FOR THE CHILD IN ALL OF US

 By Rose_Blossom

I often spend some of my spare time visiting websites and “blogs”  (Web Logs or journals) of avies in There.  They often  have nothing to do with questing, or buggy riding, or racing, or even There at all.  A lot of them DO have to do with art, and with poetry, with painting, and with writing, with creativity and with imagination.   The following poem along with many other works of inspiration, can be found on a website belonging to one of our most prominent Therians and community leaders.   

Her artistic and imaginative designs have always caught my eye.  It’s not very surprising that her website would, as well.  I’m speaking, of course, of none other than DreamWeaver.  I was very honored to be interviewing DreamWeaver just in time to coincide with the upcoming event, “Nightmare B4 Theremas, presented by The Dream Team” on December 18^th (Saturday) from 12:00 PM to 9:00 PM PST.  (Check the Activities in your There Bar for scheduled events). 

Being particularly interested in creative art, I poked around DreamWeaver’s website, mesmerized by the selection of drawings, poetry and writings…all of the things that I wish I could do, but never had the courage.  DreamWeaver told me about one of her poems, which is very special to her, the one poem, she said, that “is the one poem over all of them that I would pick to share with the world.”

 

 

A Letter Just for YOU

 

Dear Children...

 

YOU are in the hour of your OWN power...

You are the color of songs yet to be sung...

You are the light shining through every rainbow...

Your own UNIQUENESS is for you, and ONLY YOU...

For each and every one of you is the

"only one of you"

Each of you will have a wonderful story to tell, and

share in your lifetime...

Born into the rich, the poor, or the in between,

The FUTURE is held within your hands...

You are the one in control--no one else...

BUT YOU have to BELIEVE in YOURSELF...

 

YOU are in the hour of your own POWER...

REFLECT what is good and loving...

For how you REACT to a given situation,

will be the RESULT

as to if it is GOOD or BAD...

For SADNESS or HAPPINESS...

Remember that when smiles, hope, faith, compassion, love, and true friendship

are what you give,

You cast a "light" all around you...

Remember that those "positives" are very contagious--

just as the opposite emotions are also...

Think about what you would rather have...the bright side of life, or the dark side...

Which do you choose?

The choice should be obvious...

 

Sometimes you will be placed  into situations that seem like you have no control...

But you can do your best to turn the situation to your advantage, and grow strong...

You can either learn to do good with your life, or use the excuse that you had no control

and turn everything in your life upside down...

You just have to search for the solution no matter how hard it may seem...

YOU can turn your life around no matter what is in front of you telling you that you

CAN'T...

There will always be someone who will tell you it CAN'T be done...

Prove them WRONG...

Just BELIEVE in the MIRACLE of BELIEVING and DREAMING...

 

YOU, the CHILDREN of the WORLD,

are in the hour of power...

For it is up to you to learn and teach

love, patience, joy, peace, friendship, thoughtfulness, compassion,

And so much more...

If you learn and teach hatred, fear, anger, and negative emotions,

YOU will generate those feelings to and in others...

Now you have a choice...

Will you be the life and light of this world,

Or will you choose the dark side and destroy?

 

REMEMBER ONE THING...

If you will be ashamed of what you are doing today,

and would be ashamed or embarrassed to let anyone know about it

sometime in the future...

DON'T DO IT...

You are the power within your life...

You are in the hour of power to create all things

GOOD and BEAUTIFUL...

You are the colors of the rainbow...

the colors of a song yet to be sung...

 

With LOVE,

A Friend

By DreamWeaver 

Picture, if you will, a beautiful day, and a clear blue sky (is there any other kind of day in There?) and a pleasant walk along Eagle’s Bluff in Dune Valley along the Northeast corner of Caldera.  That’s where you will find the Dream Team Clubhouse!  And that’s also where you will usually find DreamWeaver! 

Come along with me, while I take a dream-like journey, into the world that is DreamWeaver’s world.  A world of color, of shapes, of children, of friends, but mostly of her love for life!  We walked together, we talked together, we shared our secrets, and bared our souls.  She told me about her likes and dislikes, and about her fears, her accomplishments and her hopes and wishes for our world.   

In DreamWeaver’s profile, it says, “My goal is to be #1 in creative and unique designs--DreamWeaver Creations and Fashions.”  She says that many people she meets tell her, that she has a “name”  in There—that people know of her who she’s never met…I asked her to elaborate.  “As with all designers, I have good days and bad days. I suppose I am very blessed in having mostly good days. Sometimes I have weeks that are fantastic, then sales drop, and I feel sad. Then just when I think sales are really bad, they go back up. Strange—I don’t understand it. I wish my transaction history would tell me the name of my buyers. I think what I make the most money on, are what I call my “exclusive” designs.  These are clothing designs that are very limited in world. There are usually only seven or less made of that design, and once they are sold, I don’t sell another one.  Rarely do I put them in auction because they are very expensive. One time I did put one in auction, and it was gone that day.  Now back to the “my goal is to be #1 in creative and unique designs”…I think I have some of the most unique and creative designs in world because they are all original. I spend hours just creating the patterns, drawings, etc. and then create the outfit.  I won’t say I am number one because we all have such diverse and wonderful talents that there is no one who is what I would call the “1 designer, no matter how many outfits or buggies they sell.  I have found that all of us who are designers are # 1 in someone’s book…hehe…All that really matters to me is that I create designs that make people happy, and that they take pleasure in them.” 

Her profile is also specific about where she lives in RL (Real Life) and a little about what her life is like in such magnificent surroundings!  How bad could it be to wake up every day on the side of a mountain in Yosemite, California?  … My son (age 16), husband, and I live in a very small, cluttered house—lots of books, computers, knick-knacks, and a lot of good wholesome LOVE.  I love to go out and watch the sun set at night, and when the weather is nice, watch the sky and the stars.  We have millions of stars.  The air is usually clean unless there is a fire, and then it gets scary because we could be in danger. All in all, this is the perfect place to live.  We are a short distance from Yosemite, but I have not been there much (doesn’t that just figure?).  )   I live in the mountains on the side of a mountain… I would love to have an underground house here, and hope to make that dream a reality someday.  We have a fantastic view which I have put onto pictures in There.  I have deer, birds of all kinds (especially Humming birds in Spring and Summer), and squirrels that visit daily, and a great deal of bugs too. lol  We get the praying mantis’s that join us in the summer, and they often become “pets” for their short lifespan.” 

Dreamweaver has been a member of There since April, 2003.  To hear her describe her early days is like a legend in itself.  Can you imagine?....Even her mentor was legendary!  “My very first mentor was Sonblock.  At the time, he was a tech on the phone (not in submissions), and he actually took me from phone into world for my first visit.  He showed me around, and loaned me a buggy. I was afraid I would lose it, but he didn’t seem concerned about it being lost, and I could not figure out why.  He didn’t tell me that he could retrieve the buggy if I lost it. After we parted, I explored and drove the buggy.  Well, lo and behold, I lost the buggy that night, and I was beside myself. After all how would I tell Sonny that I had lost his buggy? I then fell to my doom off the cliffs of Tyr into the mote, and didn’t have transportation.  I ran and explored by foot, and really didn’t mind not having transportation because everything was so new and beautiful.   Once I logged out, I still wondered how I would tell Sonny that I lost his buggy.  The following day, if I remember correctly, Sonny and I met again.  I told him I lost his buggy, and he just laughed (I could just picture him laughing in real life). Then he told me he had it, and how.  We stood there and laughed.   From that day on when I needed help, Sonny was always there to help me in live phone help, along with the others who were so knowledgeable at There.” 

As someone who started in There with nothing…no There-designing tools, no There-designing education, her first There-created items were an adventure.  “I knew the moment I entered world and found out that we could create our own clothes, buggies, and more. I was so excited about that feature.  There was no one at that time to help you learn like there is today, so I taught myself by experimenting with everything. Things were much more difficult back then, but it was worth every moment I spent on it.” 

“Basically I taught myself most of what I know today. Besides being mostly a self taught graphic designer, I took photography and print shop when I was in high school.  In those days it was only black and white photography that was offered, so I am more self taught than anything.  I used to design all my own clothes back in the late 60’s and 70’s, and then I drew designs for a designer in Palm Springs in the 80’s.  I was perhaps one of the first people to ever do body painting on people. We used to create clothing designs with body paint for rock and roll groups (as well as doing publicity photography). Today my love is for creating avatar clothing in There.  Photography and writing my books are a close second. My book of poetry called, “From My Heart to Your Heart” will soon be on the bookshelves, and on the web.  My website with my artwork on it is http://McKimsonConnection.com .  I have not had a chance to work on it in a long time, so it is not up to date. My There site is at http://DreamWeaverIsThere.com  I also have a site where you can buy some of my products: http://www.cafepress.com/weaverofdreams” 

All designers have their first items, their favorite items, and their NOT-so-favorite items.  I told DreamWeaver that our readers would like to hear about all of them (I’m watching out for YOU!)   “The Vibrant Butterfly top for the caramel skin tone was my first item I sold.  The funny thing about that top is that it was actually a partial mistake, and it turned out to be so beautiful.  It sold really well, and enabled me to create more designs. My friend Banshee_Kate says that mistakes are a vital part of the creative process! Hehe!”  

Dreamweaver said her favorite design was “an outfit that I have not put into world called Passionate in Pink because it was made special. It just came in, and is to be an “exclusive” top. Only two are in world at the time of this writing.  I have some other favorites such as Golden Bliss for Carmel and Mercedes Elegance.  But I think my “favorite” just depends on my mood, and what it is for.” 

And, of course, DreamWeaver’s least favorite design was  “a bottom I made for an outfit, and when I saw it in world, I decided not to sell it.  It just did not look right even though it was made correctly. If you saw the bottoms, you would know what I mean…I also have a buggy that I somehow did the wheel rim wrong, so I won’t be selling it, which is too bad because the buggy is really pretty.  I may redo it.” 

Who knows where your next idea for a design will come from.  The might even come “from dreams I have: others come from experimentation. Sometimes I will be in world just sitting listening to the environment, and I put my ideas on paper.  Mostly my inspiration comes from appreciation I feel from my buyers and friends.  They are my backbone.  I rarely get my inspirations from any of those because my imagination goes far beyond what we see in magazines, TV, or on the street.  My inspiration comes from dreams, the way I am feeling, imagination, and the way my friends in There make me feel.  Although once in a while I do see something in a magazine or book that will inspire a certain look.  Sometimes I find something on the web that will inspire me, but TV, no….I don’t watch TV much, if at all anymore.” 

Of course, I wanted to know about the history and strategy of the Dream Team, the club that DreamWeaver created to organize and produce extravagant events!  DreamWeaver is extremely proud and incredibly pleased with her club and their achievements! “The DreamWeaver Dream Team was created during Beta as a club for those of us who want to make dreams come true in world. We began as a small group of people who wanted to do something to help one another when we needed help, whether it is just a shoulder to cry on, advice on how to design, or whatever might arise.  When I first started the club, it was only about five of us who decided to form a club just to hang out together to give support to one another. Then it began to grow.  For a long time we didn’t have a house or clubhouse to meet in, so we would meet in the middle of the ocean. In the months to come I was offered my first house.  I have such sentimental feelings for that small house.  We had a lot of fun there.  Then a few months later, a friend and I were talking, and he offered me his clubhouse.  I was so thrilled because I wanted a clubhouse so badly.  I took over the clubhouse, and the team grew even bigger.  I was having problems with the club and clubhouse being listed correctly (a known bug at the time), but was hesitant to change things because I would have to give up my right to the clubhouse, and re-rent it. At that time people were grabbing houses up as soon as they were released by the person owning them, so there would be a chance I could lose it.  I finally decided to take a chance with the help of “live help-phone”, and released the clubhouse, and re-rented it.  That meant that I had to remove all my members, and re-invite all the members.  After re-inviting the members, the DreamWeaver Dream Team was once again a full fledged club, and was now listed correctly.  Although we have over a hundred members, only about 17of us are really active in setting up our events, thus our planning committee was formed which is a separate club from our DreamWeaver Dream Team. It is called the Dream Team Events Planning club, and we are the ones who are responsible for the events we produce (I also have the DreamWeaver Fashion club).  Our first big event, the Fantasy Faire, was in April of this year, then next big one was the Celebration of Life which was in August, and the next one is on December 18th, and it is called the Nightmare B4 Theremas.” 

What is Nightmare B4 Theremas?  (Sounds spooky!) “This is a single one day event, and will run from noon till midnight at the Gondor Fun Zone. We will have both sides (naughty and nice) of Theremas.  In the zone will have the haunted house, the saloon where SantaClaus will be, and much more.  We hope to have entertainment both inside and outside the zone.  We will have a quest that will start on the Wednesday the 15th before the event (you might want to contact Mr_Vercetti for more information).  Art galleries will be set up along the outside of the zone.  We will also have a parade of homes that are decorated for the season (contact Mercedes for more info).  We plan on having a paz set up with dunking tanks, and in another zone have a race with sleighs that Mr_Vercetti created.  There is much more coming...hehe) All the events will take place at different times of the day, with the zone being open the whole time. There will be more information after Monday.” 

Recently, an out-of-world gathering took place on the Central California coast.  Some of us got to “watch” what happened on the web cams and by chatting in the Instant Messenger chat rooms during the event!  What a thrill it was (I kept all my chat logs!) to talk to so many wonderful human beings behind the wonderful avie-faces!  DreamWeaver was one of the lucky people that got to attend.  I asked her about it and of course, asked her if she remembered the fool I made of myself in Yahoo chatting all night with those party animals! “LOL, and yes, I remember you!  hehe  What a great time we had!  What was so funny is when the police came late at night to tell us to quiet it down, and someone asked if he was the stripper!  Memories:  The big hugs I received when I arrived…Karaoke and staying up all night (not out of the ordinary—my husband thinks I am a Vampire, but just can’t prove it)…I can’t believe I actually got up and sang (if you can call it that) with xxTrixiexx!  I must have sounded like a dying cat on a backyard fence! …being able to talk to people on Yahoo and share with them…the avie look-a-like contest…Do you know, someone actually said I looked the most like my avie? That made me feel good, but I didn’t enter the contest….having lunch with Trent, Disky, and TxKatie at the Mexican restaurant…pancake breakfast that smelled so good, but I didn’t eat them for breakfast, and opted out for an orange instead…Barbequed Shrimp that Trent made—yummy…meeting some of the staff from There, and seeing Baloo again…taking pictures of everyone…meeting the most wonderful people in the world in real life…Trent, Marieann, and Leroy62, and I, as a joke hopped into their bed in their room, and Virtual Vikki shot pictures of us!  Most of all I will hold dear the memories of the laughter and fun we all shared together…These are only some of my memories… I can’t wait for the next Real Life Gathering.” 

It would seem that an avie as busy as DreamWeaver wouldn’t have much time to relax and just “hang out.”  What does someone do when they find time on their hands? “I spend a lot of time building and changing my PAZ, or all three or more (depending on what they are for).  I have a butterfly garden outside my clubhouse, and a Sky PAZ just beyond it that will go higher and higher eventually.  I love my time with my special friends, and just being silly with one another.  I think one of my most favorite activities is exploring and revisiting old bookmarks. I also like to hide in rocks, and watch the surroundings. I have another secret avatar, and I put her on a cloud without voice and her goggles on in Saja to see what would happen.  It was quite interesting to watch what happened. Two male avies came along trying to get her to talk.  When she didn’t talk, she was griefed. She was pushed off the cloud, and when she landed, one of the avies took out his buggy and ran over her several times. I logged her out and I sat there laughing. To think that there must be many avies who get griefed, and don’t even know it.  I plan on using this avie to secretly give things to people.  If they had been nice to her, they would have been given something of value or money…lol” 

…. A “Secret Avie,” huh?  Anyone care to guess who it is?  *makes note to self, this could make a good script for a quest!” 

One of my favorite questions for my interviews is, what kind of hopes to you have for this world?  What would YOU like to see accomplished, or what do you think we’re doing here???  “I would like to see: the day when our avatars are completely customizable…facial lines and age, hairstyles, hands, feet, etc….the ability to design and then take it directly into world…I would love to see jewelry that is customizable…hugs and snuggling…cats…racing cars…futuristic vehicles…bigger, customizable homes…the ability to own land…mannequins that we will be able to show different current designs, and be able to change them at our whim…permissions for the PAZ…I have a lot of dreams for the future of There. I feel we are on the ground floor of something absolutely incredible.” 

DreamWeaver is such a cheerleader for the community and brings art and movement to our clothes, our paz’s, and vehicles, too.  I wondered what There meant to DreamWeaver…and asked her how she would complete this sentence:  I love There because...”I love There because it is a second home to me where I can be myself.  I can have my friends around me no matter how I feel I look or feel in real life…I can share my dreams and my hopes…There enables me to do things I may not be able to do in real life, or in the “outer world” as Banshee_Kate and I say.  There gives us the opportunity to learn from not only others, but from ourselves. I love the fact that we are given the opportunity to create a beautiful world with so much to offer.  I love the fact that if someone has family in different parts of the world, they can have an avie, and visit with them virtually in a virtual world. I love There because we are ageless…There are no boundaries as far as age, color, race, etc. and it makes for a great world. “  

Pretty soon, our time together would come to an end.  I was sad…I always am at this point of my interviews.  I feel like I’ve made a friend, and now must say good bye.  But deep inside, I know it won’t be good bye…just ‘so long.’  As my final question, I wanted to know if DreamWeaver had any little stories or ditties she wanted to share with our readers.  “I think some of the most fun I have in There is when my friends and I get together at my clubhouse. I take what we call the “funny seats” out. These are the “sit here” or invisible seats that were created and auctioned. I arrange them in such a way that everyone is sitting on each other, in all different directions—some in front, some to the side, and some on top, etc.. ..Now who says we can’t hug?   We all laugh so hard our sides feel like they are going to burst.   Sometimes my friends such as Banshee_Kate, Lil_Petal, amxScott, Trent, Mercedes, and BlondTx, get together and ride our Baccios.  It is such a kick! We get run over by each other, get lost, jump off of cliffs, and who knows what else we might do?!   One night we all sat in the clubhouse, and we put my decorative eggs over our avies so we looked like “eggheads.”  We laughed and laughed.  Each of us became a beautiful “egghead.  We love to do silly things together, and I could go on and on about the funny and fun things we do.” 

Thank you, DreamWeaver, for taking so much time and caring so much about all of us to bring so many beautiful things to There.  

Sweet Dreams!