Today we are shining a spotlight on Polyester Partridge, the talent behind the Yummy brand in Second Life. With an 18-year legacy, her creations are vibrant masterpieces narrating tales of color and imagination.

How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it?
I've been using Second Life for such a long time that I can't remember exactly when I started. If I check my inworld profile, it tells me I've been a member since 2005, which means I've been using it for 18 years now. Yikes! I first heard about Second Life from another virtual world I used to log into called "There".  In There, you had the opportunity to become a "developer" and make custom clothing to earn "Therebucks" which kept me there for a few years. Second Life sounded like the wild west where you could create whatever you wanted, open your own store, and get paid real money for it.

You’ve been creating content in Second Life for many years, how and when did you get started?
I started content creation from the moment we logged in. It started as a fun hobby. My sister Nylon Pinkney and I have always enjoyed doing things online together, she was the texture person and I was the builder. One of the first things I can remember that we created together was a giant head you could walk into for a LL run event called "Burning Life" which was a riff on the real-life Burning Man. Later on, we both established stores to sell our content on a parcel of land that a friend generously rented to us, and over time, I refined my brand Yummy.

Do you have a background in 3D content creation and what kind of tools do you use to create your content?
I don't come from a 3D background, but I spent many years as a professional freelance photographer and used Photoshop in my daily work. My Photoshop, photography, and lighting skills have been helpful in both creating and marketing those creations. Everything I've learned about 3D content creation has been self-taught, learned through other creators, or tutorials available online over many years. I'm currently using a combination of Photoshop, Maya, and Substance Painter for creating my content but I'm always keeping my ear to the ground for new tools.

Where do you get the inspiration for your creations and what are some of your favorite pieces that you have created?
I usually find inspiration from various sources. Everything from the current season, the theme of an event I'm participating in, something in a movie or TV show that grabs my attention, my Instagram feed, and even the video games I enjoy can be inspiration. The initial spark is a windy road and can lead to a range of different creative ideas in the end. My last creation is usually my favorite but lately, I've been having a fun time creating rigged earring sets.

Tableau is a mysteriously whimsical destination, and also home to your main store. Can you share how the idea and design for the region came about and what can Residents expect when visiting there?
Tableau began as a shared space we created with a core group of friends for our inworld stores. I can't quite remember exactly how it started, but we would work together on designing a sim, build it, then feel like changing things after a while. We would create scenarios where things went haywire like a virus outbreak, aliens dropping in, or giant hamsters causing chaos and "destroy" everything in real-time, only to close and open up in a week or two with a brand new look. We did this a few times and got a reputation for it, although it was easier back in the day when everything was made from simple shapes and pictures. To this day I still receive messages from people saying how they missed when we used to change the sim every couple of months. 😅 

After a few years, the friends that shared the sim with us decided to explore different opportunities in Second Life and Nylon and I took over the responsibility of managing Tableau. The two of us transformed it into the space you see today.  When visitors arrive at Tableau, they'll be greeted by a desert landscape that appears to have seen its fair share of history with fun mysteries, jokes hidden around, scary dinosaurs, and, of course, a shopping area where you'll find my store along with others. We still like to introduce new elements sporadically and make tweaks, but the desert scene has remained unchanged for a good number of years. Tableau has attracted quite a few interesting fans. An anatomically correct horse, a group of senior citizens visiting The Golden Years, and a wild monkey sprinting around are just a few recent notable ones that come to mind. We also have a friendly ghost who occasionally sends me postcards from their haunting Tableau.

Tableau

Explore the wonders of this desert town, including bombed-out buildings, colorful stucco construction and tumbling tumbleweeds, all situated in a tantalizing desert light. Shop, explore and enjoy the luscious scenery! Tableau is also home to many stores including Nylon Outfitters, Yummy, Paper Couture, Oh La La!, and ZsaZsa's House of Beauty.

More Info Teleport

Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that inspire you and whose work you admire.
There are SO many residents whose work inspires me that it's difficult to pick just a few but I will try to list only a handful creators here:

I am totally biased, but I genuinely believe that Nylon Pinkney is one of the most creative and skilled people I know. She's great at sim design, 3D modeling, and is well known for creating custom commission illustrations. For a few years she created a very funny comic that poked fun at second life, virtual worlds, and the online culture for New World Notes called "Nylon Pinkney is very online". 

Nikohl Hax from Random Matter always amazes me with their stunning and detailed fantasy creations. They cover a wide range, crafting everything from decorative pieces to intricate jewelry, and I'm always excited and incredibly jealous when I see their latest releases.

Walton Wainwright of [ContraptioN] is so talented it makes me question if they're human. The high-quality fantasy and roleplay items they create are meticulously designed and could fit right into a AAA video game. Each one comes with an interesting backstory adding an extra layer of depth.

Salt Peppermint of SALT & PEPPER has been so helpful to me and has put many amazing tutorials out there for anyone to learn how to create things for second life on youtube. Shout out to the Creators supporting Creators discord!

Doux is a true artist when it comes to hair design. Their releases never fail to impress. In fact, if you're reading this you probably already own at least 1 or 100 of their hair creations. Their work has set a new standard for hair enthusiasts within the Second Life community.

Vespertine of Vespertine makes beautifully detailed handmade deco and each piece she creates carries a distinct and personal touch that sets it apart from the crowd. Her knack for creating lifelike plants and food deco is truly remarkable and I want to own everything she makes.

Where can people see your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts.
Flickr
Facebook 
Twitter
or you can find all my socials here on my carrd: https://yummylinks.carrd.co 

Thank you Polyester, for bringing years of creativity to the grid, and sharing your journey with us.

Each of our Spotlight posts features a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup