Torley Lives

Over the last few weeks, I've received mixed correspondence which expressed appreciation for my Second Life video tutorials oriented at beginners, but sounded rather concerned/alarmed about the more advanced content creation vidtuts I'm doing, such as "Editing & uploading sounds" and "Sculpted prims made simple".

The general point which I've heard in various forms dating back to 2004 in SL is:

Leave it to the experts to do professional work!

which really isn't a point at all, because "professional" and "expert" are both overused and undermeaning. It's all too easy to rack up some credentials and call yourself an expert on TV — complete with motion graphics blasting their way through the lower third! — and this is just another example of labels being used to constrain and limit, instead of providing accessibility and ease-of-judgment. When I call someone an "expert", it means, regardless of formal training (altho they could very well have that), that I trust their opinion to be that of an authority in one or more given areas. It also means there's subjectivity involved, since hey, whether you're a food, movie, or art critic, you know what they say about opinions. Even the hard sciences have their personalities.

So moving on, I'm very much in the same thoughtleague with Bob Ross, Carl Sagan, Bruce Lee ('cept I'm not dead yet) and others who've done much to popularize fields (respectively: visual art, natural sciences, martial arts) notorious for closeminded snobs who didn't want others to enter — "protect the secrets at all costs!" Blah.

Second Life, paired with an acceleration of what I call goodfastcheap technology, is seen as a threat to some of these snobs, precisely because it opens up doors, bridges, and other connective metaphors to learning and doing greater things.

Snobs won't admit it either — and it's a human problem, not an SL problem — but many people than I'd care for are tragically crippled by being too focused on personal gain — greed, fame, and riches! — and don't want others who are "less" than them to engage in the same pursuits. Why? Because they're afraid of losing money and self-esteem due to ambitious, enthusiastic upstarts. But those upstarts can't be stopped, because they don't confine themselves, they don't bound themselves in the same boxes of mental bondage that the hoggish snobs do.

Instead of being so scared, I embrace new potential collaborators, fresh blood pumped into the veins of a social ecosystem where ideological incest — the ugly "echo chamber" — threatens to rear its malformed head because of people who talk in closed circles and don't bring in outside influences. Whether it's tight-fisted academia or partying ravers, no field is prone from a quasi-idiocracy brought about by snobs.

When I was deeply involved in electronic music, I came across this thinthink mentality a lot, and it sadly continues today. For example, the bitterness that accosted drum 'n' bass band Pendulum upon their rockin' popularity outside the existing borders of their root genre. I understand the hate all too well: snobs weren't always snobs. And they're still people. But somewhere along the way, they learned something they felt protective of, maybe they paid a lot for courses (ironic) or expensive equipment relating it, and want to feel some validation, some artifice of inner "happiness" that they're special. Of course they're special if they can paint, sing, dance, or push prims well, but that doesn't entitle them to deter or block easy entry of newcomers into the field. Some of those newcomers will be the shining stars, the true experts of the future.

Which is why EVERYONE has the right to be awesome! YOU sure do.

AWESOMENESS is not a privilege, but the full bloom of a seed that grows within us, that rewards us upon fulfilling one potential after another. Many seeds, a whole garden of vibrant delights. I think often of kids who scribble on the walls (I was one), and to an "art expert", it looks like crap which won't sell at Christie's, but to the child's parents, it's the greatest work in the world. Up to that point… can you imagine what will happen if those parents keep fertilizing their young with brilliant possibilities?

We all started as babies. We all needed to learn to crawl before we got up on our hind legs, which got us pretty excited, so excited that we'd jump around. And if humans ever evolve to a degree that they're portrayed in Second Life, flying isn't out of the picture.

The same is true of any skill that we pick up. I believe it's always essential to help someone kindly and not scare them away from acquiring skills by making them look harder than they actually are. Puffing up difficulty levels with false words and other intimidatory garbage is worthless and just makes the world a more complex, hard-to-live-in place. That's why I make such strong emphasis of learning Second Life skills in a fun, fast, & friendly way — it's true! Sure, there's a learning curve. Sure, the UI could be simplified and there are many usability/humane improvements I'd vouch for, but that doesn't discount what I'm showing and sharing, cool stuff that you can accomplish in a few minutes.

I also am not careful — but bold! — to communicate that when you learn these skills, it's just the beginning of a journey, but the first few steps hopefully inspire you to keep walking. Little wins and successes into such vast arenas, especially the multicolored cornucopia of creation that awaits us in Second Life, are important, because without being good at the little things, you'll be discouraged and move on.

I'm also the type who loves to keep sharing when I've cool discoveries of use to you. Whether it's a tool that made my lives easier or a doodle that made me laugh, this is all part of celebrating my humanity and creatively expressing myself in hopes you'll spread the passion. As a child, my parents pampered my creativity and encouraged me to keep asking "Why?" and I know a lot of my peers didn't have it so easy. We can't replace those past memories, but we can build new ones, encouraging one's inner vision to flourish, being NON-judgmental about what comes forth from the spirit's stylus, and continue moving on.

I often think quietly then share those thoughts on my Twitter. It's a quick way to capture ideas. Here are a couple quotes that came to mind after some reflection:

Most people won't know what "better" is until you share it with them. So do so, cheerfully!

Don't demand perfection. But insist on continuous improvement.

As much as I dislike the diluted word "expert", it still has its uses, and a true expert to me is earnest and often eager to share what they've learned. Not everything can practically be shared (especially with the legalities that bind our societies), but a great deal can. A true expert, from my and your frame of reference, is analogous to a Gladwell-style "maven" who helps you better your life. You may not know them personally, but you feel connected with them, and your interpretation of their existence has bettered your life.

"Perfection" is another word often flaunted about in ads for overpriced carbon rocks. Which is not to say I'm altogether dismissive of them, but as I mentioned earlier, recognize "perfect"'s place and how it's simply not realistic. Here's what is: aim higher, travel further, and make small changes which add up to tremendous weights. As hard as it is to put into words, that's exactly how any creative achievement you care about comes to be.

Don't be afraid to get dirty and make mistakes. You'll adapt, you'll learn from them. Laugh at them later on. In all likelihood, if you don't keep repeating those mistakes, you will get better. Whether you're learning Second Life skills from me or journeying on other paths, if you keep getting better, you will be AWESOME.