Nice Is Different Than Good

Mother said, "Straight ahead,"
Not to delay or be misled.
I should have heeded her advice...
But he seemed so nice.

"I Know Things Now" from Into The Woods - Stephen Sonheim & James Lapine - Sung by the Character of Little Red Ridinghood

Anyone who reads my blog on a quasi-regular basis knows the challenges I have felt while styling over the past 4-5 months. Just a general funk brought about mainly by sheer exhaustion due to real life and also I realize the fact that it has become a job to me. I have never been one to join a blog group and sit in it, never blogging the clothing and just building up my closet.  Many do, and many take advantage of the fact that designers may be too busy to regularly clean out their blog groups, or some designers just don't feel that it's a priority on their to do list.  I take on sponsors only when I truly love the designer.  But even then, when RL causes time in SL to be limited and precious, that can be hard to do.  And like almost everyone else on SL, I do love to shop and find new designers I may not be familiar with and grab clothing at events and fairs and shops just because I like it. I pick those pieces up with the excitement of running back to my little snow covered loft in the sky, hopping on my pose stand and sharing my find with my little piece of the SL Blogosphere.  But more often than not, it falls to the side out of a sense of obligation I feel to those designers whom are my sponsors.

 

Anytime the creative process begins to feel like "work" it gets stifled.  When I first started SL, I used to mix and match designers ALL the time.  Somewhere a long the way in my blogging and styling, I stopped doing that.  I would do a blog post on one or two items from one or two specific designers.  I did what I thought I was supposed to do as a blogger, followed the path.  Did my two, three, four posts for that designer monthly (whatever they required) and in the process, I lost myself. I stopped digging through my inventory for fun things to wear.  It became a mess of folders named "Things to blog" "Things already Blogged".  I was feeling like a machine, not really paying attention to the clothing, to the point where I would forget I owned an item, cause I just wore it to blog and then it was on to the next item I felt I was obligated to post about.

I will be honest, I have never been that much into fashion in RL.  It was my interest in SL fashion that caused me to stop and take a closer look at the fashions in RL. Where the designers get their inspirations. I personally draw my inspiration from other models and bloggers.  I hold great respect for one blogger, who, the more and more I get to know her, am honored to consider her a friend: Caoimhe Lionheart.  I recently referred to Cao as Yoda on facebook, because in her writings, she always has such insight into things, many times I read her blog and I am thinking "Was she in my head cause I was just thinking the same thing".  The one reason I have always admired not only Cao but the amazing Wicca Merlin is because they style for themselves.  Yes, they have sponsors like any other blogger, but through their stylings and especially through Cao's beautiful writing, it is very clear, this is something they do for themselves, because it brings them joy and, if i may be so bold as to conjecture, fulfills a creative need in both of them. Their posts, their stylings, the photos, the words they write, have inspired me to take back my blog and do it for me.

I have been wanting to blog, in my opinion, this amazing hooded jacket from Diram for a couple of months now.  But I always put it off to the side. I saw this new bodysuit from GizzA and I immediately had a vision of it paired with this hood from Diram in a naughty Little Red Ridinghood style...but I always tried very hard to never have two posts featuring the same designer too close to each other -- regardless if that designer inspired me to style.  I realize that if I want this blog to continue, I have to put aside those silly rules I made for myself....and they were made by me, so as not to offend or upset anyone designer out of a fear of losing their sponsorship. With real life finally easing up on me (I am going from having 2 part time jobs to 1 full time job starting in two weeks, so hello days off) I want to get back into my blogging.  I honestly miss it, but what I miss most is the freedom I had in my noobie blog stage. Now I"m scared to make mistakes and as an artist, you can not EVER have that fear. On stage, mistakes often brought out the moments of brilliance in a scene.  I got so caught up in being Belladonna Wexhome Model/Fashion Blogger/Stylist, that I have forgotten Bella....the woman who got excited when discovering a new styling or putting together a new look.  I want her back.

Now, am I going to up and drop all my amazing sponsors....I'm not an idiot.  Those who I do have as sponsors I do truly love.  They are the designers I wore before I started blogging and who I will continue to wear regardless.  But I will blog for me, and for those new fashionistas in SL  who feel they can finally do something that they could never do in RL....express themselves through fashion.  It's time I started doing the same. 

And I know things now,
Many valuable things,
That I hadn't known before:
Do not put your faith in a cape and a hood,
They will not protect you the way that they should.
And take extra care with starngers,
Even flowers have their dangers. And though scary is exciting,
Nice is different than good.

Now I know: Don't be scared.
Granny is right, Just be prepared

 Isn't it nice to know a lot!
And a little bit not...

Sondheim/Lapine - Into The Woods

Belladonna is wearing/posing

Hairbase - Limbo in Black - Tuty's

Eyeshadow - Smokey Cat Shadow - L.Fauna

Lipstick - Faded Shocking Pink - Fishy Strawberry

Jewelry - The Avenue in Spring Pastels - Lazuri

Nails - Rock Star Extra Long Square Nails - Moondance Boutique.

Jacket - Janelle Jacket in Fuscia - Diram (former FaMESHed item)

Bodysuit -  Black Seduction - Gizza **NEW RELEASE**

Waist Cincher/Garters - Taken from Bella in Black Coal - Blacklace

Boots - TUEUR2 Thigh High Ballet Boots - Rosal

Poses by In-Pose, Isomotion and Posesion.