[How do you feel about content creators using templates?]

First, Eve... that was hysterical.

Okay I personally use templates, templates for me became another tool I used to learn how to do something and when I didn't understand how something was done, I asked the designer. (Just ask Niah how many questions she has answered over the years for me lol).

I like them, and I think that is how they should be used, as tools to help learn. I always mix things up, sometimes mixing several different designers into one, then cut or edit the template to make a new look. But that goes back to what you said at the beginning... making it your own. Not just slapping a color etc on it and calling it a day.

As I grow more comfortable with things, I make more and more changes and have even made my own templates for my own personal use. But I think they can be a great learning tool.

[Is the SL you similar to the RL you in looks?]

No, not really. Though to be honest, when I first created this avatar, it was during a very sick period in my life. I was diagnosed with cancer and was in a lot of pain most of the time. Sitting at the computer was limited at best. So when I did log in, I would have a very short time. I created this avatar to look like a character I played in a tabletop role-playing game back when my husband and I were dating. My plan was to make an avatar that reminded me of a very happy time in my life and allowed me to escape my day, pills, doctors, treatments, etc...  I ended up having very little time to rp at the time so I turned to designing to get me out of my own head space. It worked. I could spend a little time here and there saving and coming back to something when I could. The style of clothing is very much my style and what I like and the personality is all me (when I am not role-playing with her which is super rare) but physically, nope... nothing like me.

[What do you think was the hardest thing to get used to when you first started SL?]

Wow, when I started SL that was back when I was regularly playing CoH. I think at first it was the movement. I was so used to using my WSAD keys that trying to remember to turn off chat so you could use them instead of arrows was one, and trying to adjust prim skirts & hair mostly but really prim anything back then.