This week Drax spotlights Arietu Kyori, a 24-year-old communications student and Second Life designer in a special interview predominantly in Spanish.

Hailing from Mexico City, she is an extraordinary multitasker with an inventory housing about 500 avatars. She also views SL through an analytical lens, writing in a university thesis that “Second Life is all about being able to freely express yourself. Young people can show more facets of themselves than they can in the real world.”

One of the ways Arietu illustrates this point is through her brand, Hanzel, which specializes in skins and accessories. As one can see from her Flickr, Arietu has a colorful imagination and encourages others to explore the possibilities that exist in this unique environment.

Although she lives in a big, sprawling city, Arietu chooses to focus on family life at home with her parents and sister, as well as honing her design and English skills through interacting with a global community in SL. “I learned most of my English by making conversation in Second Life,” she says, “and in terms of using Blender and other tools to make 3D content for SL, I learned from others inworld and by watching YouTube tutorials.”

Arietu'swares have been covered by Seraphim, and you can shop from her catalog at events such as SoKawaii Sundays and several regular hunts. She also has her own small skybox store where she concentrates on selling niche products for fans of anime, like modified skins for the popular Kemono avatar, among other content. “In order to be successful in SL you have to find something that nobody else is offering and then you learn how to make those things. Anybody can do this!”

Arietu's parents fully support their daughter’s creative endeavors in SL (probably because her school work is diligently pursued), although as Arietu chuckles, her mother’s internet skills might need some brushing up: “My mother is still trying to figure out YouTube.”

Well, on behalf of Second Life, we’d like to let Arietu’s mom know that we would love to see you inworld. SL has great community gateway programs full of wonderful folks who would love to show you how things work, and you might even bump into an avatar or two sporting your daughter’s whimsical designs!

Video Production Credits:

Draxtor Despres

P.S. If you’d like to protect yourself with a matching SL facemask, you can get one at our brand new merchandise store.