Kuro Neko meets…Canimal Zephyr (woot!)
Greetings.
Now, some of you may know my interviewee for today, I’m sure many females in Second Life have her clothing, skins or accessories about their person. I know I have nya. So, I managed to catch up with Ms. Zephyr a few days ago to discuss her fame. Please read on nya.
Kuro Neko: When did you start making stuff in SL?
Canimal Zephyr: Uhhh..well it started a little while after I joined. I met Lost (Therian) and Amby, and we’d hang out and since they kept making clothes and I knew Photoshop well enough I thought I’d give it a try. Then I liked what I made which was a huge surprise to me so I made more.
Kuro Neko: Presumably you are good friends with Elikapeka and Starley. When did you decide to put your islands together?
Canimal: Ginny too don’t forget Ginny ’cause he’s also great. Well I was on Starley’s (Therian) sim for a while, and then she decided to join ETD. Or Dazzle. I forget who was first.
Kuro Neko: How did you come up with the name Canimal?
Canimal: I came up with it years ago when I was like 17 and thought making a website about Buffy (the Vampire Slayer) was oh so fun. So I needed a nickname and I turned some scene text about Oz and Willow into ‘Canimal’. Yes, I’m a dork. I also made a site for that “grr arg” logo cartoon ’cause I thought it would be more original then another site about the cast members. (My note: this was a different answer to what she gave me first time…something about animal crackers nya..)
Kuro Neko: You’ve been on SL a long time. How did business go back then?
Canimal: Back then business was a lot more few and far between obviously, but I was very lucky because Ambyance2 let me stick some boxes in her shop when I started out which helped get me some exposure.
Kuro Neko: Do you get a lot of praise for your work?
Canimal: I get enough to keep me going. Which sounds like a bulls**t line but it’s true (laughs).
Kuro Neko: Where do you get your inspiration and ideas?
Canimal: Everywhere. Pictures, people, abstract ideas, you name it. Inspiration just comes from all possible places. Except when your having creator’s block, then it comes from RL pictures of clothes 
Kuro Neko: Do you ever get designers block and have a break from creating things?
Canimal: Yep. Too often even. Because sometimes you really wanna make something but nothing works and it frustrates you which just feels it ’cause you can’t be “in the creative zone” when you’re frustrated.. so your frustration and the “designers block” fuel each other which snowballs and turns into into throwing away Photoshop files, eating fattening food and avoiding Second Life. (My note: Aaack! as Cathy would say.)
Kuro Neko: In your opinion, what kind of clothing sells the most in SL?
Canimal: I don’t know. I hear silks are a good seller but I never made any. I think a lot of designers have their own sort of “crowd” of people who like their particular style, so when they make for that style it’s well recieved. On the other hand I can’t speak for everyone so who the hell knows. 
Kuro Neko: Would you consider catering more for kitties?
Canimal: Hell yeah. But I’d need suggestions because I don’t know what exactly caters to kitties in the clothing department. So suggestions always welcome I’d love some ideas.
Kuro Neko: Would you say you were your own worst critic? And do you scrap something if it’s not quite right or put it up for sale anyway?
Canimal: Yeah I so am. I think it’s like that for most people. All you see is your flaws, and you tend to be harder on yourself. Because whatever flaws I made in my design, if I saw them on someone else’s work I probly wouldn’t care. I mean, really, you can’t look at the same thing for hours and see it with fresh eyes. Nor can I look at my own work and see it the way I see stuff by the people I admire. Sooo.. yeah. It’s natural I think. Plus, I do have a standard I like to keep things in so if it’s under that I don’t sell it.
Well, I’d just like to thank Canimal for being so nice and for persevering with my kitty sounds, nya. I am sure I will be making lots of suggestions for her shop, and soon she will have to open a Canimal for Kitties island. (Maybe. Probably not. Nya..)
Canimal Zephyr and me staring each other out…
Quote of the day:
Canimal: I LOVE to delete things :X
Me: Please don’t delete me nya.
Canimal Zephyr: I promise not to.
End. See you next time!!
Visit Canimal (the shop) – just click this link
