in the never ending cross fire of IM's, maintaining the gallery, and trying to stay sane. Something was bound to give, and unfortunately many of my relationships that had blossomed from the gallery would be the things to give. Next would be my sanity.

So I must say thank you and that I am sorry in the same breath, because I owe a lot to all of you. I mean this from the depths of my heart.

And on to the changes
What are they gonna be? Well for the most it is a stream line of the over all concept. I want to make it a little less of a cumbersome experience to the guests and to myself. I want to make the experience enjoyable to myself because without me being happy at it I can't expect to make others happy as well. Here is a list of some of the changes to be expected.

A new building for the gallery
This was something a number of my friends had suggested to me around the end of the summer. The original warehouse design I had selected was a nice low prim and well made design that I think had a uniqueness that  fit my style. Towards the end I was seeing some issues with the layout that I am hoping will be taken care of in the next build.

Fixing the wall frames
The wall frames were a good idea that I copped out on. I was rushing towards the end and the frames were one of those things I had planned on doing more with. So I ended up just using some freebies I had collected at some point. I am hoping the next round will be more thought out.

Limits on exhibits
I want to be able to show case the exhibits a little more so combined with the change of the frames I want to make the exhibits an attraction and not a filler for space. I want the people who take their time to do this to feel they are special and not just "working" on SL.

Getting rid of the things that are just not working
There just was somethings that did not seem to pan out like I was hoping. Either through my own lack of pushing it or through lack of interest. I decided to pull a couple things due to this and have either just get rid of it all together or move it to the blog. The Erotica Library will be one of the things I have decided to get rid of. This was a hell of a chore for me to copy and paste all the stories while contacting authors for permission  I quickly burned out and never re-ignited on this. The Artist Corner is something that I am removing from the inworld gallery and moving to the blog. This is something I have mixed feelings about. Because this was undoubtedly one of the things I got tons of comments on but it was requiring I rely on others to facilitate. So I have decided to move it to the blog with some changes I feel you all may enjoy. Seating Areas are somehing that I had tons of interest in, but when it came down to it, I never seen utilized unless people were being directed to it. So I have decided to put a couple in somewhere but I am more then happy to leave my good neighbors at the World Of Kink to be the social spot and if you need a place to sit I recomend thm for sure.

The blog is getting it's own tweaks
This is MOSTLY me trying to maintain some sort of schedule and not do it in tangents when things interest me. I can not say if or when this will happen but I am looking to implement this, maybe... The other is the moving of the Artist Corner to the blog to better take strain off from having contributors worry so much. I am also adding a pair of media articles to better break up the Review articles I had written before. Since a review is in a sense a critique of the subject I thought it was better I not review the work of others and leave that to products that I am trying to show to everyone. Because showing the pros and cons of a device is different then talking abut what I may or may not like about someones work.

That's about it for what this new spin on The Gallery Lapideus has in store. Of course this is not all there is because without a doubt I will change more, not do others, and in general need to hold some things from you to keep you coming back, right?

Some thanks I most definitely owe

The first and biggest goes to... YOU! It has been ever set of eyes conected to  brain behind it that have done me the great privilege of taking your time to either visit the inworld gallery or read this blog. And in a lot of cases doing both. Kudos to you. When I was close to giving up on this it was the tought of disapointing you that made me get off my rear and do what I owed.

Kris Shiras
What can I say other then the inworld gallery and, in my opinion, one of the best transformation and doll sims on the entirety of the grid would not exist with out her gracious commitment to The Doll Works. Support her, tell her that she is a goddess to us for what she does, because she is. I know I hold her in esteem for it.Thank you Kris.

Roen Fardel
My best friend, partner, and lover has been way to good to me and understanding while I have delved into this passion of mine. Without her I would have never made it this far. I love you Mistress.

Auroro (ladyph4antom)
We had been acquainted for a number of years prior to the gallery and her coming to SL even if she doesn't recall but she helped me to see the gallery was something others liked and respected and not just me deluding myself into feeling I was on a sinking ship. Thanks for the prospective.

Sweetie (Lita Morane)
There is nothing I can say except, WOW! This girl went above and beyond what I was expecting with her exhibits. I have had some great works done by a number of people who I have valued but I will always think of Sweetie's stuff with a point of pride to have been honored to show. It is one of my best rewards on SL to date.

PetrifiedOne
Passion and commitment are rarely paired together. I know they are mutually exclusive in my own case, but I was thrilled to find them combined in her. Thanks hun for being there for me.

Dani (lilihanah)
This girl has been in and out of the gallery from day one! I can't even compare the amount of times we have spoken to others, because even if she wasn't an exhibit I will admit I often thought of her as a fixture. Your support has been a pillar.

PLEASE, anyone who I did not mention I in no way value these people any more then you, each one of you has done as much and in some cases more to make The Gallery Lapideus what it is. I may do most of the heavy lifting but it would be another collection of prims had you all not made it your hang out. I hope I can return the love you have showed in kind.

Thank you everyone, lets enjoy this new season of the gallery together.

Your friend and gallery curator,
Mony