Bailey Saxmundham

I read an article in one of the Sunday papers and thought I would give it a try. I logged in and spent an hour creating my avatar and dressing it. I remember saying "I don't see what the fuss is about; I won't be bothering with this." That was February 4th 2007! With the exceptions of illness and holidays, I have logged in to SL every day - though my account is different to the one I started with. I can't pick one thing I love most about SL; I need three!. The first one is the people. Through SL I have 'met' many wonderful people from all around the world who I would never have had the chance to connect with under any other circumstances. I have shared part of their lives, listened to their stories, felt their pain and joys. The Stay At Home Club has shown how a community can come together in exceptional circumstances. The second thing I like is the freedom to be me. As someone with 'complex mental health' issues, SL allows me to (mostly) overcome the social anxiety and agoraphobia that have plagued my real life. I get to be the me I would like to be - open, outgoing, always off exploring, going to parties and gallery openings, etc. I even get to DJ in London City, Chiaroscuro and at Second Pride. I have made connections with people such as through groups like Survivors Of Suicide. The third thing I love about SL is the creativity. Anything from the real world can be created by talented residents. Additionally anything from fantasy and imagination can be created too. The work that goes in to many of the regions is phenomenal - be that a city, a forest, a beach, space, etc. I used to spend many hours amongst the strange alien beauty of Pteron. The regions at Fantasy Faire are breathtaking. Calas Galadhon, Inspire Space Park, Coeur di Amalfi/Azur/etc., Caledon, New Babbage and many more display such vision and artistry.

September 2010 to now.