#miquela right back

[yeetspace]

Very minor mostly just retrospective Elden ring stuff ahead, A little bit of mention of the recently found out things that were cut from the DLC :

So like apparently in the cut content for Saint Trina's quest line that's supposed to have been there in the DLC, it's implied that the nectar most sweet actively is the only, not one of the few, not possibly an example of, the only other example of something being able to stop the frenzied flame other than unalloyed gold. Because Miquella can create unalloyed gold which actively negates most all outer God interference to begin with, but then as is apparently implied by the mechanics of how the nectar was going to be used, you would give it to the FRIENDZIED MERCHANTS, the people who are the most directly and wholly consumed by the FF. This just adds to my opinion that the literal best case scenario for the lands between (completely foregoing the fact that inside of every other country and Kingdom outside of the lands between, cuz we know there are others, there are other beings just like America and placid-sacs and Melania but for completely different outer gods that we have no concept of which is fucking awesome because their means there's like some super storm out there that is like fully souped up as like the conduit of the storm outer God which HAS to exist somewhere (This also bleeding into my theory that the guy that took down Godfrey wasn't even a bunch of individual people going after him at once, but actually the grafted empyrean, Like as in what Marika is for the golden order and what Miquella is for whatever it is he's gotten a hold of in the DLC cuz we never actually really understand what that is, but for GRAFTING. It's implied godric ran off somewhere or at the very least Goderick ran off somewhere, learned how to do this and then came back and then that information got passed down to godrick)) Is a restructuring of the system with the thing that Gold-mask does, whilst also fighting for the thing that Saint Trina and by extension thollier and then additionally what Mohg originally fought for and what Andsbach continues to fight for. These being a land of freedom and hope.

The entirety of the Moghwyn Dynasty that existed before it was turned into you know a blood cult by miquella, for the sake of liberation from the greater machinations going on but not in an actively violent to other innocent tarnished and p in the lands between, unlike the way of volcano manner. And then with dreams that's where the freedom comes in because we know there's like physical aspects to the magic done by Trina. Whatever capability she has she's capable of creating Putrescent mirrors to existing beings, because it's kind of super heavily implied that the Putrescent Knight is a mirror to Radahn in the same way that Miquela has stolen Radahn's body but not. Some people misconstrued that as to think that that means that the Putrescent Knight is LITERALLY Trina taking Radahn's body, since Michaela took his soul, but no that's not it. It's simply just dream magic which is implied to just be a thing that can make stuff out of nothing. A land of people, dreams, and refined gold is the most safe for those who live in The Lands Between. Fight not for the gods but for man, for the dreams undreamt, and to see the golden order polished from it's tarnished state, and give us, Tarnished in our own right, a reflection of a future most bright.

[miquelainrhinestones]

Right Back (Palmistry Remix) out now! miquela.lnk.to/rightback404

[fefeman]

In hindsight, I think I can get why Malenia is, so insistent of "not having known defeat".

From birth, she's "blessed" with the potential to become a goddess of rot... Not pleasant.

So she builds her identity around her brother, and how she's his right arm. Hence why she's titled "Blade of Miquela". The last thing she wants to be known as is "the goddess of rot". If she's the second fiddle to her brother that's fine for her.

And she wants to distance herself the most from her "blessing", so she tries to have a "war goddess" image. And there's probably a lot of competition in that whole ecological niche so she tries very hard to be the top one. Not just a goddess of war, a goddess of Victory. Only the best sidekick for her bro.

Then she fights Radhan, and since she cares more for Miquella's plan than her status, she does the thing she never wanted to do (not knowing that Mohg ruined everything) in a last-ditch effort to win, and even that is barely enough.

And she gets back home and boom, her brother is gone.

No wonder she goes all "I'm undefeated and my brother's gonna come back at some point!" when you reach her. Her whole identity was shattered during the shattering (haha). At this point, denial is the last thing keeping her going.

[vorphyxredtech]

Augmented Reality (AR) NFTs

Augmented Reality (AR) NFTs are becoming increasingly popular with brands due to their ability to help increase revenue. The NFT turnover in the first six months of 2021 was more than $2.4 billion. The NFT market has grown by 10 times in the last two years. The story of NFT development is only just beginning. 

This article will help you understand the growing trend of Augmented Reality (AR) NFTs and suggest ways your brand can get involved. You will learn about AR NFT, the different types of AR projects, their key benefits, how Vorphy AR cards can be used to power these projects, and more.

Understanding NFT and how it works

NFT stands for Non-Fungible Token. Non-fungible items are unique and cannot be copied or replaced. When you create an NFT, you are creating a piece of code that is stored on the blockchain and attached to an asset. It is not the asset itself that is important, but the potential return on it. When you purchase an NFT item, you are paying for the right to own a digital asset. A unique identifier makes it easy to verify the authenticity and makes it impossible to falsify. You invest in the design and aesthetics of your products.

If you create and sell an NFT, the copyright still belongs to you. You have associated your name or brand with an NFT. How you back the value of security is important. What types of objects can be turned into NFTs? There are no limits to what you can imagine. Photos, images, music, paintings, videos, digital content, and augmented reality content all qualify as NFTs.The last space is the most lucrative for brands and we're interested in it. What makes AR NFTs unique is that they can be used for a variety of purposes, beyond just being stored on a blockchain. What exactly are Augmented Reality NFTs? Augmented reality NFTs are digital objects that are uploaded to the NFT marketplace. They receive unique identifiers that make them easily identifiable. This way, you can create and control almost any type of augmented reality content. AR NFTs can be either simple 3D objects or more complex AR experiences with sound and dynamic visual effects.

NFT and Augmented Reality: A marketplace

Brands are starting to see augmented reality as an effective way to market their products because it can provide a more immersive experience for their customers. Consumers are starting to get more comfortable with AR technology, and are using it more thoughtfully because of its existence. In this state, the AR NFT market is very lucrative to join. Brands must constantly follow the latest trends in order to gain attention. Stronger reactions are better, right? There are other types of campaigns too. They will help you increase brand awareness and attract followers through new PR channels. Lil Miquela raised over $82,000 through the use of NFTs to support the Black Girls Code project. NFTs drive attention and attention motivates action. AR technology is developed and has been found to be economically viable. This makes it a good investment for businesses. AR marketing campaigns are very effective at attracting customers, while virtual try-on and Web AR tools can help increase sales.

People's social status is based on their civic position, attitude to the problems, and their stickiness to a brand. All you need to do to get people's attention with your AR-powered image is to create something visually striking. AR connects the digital and real worlds, making it easy to interact with both. If your brand is represented online, it's natural to use NFTs. NFTs work well in conjunction with augmented reality, which opens up new markets, revenue streams, and audiences to engage with. Cryptocurrency, video games, and digital self-expression are all great ways to add value to AR NFTs. This can be done through face filters, virtual clothes, accessories, or anything else. Augmented Reality (AR) is more than just hype. It has the potential to change the way we shop and create online.

[laurastudarus]

Miquela Sousa, or Lil Miquela as she’s often called, is a 19-year-old model who has worked with Uggs, Supreme, and Chanel and has an Instagram full of shots of her hanging out with her friends. She's even released two crackling electro pop singles, including “Right Back,” debuting today, which she crafted alongside Sarah Aarons, Whethan, and Jordan Palmer— a collective of talents whose writing credits include Zedd, Dua Lipa, and Carly Rae Jepsen. So what if she’s technically not human?

(via Lil Miquela is a Real Musical Talent)

[motioncollector]

Miquela - Automatic (Official Lyric Video) via https://youtu.be/3k5q04dQbqI // 🎶 STREAM 💕AUTOMATIC 🎶 ►https://miquela.ffm.to/automatic 🤑 MONEY 📀 MUSIC VIDEO 🎶 ►https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gnHYLRtCGk You ever fall in love soooo hard you just wanna d a n c e ?? ✨💿 I got my friends from all around the world to move to my new single “AUTOMATIC” 🤖🎶 Show me your “AUTOMATIC” dance!! Tell me what you think in the comments 💕☁️ Special thanks to my friends for making this happen 💫 Lexy Panterra ➡️https://www.instagram.com/lexypanterra Official Versatile DC ➡️https://www.instagram.com/officialversatiledc/ Evelio ➡️https://www.instagram.com/evelionotariocuenca/ Shiori Takakura ➡️https://www.instagram.com/shiori_takakura/ Aoi Takakura ➡️https://www.instagram.com/aoi_takakura Shido ➡️https://www.instagram.com/shido_410 Yuta Nissy ➡️https://www.instagram.com/_yuta_nissy Tae Wit Dem Hitz ➡️https://www.instagram.com/taewitdemhitz Isabel ➡️https://www.instagram.com/_isabae_ Eli Get Lit ➡️https://www.instagram.com/eli_get_lit Charlize ➡️https://www.instagram.com/charlizeglass Matteo ➡️https://www.instagram.com/matteomeeb Montina Twins ➡️https://www.instagram.com/montina_twinz Cassidy J ➡️https://www.instagram.com/casssidy_j Kate iHow ➡️https://www.instagram.com/kate_ihow Carl XS ➡️https://www.instagram.com/carl.xs Chanelle ➡️https://www.instagram.com/chanelleannelim Hara Channe Written by Miquela Sousa and Sam Dew Produced by Jasper Harris and Rodaidh McDonald Mixed by Jon Castelli Assisted by Ingmar Carlson Mastered by Dale Becker Artwork by Élise Rigollet Lyrics: Didn't take much not for me Everything hit naturally And all I know is we got to be Got to be I got to see it It's moving like a mile a minute I wasn’t ready, but you said you’re in it Caught you at the corner right before we finished But you know it's on sight you can have it all It’s automatic It was as soon as I saw you It's automatic now 2x It’s automatic I’ll give all of my love to you It's automatic now 2x You know it's on sight you can have it all night You could have it all You don't gotta ask twice you don’t gotta be nice You could have it all 2x It won’t take too long to see And I just wanna give you all of me And I come too far to leave We got to be I got to see it It’s feeling like a new beginning It’s all so heavy but you get me lifted Thought you might be over it the more you get it Got you coming right back, you might make me fall It’s automatic It was as soon as I saw you It's automatic now 2x It’s automatic I’ll give all of my love to you It's automatic now 2x You know it's on sight you can have it all night You could have it all You don't gotta ask twice you don’t gotta be nice You could have it all 2x The more you get The more you make me glow You should see me in the night What a sight to behold Like northern lights Just enjoy the show You're saying oh my god Are you ready or not #Automatic #NewMusic

[alyssatoearth]

"Right Back" by Miquela

[sadflowrr]

Wat zijn je favoriete liedjes?

op dit moment:

grace miazga - maze

isaac dunbar - cologne

flor - dancing around

barns courtney - you and i

mark mendy ft the beamish brothers - black gasoline

alan walker - diamond heart (thanks @valentinboh )

miquela - right back

off bloom - am i insane

absofacto - dissolve

yaeger - oceanzikai - beach day

[tatjanbe]

Swept Away

The sky is grey, as always at that time of the year. It is cold outside and the everblowing wind gently touches Lenny’s body. „Vienna… You’re a slow city. You're too tied to the past. [1]“, he thinks as he walks down the street. The buildings around him let him reminisce about the former glory of the city. „The glam is gone. Something is missing here nowadays. It’s O-P-U-L-E-N-C-E: Opulence! [2]“ He turns around the corner and stops. This is the house. Lenny was waiting so long for this moment. An invitation to this kind of ball was not something usual, especially not for a former pope. The high-rise next to him leaves him in its shadow. Behind a wall one could see the contour of the building. It is clean, it is rational, it doesn’t talk to its surroundings. Metaphorically, it symbolizes force, male fertility, masculine violence. [3] Lenny stares at the white geometrical facade. „Within modern, functionally differentiated society such unilateral control has become untenable. [4]“, Lenny whispers, „What a strange location for this kind of event.“ Moreover, it should seem strange that in a play performed in this same location, [5] all the many male roles remain subordinate, supporting rather than controlling the play’s action. [6]

Now there is only the wall that separates him from his final destination. In a sense, there are two systems coexisting, [7] one outside and one inside. He orbits the building while searching for the entry. „It is here that the possible, the dreamt, […] is staged. [8]“ Lenny hesitates but something drags him inside. While passing the threshold, the outside, unreal world was evolving toward its apocalypse. [9] Suddenly it was dark around him. He was waiting in the shadow of a tunnel and there would scarcely be a trace of Outside. [10]. Blackness swept back over him in an instant and a moment later the lighting system in the tunnel turned on. [11] Lenny walks toward the end where a doorman awaits him. „Well, Holy father first of all, a small piece of information of a practical and picturesque nature... Under the desk, on the right, you will find a button.“ [12], he says. „The house is already waiting for you.“

House: 

„I’m living in the space

I'm following your trace

Tell me what's going on

I'm gonna make you great

Girl are you air to see

Movin' it, come to me

Baby just come to me

Be what you want to be

Using your fantasy“ [15]

[1] The Young Pope

[2] Paris is Burning

[3] Hays, Architecture Theory since 1968

[4] Schumacher, The Autopoiesis of Architecture Vol 2

[5] Senseney, The Art of Building in the Classical World Vision

[6] Shakespeare, Richard III

[7] Vee, Coding Literacy

[8] Buehlmann, Mathematics and Information in the Philosophy of Michel Serres

[9] Castells, The Power of Identity

[10] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology 

[11] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[12] The Young Pope

Strike a Pose

After entering Lenny was dazzled from the sudden bright light. A three sided entrance staircase welcomed him […], that led visitors to the entrance platform [1] Lenny goes up and looks around. He is standing at the very end of a big plaza like room, a room without a roof. When Lenny looks up the grey sky had vanished and there was only a bright blue and shining light. The space reminded him of a greek agora. The plaza is formed in an additive way, with the side arcades tipped up to form the space. [2] Young and old came streaming into it from the corners that configured it as an open place where people could congregate informally on the spur of the moment. [3] The forum was disposed with a view to its purpose and uses so that if there were many people the square would not be too small, but if there were only a few people it would not appear empty. [4] 

The inside of the house in no way resembled what Lenny has seen at his arrival. Contrary to the masculine and introverted appearance, the inside was open and light, opulent and beautiful. Viewed in isolation, the ornamentation of the Courts seems bizarre and extravagant. [5] Brilliant, clear and with deep toned shadows, it makes up the equilibrium of the whole by contrasting its variety with the pulpy softness of the female figure, glowing with all the charms of colour, bright, gleaming, mellow, full of all the voluptuous luxury of female charms rich and swelling. [6]  The orders are at once emblems of people of different gender and age, and the measure by which the building is laid out. [7]

Inside all kinds of creatures were tumbling, walking and crawling around. The inhabitants of the unknown worlds […], brutes with six fingers on each hand; fauns born from the worms that develop between the bark and the pulp of trees; sirens with scaly tails who seduce seamen; […] ass-centaurs, men to the navel and asses below; Cyclopes, each with a single eye the size of a shield; Scylla, with a girl’s head and bosom, a she-wolf’s belly, and a dolphin’s tail […] the cynocephali, who cannot say a word without barking; sciopods, who run swiftly on their single leg and when they want to take shelter from the sun stretch out and hold up their great foot like an umbrella; […] human bodies with heads of the most diverse animals … [8] The space in between the columns was occupied by artists of this theatre, arranged in six groups, which will process in the following order [9]: REALNESS, BEAUTY, RUNWAY, FASHION, SEX SIREN, VOGUE

House: 

„The category is: Royalty!“ [10]

The Plaza emptied itself and the crowd was cheering from the side. Only one body was left amidst, starting to perform a most intriguing show. Behind Lenny somme other figures were chatting:

House: 

„Welcome to the ball, Miquela!“

Miquela is singing:

„I miss what we used to be

Out every night in the streets

You hanging all over me

Acting like we royalty“ [11]

Octavia St. Laurent: 

„Come on now, it is a known fact that a woman do carry an evening bag at dinner time. There's no getting around that!“ [12]

Scylla:

„What exactly is a ball?“

Octavia St. Laurent: 

„Balls are a gathering of people who are not welcome to gather anywhere else.“ [13]

House:

„Brutality, intensity, great gentleness, extreme delicacy, extreme strength. [14] You are turning it on the runway!“

One of the Cyclopes turns to Lenny and asks: „Are you homosexual, Your Eminence?“ [15] Then he asks the house whether it actually considers itself to be a transgender person. [16] 

House:

„I am. Am I? Here the feminine is not just the yawning void of a non subjective body but signifies an inter/trans subjectivizing structure/encounter/space where potentially human subjects co emerge and co transform within a space of minimal difference. [17] I am belonging to neither of the binary categories, yet traversing both. [18]

[1] Leatherbarrow Eisenschmidt, Twentieth Century Architecture

[2] Eisenman, Written into the Void

[3] Casey, The World on Edge

[4] Williams, Daniele Barbaros Vitruvius of 1567

[5] Bergdoll Oechslin, Fragments Architecture and the Unfinished

[6] Harrison Wood Gaiger, Art in Theory 1648 1815

[7] Macarthur, The Picturesque

[8] Eco, The Name of the Rose

[9] Harrison Wood Gaiger, Art in Theory 1648 1815

[10] POSE

[11] Miquela, Hard Feelings

[12] Paris is Burning

[13] POSE

[14] Le Corbusier, Toward an Architecture

[15] The Young Pope

[16] Hovestadt Buehlmann, Quantum City

[17] Zajko, Laughing with Medusa

[18] Braidotti Hlavajova, Posthuman Glossary

Becoming Eve

Estranged by this conversation Lenny leaves the plaza. He walks onto a gallery that connects several chambers. The architectural decoration became increasingly extravagant to attract continued attention. [1] Dimensions stereotypically condemned as feminine, weak, or frivolous—pink, chintz, boudoir chairs—received validation. [2] Curious what’s behind, Lenny opens one of the doors and glances inside. It was a long rectangular room. [3] It was bright with sunshine, the walls were alive with decoration, the table was set, and the odor of the food was enticing. [4] In between closets clothes out of the most interesting fabrics were lying around and two women were getting dressed. Makeup and female smells combine to generate a softness that bewitches and exhausts. [5] Lenny spots one of the Sirens, whose alluring beauty already seduced him at the Plaza.

Siren:

„“You think I just woke up one day and poof, I look like this? No. It takes work, drive, sacrifice to be a woman.” [6]

Lady Gaga:

„Generations of women have been told by advertisements, films, and parents that the natural female body requires enhancement and adornment to be truly feminine. [7] I portray myself in a very androgynous way and I love androgyny.“ [8]

The Siren turns around and looks Lenny in the eyes. Out of excitement she bursts out of the room and starts to run outside of the building. Lenny follows her. A garden more inviting than Eden would then meet the eye, and springs of joy murmur on every side. [9] He has never seen something so beautiful. It remembers the Garden of Eden, the sufficient paradise, land of milk and honey, and the desert where manna fell from heaven, and the hut where pitchers, as though they were springs, poured forth their contents. [10] There are trees not similar to any we know, but trees of life, of immortality, of knowledge, of apprehension, of understanding, and of the conception of good and evil. [11] Lenny starts looking for the Siren. He has a feeling inside of him, one that he had never had before, one that he could not fight anymore. He cultivates only flowers that are real but seem artificial, has abnormal love affairs, inflames his imagination with drugs, prefers imaginary journeys to real ones, enjoys late medieval texts written in effete and sonorous Latin, and composes symphonies of liquors and perfumes, transferring the sensations of hearing to those of taste and smell; in other words he constructs a life made up of artificial sensations, in an equally artificial environment in which nature, rather than being recreated, as happens in works of art, is at once imitated and negated, re elaborated, languid, disquieting, sick... [12] Suddenly he spots her behind one of the trees. For him she is sex, absolute sex, no less. [13] Lenny runs to her and they fall into their arms. Such pleasure took he to behold this flowery plat, the sweet recess of Eve thus early, thus alone; her heavenly form angelic, but more soft, and feminine, her graceful innocence, her every air of gesture or least action overawed; his malice, and with rapine sweet bereaved; his fierceness of the fierce intent it brought: That space the evil one abstracted stood from his own evil, and for the time remained stupidly good, of enmity disarmed, of guile, of hate, of envy, of revenge; but the hot hell that always in him burns. [14] Such sex could be cosmic, or Dionysian, or unquestionably weird. [15] 

Lenny:

„Laymen always think we priests are scandalized by even the slightest things, whereas the truth is the exact opposite. We are never scandalized, no profession has to deal with sin on such a continual basis as ours. The confessional is our operating room. Just as surgeons have no fear of blood so we priests are no longer afraid of scandal and sin.“ [16]

Siren:

„If Adam and Eve never left the Garden of Eden they would have not become human beings.“ [17]

[1] Bonnemaison Macy, Festival Architecture

[2] Hays, Architecture Theory since 1968

[3] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[4] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[5] Calasso, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony 

[6] POSE

[7] Zimring, Encyclopedia of Consumption and Waste

[8] Braidotti Hlavajova, Posthuman Glossary

[9] Wollstonecraft, Complete Works

[10] Serres, The Five Senses

[11] Voegelin, Order and History 4

[12] Eco, On Beauty A History of a Western Idea

[13] Rendell Penner Borden, Gender Space Architecture

[14] Milton, Paradise Lost

[15] Davis, High Weirdness

[16] The Young Pope

[17] Buehlmann Hovestadt, Coding as Literacy

Having a Ball

Lenny and the Siren enter the house again. Suddenly it was very quiet and they wondered where all the other beings had disappeared. A gentle wind blows through the window, it has become night. Through a majestic door they enter into the main hall, the ballroom, located underneath the Plaza. The stellar pattern of the floor recalls a type of medieval cosmological patterns. [1] The floral theme alluded to the association with the women of the house. [2] We here move to a space in which what matters is a process of subtle becoming other: of gradually dissolving traits of being standardly male as these give way to certain accustomed ways of being female, and vice versa; the same ambiguity obtains for the dyad of human/animal. [3] Useless luxury; ostentatious luxury; wastefully excessive luxury. [4] Observe that part of a beautiful woman where she is perhaps the most beautiful, about the neck and breasts; the smoothness; the softness; the easy and insensible swell; the variety of the surface, which is never for the smallest space the same; the deceitful maze, through which the unsteady eye slides giddily, without knowing where to fix, or whither it is carried. [5] Such was the appearance of the ballroom.

House: 

„And now for the next category: Bizarre!“

Everybody gathered in the hall to view the continuance of the spectacle. Perhaps it is a riot, a party, a free space, an invisible space, a non space, a commonplace. [6] Possessing ‘realness’   being able to pass for something you are not was the highest form of praise amongst competitors at the balls, yet the scene also explicitly signals that identities involve performative acts, and little more than that, and therefore might be thought to be hardly real at all. [7] 

House: 

„Thank you, but that’s a chop!“

Lenny seemed at ease with the mix of men who have sex with men and a few women—transgender and those assigned female at birth. [8] Gesticulating bodies form a chain with clothes as a second skin, regulated by the gestures of fashion which play a role in the marking and disguising of sex differences. [9] While the performance was ongoing, the house started speaking to Lenny.

House:

„In Rome, boys played the role of women on stage in a context read as witty, poetic and intellectually playful; the descent of the players into the audience for general dancing as the performance finished brought the literary figure of polymorphous sexuality into the social orbit.“ [10]

Lenny:

„ In ancient Greece, everyday situations and encounters with the gods offered many such occasions. [11] But we have forgotten. We have forgotten to masturbate to use contraceptive to get abortions to celebrate gay marriages to allow priests to love each other, and even to get married. We've forgotten that we can decide to die if you detest living, we've forgotten to have sexual relations for purposes other than procreation without feeling guilty! To divorce, to let nuns say mass to make babies in all the ways science has discovered and will continue to discover. In short my dear, dear children not only have we forgotten to play we have forgotten to be happy.“ [12]

Lenny is aroused, he puts down his robe and goes onto the stage. The dance with unfolding matter takes place inside of him. [13]

House: 

„May you, once a day, in order to cool it down, forget your culture, your language, your nation, your dwelling place, your village’s soccer team, even your sex and your religion, in short, the thickness of your enclosures.“ [14]

[1] Costelloe, The Sublime

[2] Blackwell, Nineteenth Century Architecture

[3] Casey, The World on Edge

[4] Asimov, Complete Robot Anthology

[5] Grillner, Ramble Linger and Gaze

[6] Braidotti Hlavajova, Posthuman Glossary

[7] Burrows, Fictioning

[8] Allen, Ivenceremos the Erotics of Black Selfmaking in Cuba

[9] Hays, Architecture Theory since 1968

[10] Gillgren, Performativity and Performance in Baroque Rome

[11] Kittler, The Truth of the Technological World

[12] The Young Pope

[13] Braidotti Hlavajova, Posthuman Glossary

[14] Buehlmann, Mathematics and Information in the Philosophy of Michel Serres

[miquelainrhinestones]

Miquela - Right Back (Club 404 Edits) out now. miquela.lnk.to/rightback404

[long-arm-stapler]

S2 EP1: Miquela Davis

Maira (00:00):

Hello! Uh, welcome to Long Arm Stapler, a podcast about zines, back with season two, after a long hiatus. Today, I am joined by Miquela Davis and I will let you introduce yourself.

Miquela (00:33):

Hi, I'm Miquela Davis and I'm super excited to be on this podcast with you today.

Maira (00:40):

Awesome. I'm really looking forward to starting to record again. Um, like I mentioned, I took a 16 month break from recording just because the world was a lot and uh, yeah, February 2021 back in action. Yeah. So I have with me, um, two of, one of your, your book, pup provisions, a copy of Miq's mix volume two a music themed zine. Do you want to talk about either of those or anything you've been working on lately.

Miquela (01:21):

Um, I actually liked those choices that you already have, um, because those are actually my favorite things that I've done. Um, the, the favorite things that I've published at least, um, which is funny, cause I also make a comic called cool dog that some people may have picked up, at like zine fests, but I really loved the Miq's mix. Uh, I made two of them, but the second one is my favorite because it features a bunch of like music themed comics and illustrations, and just has the loose theme of music. And then put provisions is the most recent thing that I made and that's like an actual book. Um, and it has illustrations of different dog breeds, um, in alphabetical order, along with snacks that start with the same letter as the dog breed, if that makes sense. Yeah. So that one took me. How long did it take me to draw? I think I did like a drawing every day for that. And it started as a drawing, um, exercise for me. And then I decided to compile it into a book because people wanted it. And then, um, I wanted to kind of get back into zine making, but it ended up being more of a like actual published. It's more nice looking.

Maira (02:34):

You have like a hard cover.

Miquela (02:37):

Yeah. I just, I just went on like Shutterfly and got it published that way. Oh, so it's still DIY, but it's it's way nicer quality than my like Xerox stuff.

Maira (02:47):

Yeah. I have not ventured into the world of anything but Xerox, but it's exciting. Yeah. What do you, I remember seeing your daily drawing challenges and I was like, Oh, this is really cool. I love dogs. I love snacks. Um, and then you were like, I'm going to make a book. I was like, all right, I'm going to get a copy. Um, I think my favorite is D for docs and I'm a little biased because I have a dachshund.

Miquela (03:17):

Yes. And your dachshund is adorable.

Maira (03:20):

and she's very much like your dog. Yeah.

Miquela (03:23):

Yeah. I feel like our dogs are such kindred spirits and like they've never met, but I feel like they have a connection it's like weird.

Maira (03:32):

Yeah. They would probably hang out in the dog park. Yeah. So, so far I've only ever interviewed people in the Bay, in my living room. Um, so this is exciting because obviously we're not in the same place right now. Um, you are based in Southern California yes. And pre COVID. Or can you talk about like the zine scene pre COVID?

Miquela (04:00):

Yeah, definitely. I could talk about the zine scene pre zine scene here. Really? How far back do you want me to go? I'm sure. I remember growing up and like I heard about zines through a book from my uncle when I was like 16 and he went to school with Mark Todd, um, who wrote, co-wrote a book called what you mean? What's a zine? Um, so they were like college buds and Mark Todd is I think still based in LA and he's an artist there with his partner, Esther Pearl Watson. And so they're both zine makers. They decided to make this book about how to make scenes. And so, because I heard about it that way, there was like nothing in orange County that was Xen based. As far as I saw at the time I had to go to like LA I saw some zines in like some record stores every so often, but it wasn't really a thing here.

Miquela (04:58):

And I gravitated towards Portland, Oregon because of that, I was like, Oh, I'm going to get out of orange County. I'm going to get out of Southern California and head towards where I saw zines being made at the time. And this was like early two thousands. Um, so then when I came back from living in Portland, that was around 2014, 2015, and I don't know how the orange County zine Fest came to be, but it popped up, I believe in 2014, I wasn't at the very first one and the very first zine Fest. I don't even remember where that was held, but then I found them and I applied to the second one, I believe in 2015. And I've been involved with the OC zine fest ever since. Um, I participated in it that one, uh, and the long beach one. And I sort of just found that there were a bunch of zine Fests popping up and I was able to find them through social media. Uh, social media was like a huge player in me getting involved in it. I don't think I would have been able to find it otherwise.

Maira (06:04):

Yeah. I have a similar experience with social media. I got into zines through tumblr and I really wasn't able to find zine fests nearby until, I mean, obviously I started looking for them and we have a few in the Bay area, but like Instagram and back when I used Facebook were very helpful in like finding zines.

Miquela (06:31):

Yeah. And the Bay area too was like one of those places when I was like a teenager or a young adult, like now I'm 30. So like I'm talking like, you know, 10 years ago, I feel like 10 years ago the Bay area had more, but you probably would know that more than me, but I, I feel like, you know, 10 years ago there was at least that community there.

Maira (06:53):

Yeah. I mean EBABZ, um, the East Bay alternative Book and zine Fest that I helped organize. This was our 11th year. And so, and I didn't even start getting involved in that until 2014, I believe. Um, that was the first time I ever tabled. Was at EBABZ 201- It doesn't sound, it doesn't sound right. But I think it's true. Yeah. Yeah. I, I'm learning more about the Bay areas and seeing more and more like every, not every day, but every time I go looking for stuff and it's really cool that there are so many zine fests everywhere. Um, and a lot of them have been able to pivot to online, which I think is really cool over the last year.

Miquela (07:42):

Yeah. That's been really cool to see and you're right about like these zine scenes that have been around, but then you just find out more about them. Like I found that too. It's like, Oh, you really stayed underground. Like, I'm only hearing about like these scenes that have been in existence for a long period of time, but it's like, we're only really hearing about them through like the internet and then word of mouth. Once you get involved, you're like, Oh, there's been like a zine Fest in the inland empire for years. I had no idea. It's cool. I like it.

Maira (08:15):

Yeah. zines, I think has always been very word of mouth for me. Um, and I liked that about them. Just, they're not super commercial. I mean, I, I feel like nobody's really in zines to make money.

Miquela (08:31):

No, it's for the love of them for sure.

Maira (08:33):

Yeah. And so I like the they're still predominantly, I don't know if they're still predominantly underground events because you know, they do get publicity, but I like, I love actually just how DIY things have stayed.

Maira (08:54):

Yeah. Even in the internet age with social media and then also like even programs where you can make, zines more digital. I love seeing artists make zines, still this kind of like old school Xerox machine, um, the risograph, like that's become super popular. I've seen with zines and that's kind of like an older art form, but it's become new again.

Maira (09:20):

Yeah. There's a lot of, um, riso like presses in the Bay area and it all looks so cool. I don't make art zines, so I guess, or at least make zines aren't predominantly like featuring art. And so I haven't kind of dipped my toes into that yet, but it seems like a really cool process. Just you have to like separate the images by color, I guess.

Miquela (09:50):

I'm not that familiar with it either. So I think you're right. Yeah. You have to separate it and you have to have them like, it's, it's kind of like, screen printing from my understanding and I, I don't even understand screen printing. I'm like very basic.

Maira (10:04):

Yeah, same. I don't, I feel like I don't put enough thought, like, I don't think ahead enough when I'm drawing to separate things by color. It's just like

Miquela (10:15):

Same.

Maira (10:17):

Let me take a Sharpie to a piece of paper. Yeah.

Miquela (10:20):

Yeah. I'm like, I just got a pen and a paper and that's usually how I make all of my zines. I just like sit down and I, I just draw and then I will compile it together later on. Um, you know, maybe I'll cut out like a page or two, if I'm like, nah, this doesn't really work, but it's just like pen paper. Don't really put much thought into it. And then bam just release it.

Maira (10:41):

Yeah. Sometimes it's best to like, not put that much thought into it in my own experience.

Miquela (10:47):

It's raw!

Maira (10:47):

Yeah. It's, I mean, I've definitely made zines where it's very, like, I don't know. I made a zine once that was writing. I did for a creative writing class. And so that was more polished, I guess, than anything else I've done. But it's usually just me kind of sitting at my computer, treating it like a live journal entry and just printing it out, stapling it together and letting people read it.

Miquela (11:17):

That's so cool too. Like just letting it be this like free flowing thought process. And like, I've always admired like the way that you make your zines because like, they're just so personal too.

Maira (11:31):

Yeah. I, I got started with perzines and I didn't really venture into like fanzines or anything with like drawings of my own until the last few years. But perzines are really like where I got my start, I guess.

Miquela (11:49):

Yeah. And I think that's how we met too, was like, I was drawn to your more personal zines and I was like, that's really cool. That's cool of you to like put yourself out there, like that.

Maira (12:00):

Yeah, I love to overshare on the internet, so why not do it with paper and some staples?

Miquela (12:06):

Exactly.

Maira (12:07):

Yeah. Because we met at a zine Fest. I think. I don't remember which one

Miquela (12:12):

I don't remember either. I was like sitting here and trying to think I'm like, I know it was at a zine fest. Like that's how we know each other. That's how we ended up here. But it's been, it's been a while and it's like one of those things where like, I've seen you now at so many, I feel where I can't remember like the first one either.

Maira (12:29):

And I remember the last long beach zine Fest that was held in person. We, it was like a power block of my table, my friend Andi and then you. And that was fun.

Miquela (12:42):

That was so much fun.

Maira (12:45):

And then my car broke down. So it was like fun up until heading home. Um, it was a disaster and I was like, wow, I wish I could just stay in Long Beach Zine Fest for a little while longer and not be living a nightmare. But

Miquela (13:00):

Yeah, I remember that too. I remember like seeing your Instagram posts and I was like, no, we were having so much fun.

Maira (13:10):

Yeah. Um, but you know, shit happens. Um, my car works again, so it's all good. Yeah. What else you've got, you've got an art show coming up that you're curating.

Miquela (13:24):

I Do. Yeah. Speaking of like zine fests and stuff. Like I miss them so much, but yeah. I curate an art show every year now since 2018. Um, I used to have a space that I could do it out of that my friend ran called riff mountain. And, um, I would curate art shows there every so often, but this crushes one is the one that I've done every Valentine's day for the past, like four years now. And the one coming up is the first virtual one, just because I was like, you know what? I've been wanting to get an art show together somehow during this whole COVID time period. But this one is special just because I was like, I can't not have crushes happen just because like, it means so much to me personally, the first year I did it, I co curated with a fellow artist. Uh, Meg Gonzalez, who is a local, you know, Southern California artists. And I think they've reached, you know, further than just Southern California. Like they're, I don't know. Like they just seem like a really, uh, poppin' artist, like more and more people are finding them. And I, I love that for them.

Maira (14:34):

Bug Club Supreme. Yes.

Miquela (14:37):

Yeah. They're, they're super cool. And so we co curated the first crushes show together. And then the second one I did myself last year I did with another artist, uh, Chantal Elise, who's just under like Chantal Elise art on, uh, Instagram. And then this year I'm just doing it myself and I'm doing it virtually. So like, it's going to be interesting. I'm super excited to see what happens, but we're basically going to do kind of like a live stream. I asked other artists to make like short videos of themselves and talk about themselves in their work. I only got one so far, so I might not be like super prevalent throughout the show, but my whole idea is that because we're going virtual, I would like to showcase artists more than you can do at a traditional art show. Like usually you're there and you're looking at their work, but you don't really get to know the artists behind it and like the story behind the work or the deeper meaning of it, like, you're just getting your own interpretation. So I was like, what can we do differently? Because it's going digital this time. And that's why I tried to include that in the like submission form.

Maira (15:50):

Yeah. It seems like it's going to be really cool. Um, what are you like hosting it on a specific platform or

Miquela (15:59):

I think we're going with youtube. I say we, because my roommate is helping me out with it. Um, we've been testing out different forms of software and I think YouTube might be where we end up. I initially was thinking like just a zoom call and I would like put together some sort of like, um, a slideshow or something, but that's, I don't know if that's really gonna work out. Um, so I actually don't know yet. We're still working out like, which one's going to be the best one for the whole show and for people to participate in, but also kind of be like an audience because the whole idea is like, we want it to be participatory, but also like where you're kind of watching a show happen, but have it partially recorded and partially in real time.

Maira (16:49):

Okay, that kind of Makes sense To me.

Miquela (16:51):

Yeah. I'm like, it's, it's a lot, like, it makes sense in my mind, like the recorded part would be, we have images of people's artwork and we would be, you know, showing that for like a few minutes at a time. And then maybe between each piece, like visual piece, we would have a recording of an artist talking about themselves and their work, kind of like an introduction to their work before we show it. Um, I know we have a couple live readers of poetry. We don't have a confirmed DJ set yet, but we have some recorded music that we can play. And if anybody during the show would like to, you know, maybe do any sort of live reading or live music or something, we're open to that as well. So that's the mix between like the recorded and then the live stuff.

Maira (17:38):

Oh, cool. Um, and so that's gonna be on Valentine's day, correct?

Miquela (17:42):

Yes. On Valentine's day still don't have a time sorted either. Like a lot of this happened now looking back and like, Oh, I kind of did this last minute. I wasn't really thinking of like a lot of the work that's going to go into making it digital because I'm so used to like doing it in person and kind of like winging it, you know, like day of it's like, all right, well, I know that I have all these artists signed up and I've done it for a few years now and everything's kind of just worked out, but now with the digital aspect to it, like I'm not super technologically, like I'm proficient, but I feel like a lot of these programs that I'm looking at, I'm like, I don't understand like this whole like live feed and putting in microphones and all this stuff like having, um, you know, the screen switch between one from another, like, it's, it's a lot, it's pretty daunting. So we also have a lot of artists tuning in, or like submitting stuff from other parts of the world.

Maira (18:39):

Oh wow.

Miquela (18:39):

Like that part has been really interesting to me this year. I think, because it's been opened up to being like, Oh, this is online. I don't have to like ship anything. I just have to send an email with some photos of my work. If I want to, I've gotten people from like the Netherlands. I've gotten people from the UK submitting work. So that's been really, really cool. And I want to make sure that they're included too, as part of like the little live stream that we do. So I'm trying to figure out like a good time for that and see if we can like record something for people to view later on if they can't make it

Maira (19:14):

Cool. And people still have time to submit, um, To that, correct?

Miquela (19:21):

Yeah. As of recording this right now? Um, yes. So the deadline is February 10th.

Maira (19:28):

Okay. Yeah, I can include, um, cause it was like a Google submission form. Yeah?

Miquela (19:35):

Pretty much. So the way that the submission process is working right now, like that's basically how I get people's names and then information. And I make like a spreadsheet of what they tell me that they're going to submit. So then that way I can keep track of it. But then to actually submit after that, they still have to send me like photo either photos of their visual work, or if they want to take a video, maybe you made a sculpture or something and you want to show it off. Like you can just take your phone out and like walk around the sculpture and get all these cool angles on it. And just like send me a video clip. Um, I'm really open to like any medium. Cause it seems like any one is possible. So yeah, people can just still submit that then to my email. And then my email, I don't mind giving it out. It's just MIQ U I D e e@gmail.com.

Maira (20:24):

Cool. And yeah, I will post that in the show notes as well. Um, so if people are interested in submitting, they can, I am excited about it because I have, I've made a sculpture sort of thing, which I haven't really done before. Um, but I submitted it and it's really cute and I'm excited for other people to see it.

Miquela (20:48):

Yeah. I'm very excited for it too.

Maira (20:52):

Yeah. I just haven't like made, I haven't really done any art stuff in the last year, so I've, that's, I mean, that's not true, but it feels true. Like, I haven't, I don't feel like I have much art to show for the last year, but it was really cool, like working with my hands again and just gluing all of those tiny hearts. I was going to sew them, but I was like, that's so much work.

Miquela (21:20):

That's so much more work. Wow. Yeah.

Maira (21:23):

And I have a crush on hot glue. So I was like, okay,

Miquela (21:27):

There you go. It's perfect.

Maira (21:29):

Yeah. It's a good tie in, um, for those of you wondering, I made a Crunchwrap Supreme filled with hearts.

Miquela (21:35):

It's incredible.

Maira (21:37):

Yeah. I'm really excited. I submitted something to the show last year too. And it was one of the first times I've ever like submitted my art anywhere.

Miquela (21:48):

Really? I didn't even know that. Yeah. You've submitted last year and I was like super excited about it. Cause you like mailed me your work.

Maira (21:54):

Yeah, that was, I think aside from the long arm stapler show that we did in September of 2019, that was like maybe the second or third time I'd ever shown my work in like a show setting. And so that was really exciting. And I remember you posted like videos of the show in person and photos. And I was just like, I think it was, it was on Valentine's day again. And I was just on my phone, like kind of ignoring my boyfriend. And I was like, look at my work, look at my work. I was really excited about it.

Miquela (22:31):

I love that! Oh my God. That is so cool. Yeah. I was super happy to have you participate, but I had no idea. And I had also seen that show that you did up there. Um, the long-arm stapler one that looked super cool too.

Maira (22:45):

Yeah, that was my first, uh, time running a show and also being in a show, I guess, we recorded, the last time we recorded this podcast actually was like at the close of that show. So it's been an interesting time to like think back on it and really reflect on how cool it was. And like we had, it was mostly people from the Bay. Um, we had someone from, I can't remember where they live, but they're on the East coast. They submitted work two people from Southern California submitted work. And one of them was actually came up with their kids to see the show opening night. So that was really exciting too.

Miquela (23:30):

That's so cool.

Maira (23:31):

Yeah. And like I had just recently started at my current job and some of my coworkers came out and my like family came and it was, it was really cool.

Miquela (23:42):

That's awesome.

Maira (23:44):

I can't wait to be able do that again.

Miquela (23:47):

Yeah. That's been a major thing and like, yeah, once you do that, like, cause you said that it was your first time, like being in a show and then making a show, like putting on a show. That's why we started even doing crushes like that. I think that was my first time to like showing my work in a sort of like not gallery setting. Cause like I wouldn't call it necessarily gallery. It's like a DIY space, but having like an art show sort of feel where it's like, all right, I'm putting a bunch of things on the wall and showing off people's work and it's hard to get into like galleries or I don't know, just like art shows in general. I feel like don't really happen much. How is it up there? Like, are there more art shows that happen kind of similar to the one that you put on?

Maira (24:32):

Honestly, I don't know. Just cause I'm not like super tuned into the art world, I guess. Um, just cause I mostly like my, my medium is predominantly zines. Um, so that was another cool thing about the show was it was all zine themed. Um, but my friends are opening a gallery in Oakland actually, um, called crisis club and they're going to do shows there once it's safe. And I'm really excited about that because I feel like in the last few years, the amount of DIY spaces in the Bay has kind of dwindled. Um, it's exciting to like see that revival happening, even if it's slow going. And even if we can't have access to these spaces for awhile.

Miquela (25:30):

Yeah. Like I'm hoping after this is all over, we see kind of like a Renaissance in a way of like artistic expression, you know, having these sort of DIY spaces and um, cause yeah, there's at least down here they're really non-existent. Um, but I know like in the Bay area, like I would hear about them either growing up or like even recently, like I saw your friend's space, um, just through your Instagram and I was like, Oh, that looks cool. So yeah. I'm just hoping that we see more once this is all over.

Maira (26:06):

Yeah. And I think especially because people would just been sitting at home making art or at least I hope they've been sitting at home making art.

Miquela (26:14):

Yeah. The sitting at home, especially.

Maira (26:16):

Yeah. If you're making art good for you, but like please sit at home. Um, but yeah, I'm really excited to kind of see what art, like physical art spaces are like in a post COVID society.

Miquela (26:33):

And I think too, we're going to be starved for socialization. So it would be interesting to see like art shows become more of an inclusive thing.

Maira (26:42):

I agree. What else? Uh, are you working on anything else right now?

Miquela (26:47):

I have a lot of ideas floating right now. I know that's like, that could mean anything. Um, I do want to make more cool dog, but I'm just kind of like, he's an interesting character for me. I sometimes will get ideas for cool dog and then sometimes there'll be like, I want nothing to do with cool dog. I want to like work on other stuff, but I know that he's what the people want. Um, but I find it hard, harder and harder now just because I'm like, what is cool? Like, he's kind of like a weird problematic character because like a lot of times like his coolness is, is like something that I don't necessarily agree with. Um, like he, I dunno like the fact that he like smokes cigarettes and like seemingly doesn't like care about other people. Like he just cares about the sake of being cool. Like that's not actually cool. So there's like lots of questions like surrounding it. Like it's very like philosophical for me now. Whereas like it just started as like, this is a stupid comic thing that I'm just going to do for the hell of it. And then it like turned into like this character that I have to actually think about. And that's what makes me be like, I don't even want to think about it. I don't even want to make it, but I can't let him go either. So that's a long way of me just saying like, yeah, there may be more cool dog in the future. I definitely want to work more on zines but yeah, quarantine, you know, I'm just kind of taking a break, especially after making pup provisions that took a lot of energy, but I also would really like to make a memoir like graphic novel about the early two thousands and like my first year of high school. So that's been something that I've been working on slowly.

Maira (28:31):

Oh cool. We're the same age. So that was probably what like 20, 2004.

Miquela (28:35):

Yes, exactly. It was. So I'm thinking like, yeah, like 2000. Yeah, actually it would take place in 2004 because I was going to say the end of eighth grade, beginning of high school. So yeah, 2004.

Maira (28:49):

What a time to be alive.

Miquela (28:49):

Yes. And especially now, like I think like I've revisited that time period a lot and I'm like, man, what a great time. And I'm thinking of actually ending it when I discover zines, which was when I was like 16, like 15, 16. So I think it would be cool to make like a zine about my life, like discovering zines.

Maira (29:10):

Oh yeah. That sounds really cool.

Miquela (29:13):

Yeah. Like I would want it to eventually be compiled in a graphic novel, but I'm thinking, yeah. I might just start out doing like short snippets of stories in zine form, but then they could be, uh, combined together into like, I don't know what it's called. Just like a graphic- Yeah. Yeah. Like an anthology of like all these collected stories that take place during that period of time.

Maira (29:36):

Awesome. Uh, you have a Patreon.

Miquela (29:39):

Yes.

Maira (29:40):

You do like monthly stuff with.

Miquela (29:43):

I do. Yeah. So that's another thing that I've been consistently working on. I started it, I want to say in the beginning of 2020, I can't even remember now. Um, but then it's kind of evolved into now. I've gotten into a groove of like I send out monthly, um, things through the mail depending on like what tier people are on. Um, so I send out like pictures of my dog. Um, all the tiers are like named after her. Uh, so she's got like pegs pen pals. I send out clay pins that I make, I have yet to send out any zines, but that's just because I'm like, uh, what kind of zine should I make and send out? I don't know. I find that I like hold myself back from like making zines a lot because I'm a little bit of a, like a perfectionist when it comes to them, but I just need to do it. I just need to like make a little like one page zine or one piece of paper. So it'd be like six pages and like mail it out. But yeah, people get stuff in the mail if they want or they get access to like exclusive sketches and drawings and like random things that I'm doing. Kind of like, uh, a little bit of a journal. And then now I have a podcast where I talk about music and that's like exclusive to my Patreon for now.

Maira (30:54):

That's exciting.

Miquela (30:56):

Yeah. Thanks.

Maira (30:57):

I started a Patreon. Apparently I tried to make one in June of last year, but did nothing with it. Um, so in preparation for, cause I, I really want to just dive back into this podcast and kind of do more with it than I was before. Cause I think it was like one, every couple of months when I felt like it, I would just have people come over to my apartment and shoot the shit Essentially. I started listening to old episodes and transcribing them cause I wanted to make them more accessible and.

Miquela (31:34):

Oh that's cool.

Maira (31:34):

That was a very time-consuming process. Um, but I am still working on, uh, months later. Yeah. I remembered just really enjoying like the, the word that's coming up for me is prescribed hanging out time.

Miquela (31:51):

Oh yeah.

Maira (31:53):

Like it's a good way to like ease back into socializing because the only person I've really seen in the last however many months is my boyfriend. Um, because we live together and so it's like talking to people is hard?

Miquela (32:09):

Yeah. Talking, talking to people is hard. And I think too, like podcasting it's like, you kind of have a theme, like you have something to already talk about, so you're not sitting there like, well, how's it going with you? It's like, I don't know. I've been stuck in my house for 10 months. How's it going?

Maira (32:25):

To be fair I've done that also this episode.

Miquela (32:27):

Yeah.

Maira (32:30):

But it's fun. And I forgot how fun it was. And so I made a Patreon. I don't know what I'm going to do with it yet. Cause I've already, you know, I've got an Etsy where I sell my zines and stuff and I've got like a Ko-Fi, um, that I.

Miquela (32:44):

I haven't heard of that one. What is that one?

Maira (32:47):

It's just like a, it's a cute little site where you can buy someone a coffee, um, and just send them like three bucks and.

Miquela (32:56):

That's cool.

Maira (32:56):

Yeah, it's, it's cute. I was using it a lot at the beginning of last year because I was, I kind of realized that like I was putting in a lot of time to like zine stuff and it was kind of becoming a full time job, just, you know, organizing fests and organizing the art show and doing the podcast. I was already working a full-time job. And so it was just kind of draining and I was like, you know, it'd be really cool if people wanted to buy me a coffee for this. And so I found this website and it was cool. It's a nice way to like, I think it's kind of like Patreon and you can connect with other creators and uh, do like tiered stuff. It's I think it's basically the same. Yeah. You can do like one-off payments instead of like monthly.

Miquela (33:52):

That's cool. Yeah. That's like the one thing about Patreon where I'm Like I don't, I don't know, like I don't expect people to like want a monthly subscription unless it's for like, you know, the monthly mail outs. Like that's really the only one where I'm like, yeah, if you want something mailed to you every month, that's cool. But it would be cool if Patreon could also have like a one-time payment, which I guess you can do it just feels weird, you know?

Maira (34:19):

Yeah. I, at this time don't feel like I do anything monthly enough to warrant a Patreon, but that's also me kind of trying to kick my own ass into doing something monthly, I guess. I don't even know.

Miquela (34:38):

It's a lot.

Maira (34:38):

Yeah. I, I mean, cause you make all these things out of clay and take photos of peg and send them out.

Miquela (34:46):

Yeah. And I make, uh, usually I've been making, um, what is it called? Oh my God. I'm totally blanking on it. Block printing.

Maira (34:54):

Oh cool.

Miquela (34:55):

So I usually do like a, uh, at least original piece of art included too. And then if I include zines in the future, like yeah. Like I try to have like a few pieces of art within each package and it takes like days for me to do, like, it does become like a job. So I get totally get what you're saying. Whereas like, if you're doing these things, just for the love of it at the same time, you're like, Oh, I'm using my time to devote to this thing where like, it's hard because we live under capitalism and we're like, how can I pursue this? And still feel like I'm not, I don't know, like accomplishing something is the wrong word, but like it's hard. It's hard when like it becomes like it when it feels like a job.

Maira (35:36):

Yeah. And unfortunately It's also, like I feel as artists, we feel under capitalism, we feel inclined to like monetize our hobbies in order to get by.

Miquela (35:51):

Oh totally.

Maira (35:52):

It sucks. We want to just make art for fun, but it feels like all my time has to go into like hustling.

Miquela (36:02):

Oh totally. Like that was my whole thing with like even getting into zine making and getting into all of this is I was like, Oh, I already make comics. And this is just a fun way for me to distribute them, to like my friends and like get my work out there and just make people laugh. But then it turned into something as I got older where I was like, but this is all that I love to do and all that I know how to do. And like, guess, I've got to make money off of that somehow. So yeah. It definitely sucks.

Maira (36:32):

Yeah. At this point I'm just trying to pay for paper and ink.

Miquela (36:37):

that's the whole thing is like materials too. It's like, yeah, it would be cool to have like one of those fancy like risographed zines, but it costs money for materials.

Maira (36:46):

Yeah.

Miquela (36:47):

I could totally see you doing like a, I mean you could do like stickers monthly or something like included with like a mini zine that could even be just like a monthly thing for Patreon.

Maira (36:58):

Oh yeah. I love making those one sheet zines. Um, I was looking at- so something I've been doing lately for the past month or so is I've been looking at photos from that specific day in my phone. So from like years prior.

Miquela (37:16):

Oh, that's cool.

Maira (37:16):

And the other day, a few years ago, um, there was a zine library opening at the Oakland LGBTQ community center. And apparently I made a zine of just drawings of animals in cowboy hats, which.

Miquela (37:33):

That's amazing,

Maira (37:35):

Yeah it was super cute. I took pictures of some of them. And I think that zine, I didn't make any copies. So it only lives in that library. Um, if it's even still there, but I love making one-offs and I actually made one during EBABZ. Um, I was feeling really discouraged about selling my art and making art. And so I made one that was like, even if no one buys your art, you're still an artist. Um, and it was, it was nice. It felt good to just get things out onto a little sheet of paper. And I just bought a scanner and color printer for cheap, but now I have my own next to my desk. So.

Miquela (38:19):

that's a life changer.

Maira (38:21):

Yeah. There was a time period where I was like, okay, I can't make anything because I cannot copy it. Um, but now I can.

Maira (38:31):

That's so cool. Yeah. Like, and that alone, I mean, I know we were talking about how like it's hard right now to like create stuff, but like you're at least building up to like having a bunch of things where you're like, all right, well, I'm prepared to create now. Just got to feel like creating and not be crushed by like having to monetize it. And I think like returning to just like creating for the sake of creating is like so hard.

Maira (39:00):

Yeah. I bought a bunch of colored paper. Um, that I'm determined to do something with, but I also don't want to force it because like, like we've been saying it sucks to feel forced into creating art for money.

Maira (39:15):

Yeah, artist problems.

Maira (39:19):

Artist problems, truly, I am taking a block printing class on zoom tomorrow though. Um, which I'm pretty excited about because it's not really something, well, that's not true. My friend Kristen taught me how to carve stamps, um, with like easy cut rubber a few years ago. And I made like a taco bell stamp, which is pretty on brand for me, but I'm taking a class tomorrow and I'm excited to like, have someone show me how to do it. And I got a bunch of speedball ink and yeah, I'm excited to have that space to like make stuff that doesn't feel, it's kind of forced because I signed up for it. But,

Miquela (40:06):

But sometimes like, Oh, sorry,

Maira (40:10):

No go ahead.

Miquela (40:10):

I was going to say like, sometimes like, you know, that sort of force where like it, but it's more community built. It's like, okay, I'm kind of forced to do that just because I signed up for it. But like for some reason, taking a class like feels different than just like, alright, I feel forced to do this because like I have to do it for monetary gain or like, I need to feel like I'm being productive. And it's more of like a societal pressure versus like in a class there's like that community sense of it where you're like, Oh, that's so cool. I get to be like taught this by somebody who knows a lot about it. And that's been one of the like greatest things about this period of time, like during COVID and all the lockdowns and stuff is like being able to take classes online still is, has been like a godsend.

Maira (40:58):

Yeah. Are you still teaching the zine making class?

Miquela (41:02):

Um, I'm teaching, Well, I had a couple of workshops, um, where it was zine making. And then right now it kind of transferred into I'm teaching. I am still teaching, but it's like an afterschool program where we're making these like little animal field guides. So they already had like a pre-made book. Um, and then they fill it out with like animal drawings that we do each week and it's been so much fun. And then I'm taking a class through my work, um, with a different artist who's doing just kind of drawing essentials and just having that like set aside time each week to devote to art is like major

Maira (41:40):

The animal guide sounds cute as hell.

Miquela (41:43):

It's so cute. Yeah. But my students are like a huge thing that's been like keeping me creative. Um, cause we also do, I do a weekly thing called doodle hour and that's actually, uh, open to anyone and it's free. Um, it's all ages, but for the most part I have like kids in the class and I think that like deters adults, like I've had some adults pop in, but like I try to really make it for everyone. And it's just a fun time to be like goofy and imaginative. And I try to come up with like silly prompts and stuff. Like, you can just draw on your sketchbook, um, and be around like a bunch of fun kids that come up with like really silly things. And so like, that's been major too, for me. It was just like, I feed off of their like innate creativity sometimes. Cause I'm like, you haven't been ruined by capitalism yet.

Maira (42:34):

Stay that way, please.

Miquela (42:35):

Yeah. Yeah. That's like one of the hardest things being an art teacher is like seeing these kids and just kind of like realizing like as an adult so much is beaten out of us. Like not to get like super depressing, like as an artist, like looking at them as artists and like remembering back to like when I was their age and I felt like there were so many more possibilities and like I would just make for the sake of making, um, which is something that we've already like kind of talked about, like we're struggling with, but then like these kids, it's like, you give them like one tiny crumb of something and then they just like run with it. And I'm like, how do you do that? Like please, how do I tap into that resource again?

Maira (43:21):

It feels like something that needs to be like relearned.

Miquela (43:25):

Yeah. So like taking a class, that's all going back to like you taking a class. Like I was kind of saying like, that's so cool that you're doing that because like giving yourself that time, like hopefully that will get you into more of that mindset, a little, or like kind of retrain your brain to be in that creative mode

Maira (43:42):

In the same vein. I took like an art 101 class at my local community college last semester. And that was, it was the same thing where it like put me in a mindset of like, yes, it was for a grade, but it felt very like, because it's not, I'm not working towards a degree right now. I'm just kind of taking it for fun. And so it was really cool to just kind of get loose and like make stuff. And so I'm taking another art class through the same community college this semester and it's a site-specific installation,

Miquela (44:17):

Woah

Maira (44:19):

But we don't really have any sites. Uh, cause.

Miquela (44:22):

that's fascinating.

Maira (44:24):

Yeah. I'm really excited to see how it's gonna play out. And like I'm really excited to make Stuff.

Miquela (44:30):

Sounds like that's cool. Like that's totally something you can use too for putting on shows.

Maira (44:35):

Yeah. That's I think what I'm most using it for gain down the road, but definitely just like farming ideas at this point, which I'm really excited about.

Miquela (44:46):

That sounds awesome. And that's just through the local community college there.

Maira (44:50):

Yeah. Uh, shout out to Ohlone College, uh, their art department.

Miquela (44:56):

That's rad.

Maira (44:56):

Yeah. I'm excited. Uh, do you have anything else that you want to plug or talk about?

Miquela (45:05):

Um, no, that's pretty much it. I feel like, yeah. Talked about the art show. I mentioned like the class I'm teaching, but I didn't even mention like where it is, but I guess you can put that in like the description.

Maira (45:17):

Yeah. Thanks so much for doing this. I know it was like really short notice. Um, and technology is weird and kind of hard, but it's been fun.

Miquela (45:29):

No, this was awesome. I loved, uh, you know, catching up with you a little bit and like yeah. Hearing about the things that you're working on too. Like it's nice to just sit and talk like with a fellow artist who just gets it. Like, I I've been very isolated away from like any sense of like an art community. So like this was really cool and I, yeah, I really loved talking with you.

Maira (45:52):

Yeah. And it's, it's also just a very different vibe from like seeing something on Instagram and being like, all right, I like this, but it's cool to like interact on a different plane, I guess.

Miquela (46:05):

Totally.

Maira (46:06):

Yeah. Well again, thank you. Um, this was great and yeah, stay tuned for more long-arm stapler, uh, more often this year and that's all for me.

[i-am-very-very-tired]

Are CGI models taking jobs away from real people of colour? | Dazed

Maybe you’ve seen them while scrolling on Instagram, then stopped and scrolled back in disbelief. “Them” being CGI-created models. Yep, if beauty standards weren’t yet high enough, there are now uber-perfect models who don’t really exist – even if they do have personalities and their own social media accounts.

And being avatars hasn’t stopped them from being the faces of beauty labels or modelling in editorials for magazines. One of them even took over at Milan Fashion Week. Still, as you might imagine, reception to these new faces has been mixed – what do they represent? Is this just the creepy AF Pygmalion myth for generation Instagram? And what about the actual, IRL models they’re putting out of a job? Here, two writers argue for and against the use of CGI models in fashion.

AGAINST – BRANDS LOVE POC’S AESTHETICS BUT NOT POC

Text Kemi Alemoru

I’m someone that exists on the fringes of what is fashionable. For example, I don’t actually own any luxury items and spend Monday-to-Friday throwing together the first things I see strewn across my floordrobe. Nevertheless, even though I don’t feel a part of the industry I know what is trending and right now people of colour are having a “moment”.

For years, all-white campaigns were something you’d never bat an eyelid to. Now, a make-up ad or streetwear campaign without any people of colour looks incredibly out of touch. You see this in how something as simple as swatching cosmetic collections is inherently political post-Fenty Beauty, with companies being dubbed “embarrassing” if their darker shade range is limited.

Just this week a “colonialism” themed fashion line modelled by a white man sparked outrage for being so obviously tone-deaf. This is probably because young people have become increasingly empathetic towards race issues since social media has made debates more accessible. The absence of black, asian, hispanic faces in your brand only help to strengthen online discourse about exclusion and prejudice. In short, it’s just not good for your brand to exclude people of colour (POC) right now.

This backdrop is impossible to ignore when considering the rise of CGI influencers of colour. Some commentators think the likes of Lil Miquela and Shudu are a clever comment on authenticity on social media or the fashion industry’s obsession with perfection. However, there’s a danger that this is just another vehicle for brands to cash in on what is popular without having to give props and jobs to POC.

Take Lil Miquela. Her feed is very of-the-moment oscillating between streetwear looks and pivotal pop culture moments like celebrating Lena Waithe’s Vanity Fair cover after becoming the first black woman to win an Emmy for comedy writing. She’s vocal about social issues in Bushwick, Brooklyn – an area of New York where only 9 per cent of the population is white. Aided by her ethnic ambiguity, the Spanish-Brazilian Californian has enough cultural cache to talk about racial issues like Black Lives Matter while managing to look socially conscious, rather than aggressive or divisive. If Miquela was actually real, her radical passion and ethnicity might work against her. Luckily, she is a pixelated simulacrum – an embodiment of what is popular – without the burden of actually having to exist. So she’s picking up brand partnerships at quite a rate, while influencers of colour remain largely ignored by luxury brands. 

In February, Prada and Miquela teamed up for an Instagram takeover. Until recently, the brand’s record on diversity has been questionable – before Jourdan Dunn in 2008, the last black model to walk for the brand was Naomi Campbell in 1993. While Miquela was taking over on IG, Sudanese-American model Anok Yai became the first black model to open a Prada runway show in more than 20 years. So while it’s props to Prada for helping Yai make her way into the industry, couldn’t they have given their social media accounts to an IRL POC?

This isn’t an isolated issue. In 2016, a Fashion Spot report found that almost 80 per cent of models in luxury brand ads were white. Yet, the “world’s first digital supermodel” Shudu, has 99.5k followers and a burgeoning career. She has already modelled Oscar de la Renta jewellery, Fenty lip shades, and has a host of viral shoots with her male counterpart Nfon.

Shudu and Nfon are the brainchild of London-based photographer and digital artist Cameron-James Wilson who told Harper’s Bazaar that Shudu was his “art piece”. “She is not a real model unfortunately, but she represents a lot of the real models of today. There’s a big kind of movement with dark skin models, so she represents them and is inspired by them," he explained. “Obviously some models like Duckie (Thot) were definitely big inspirations for her as well.” Funnily enough, Thot has been vocal about how difficult it was to get her start in the industry because of her shade.

What Wilson is inadvertently saying is that black people are trendy right now, not because the industry wants to improve its shocking record diversity, but purely because people love the black aesthetic. It’s objectification in its purest form. Now brands can borrow Shudu’s deep melanated skin, Nfon’s wide sculpted features, and Miquela’s feisty online persona without the hassle of smashing the glass ceiling to let POC reach the top.

In the past, I’ve argued against the boring backlash of calling individuals out for appropriation when they borrow from black culture. Enjoying someone else’s culture is a natural way to appreciate differences and develop culture in music, fashion, and beauty – if you cite your influences then it’s all good. However, what I do take issue with is a whole industry that clearly favours black and minority ethnic aesthetics on anyone but minorities.

To champion a coded character over POC influencers and models looking for jobs is nothing short of fetishisation. As Naomi Campbell told GQ recently: “We’re not a trend.” If you like what women of colour represent, and how they look, then hire them. They should be remunerated and championed. Until then, your CGI imitations only prove that you love the looks of POC, but not the reality of us.

[riichardwilson]

CGI-Created Virtual Influencers Are the New Trend in Social Media Marketing

Brands try creating their own influencers to control their messaging.

Free Book Preview No BS Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing

The ultimate guide to – producing measurable, monetizable results with social media marketing agency.

July 31, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

With more than 1 billion people using social media all over the world, it’s more difficult than ever for brands to stand out from the crowd. Thus, the rise of the influencer, which has been one of the most significant changes in marketing agency in the last decade.

Some creative marketers have decided to to find an alternative to the typical approach to influencers and instead create their brand ambassadors themselves using artificial intelligence. These virtual influencers are computer-created fictional characters whose “personalities” are entirely fictional. They’re paired with animated images from digital artists to accurately re-create the subtle features of human faces. Some companies are building their own influencers from the ground up, creating their own character that they can control every aspect of. 

Lil Miquela and friends

Instagram users have already seen creations like 19-year-old Lil Miquela release music while going through a carefully scripted drama that kept her 1.6 million followers riveted. Lil Miquela, created by the L.A.-based firm Brud, can be said to have started the CGI influencer phenomenon in 2016, when she blew up on Instagram. Now she’s a regular face in fashion magazines and fronts a wide range of lUXury brands. More than 80,000 people stream Lil Miquela’s songs on Spotify every month. She has given interviews from Coachella and shown off a tattoo designed by an artist who inked Miley Cyrus. Until her creators revealed her true provenance, many of her fans were convinced she was a flesh-and-blood teenager.

Just like Lil Miquela, Blawko was created by Brud. Sporting streetwear style and tattoos, he describes himself as a “young robot sex symbol.” He’s perhaps the most mysterious of all the virtual influencer stars due to the mask that covers half of his face. He has become popular among users for his laid-back nature and on-off relationship with Bermuda, another CGI-created influencer.

The virtual Colonel and others

Intended to parody the lifestyle of Instagram influencers, KFC’s virtual Colonel shows the ridiculously good-looking Colonel Harland Sanders living his best influencer life. The uncannily human character posts from KFC’s official account, which has 1.3 million followers. It identifies him as a virtual influencer who is chasing the dream, selling chicken and based out of Louisville, the company’s headquarters. He sports the Colonel’s signature gray hair, black-rimmed glasses and white suit, but instead of a pudgy old man, this version is a modelesque hipster, complete with a torso tattoo that reads “Secret Recipe for Success.” He frequently collaborates with other brands, including Dr Pepper, Old Spice and TurboTax.

In fall 2018, French lUXury fashion house Balmain launched a campaign starring three digital models. Two of the models are exclusive to the Balmain brand, while the third, Shudu Gram, is a free agent popularly known as the world’s first digital supermodel. British fashion photographer Cameron-James Wilson created Shudu, who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and blurs the line between digital and reality. She can’t talk, nor is she artificially intelligent, but with Wilson’s help, she shares her message of empowerment and diversity in the fashion industry. 

Will it last?

“Only a few years ago, the idea of social media influencers was in its infancy, so their popularity is a sign of how quickly the trend took hold of the public’s imagination,” says photographer and online marketer Katerina Leroy. She says using virtual influencers benefits brands because it gives them full control, saves time searching for the right human influencers and reduces the risk od negative feedback. On the other hand, it could be another marketing agency experiment that fades away, “not one that will alter the course of influencer marketing,” she says.

Harry Hugo, co-founder of the Goat Agency, says virtual influencers will be unavoidable in the next 12 months. “They can be available 24/7 and have a personality molded to be exactly what you want. They can literally be whatever you want them to be. These things are massive plus points for brands because they make the perfect ambassador.”

According to HypeAuditor, “Virtual Influencers have almost three times more engagement than real influencers. That means that followers are more engaged with virtual influencers content.” The piece suggests that novelty is a key element in their current popularity, and as digital models become more commonplace, they’ll lose some of that interest. But will they? Will we even know who’s real and who’s not in future? The stats here would suggest that it’s likely to become a bigger point of discussion.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/cgi-created-virtual-influencers-are-the-new-trend-in-social-media-marketing/ source https://scpie.tumblr.com/post/625226697775661056

[scpie]

CGI-Created Virtual Influencers Are the New Trend in Social Media Marketing

Brands try creating their own influencers to control their messaging.

Free Book Preview No BS Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing

The ultimate guide to – producing measurable, monetizable results with social media marketing agency.

July 31, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

With more than 1 billion people using social media all over the world, it’s more difficult than ever for brands to stand out from the crowd. Thus, the rise of the influencer, which has been one of the most significant changes in marketing agency in the last decade.

Some creative marketers have decided to to find an alternative to the typical approach to influencers and instead create their brand ambassadors themselves using artificial intelligence. These virtual influencers are computer-created fictional characters whose “personalities” are entirely fictional. They’re paired with animated images from digital artists to accurately re-create the subtle features of human faces. Some companies are building their own influencers from the ground up, creating their own character that they can control every aspect of. 

Lil Miquela and friends

Instagram users have already seen creations like 19-year-old Lil Miquela release music while going through a carefully scripted drama that kept her 1.6 million followers riveted. Lil Miquela, created by the L.A.-based firm Brud, can be said to have started the CGI influencer phenomenon in 2016, when she blew up on Instagram. Now she’s a regular face in fashion magazines and fronts a wide range of lUXury brands. More than 80,000 people stream Lil Miquela’s songs on Spotify every month. She has given interviews from Coachella and shown off a tattoo designed by an artist who inked Miley Cyrus. Until her creators revealed her true provenance, many of her fans were convinced she was a flesh-and-blood teenager.

Just like Lil Miquela, Blawko was created by Brud. Sporting streetwear style and tattoos, he describes himself as a “young robot sex symbol.” He’s perhaps the most mysterious of all the virtual influencer stars due to the mask that covers half of his face. He has become popular among users for his laid-back nature and on-off relationship with Bermuda, another CGI-created influencer.

The virtual Colonel and others

Intended to parody the lifestyle of Instagram influencers, KFC’s virtual Colonel shows the ridiculously good-looking Colonel Harland Sanders living his best influencer life. The uncannily human character posts from KFC’s official account, which has 1.3 million followers. It identifies him as a virtual influencer who is chasing the dream, selling chicken and based out of Louisville, the company’s headquarters. He sports the Colonel’s signature gray hair, black-rimmed glasses and white suit, but instead of a pudgy old man, this version is a modelesque hipster, complete with a torso tattoo that reads “Secret Recipe for Success.” He frequently collaborates with other brands, including Dr Pepper, Old Spice and TurboTax.

In fall 2018, French lUXury fashion house Balmain launched a campaign starring three digital models. Two of the models are exclusive to the Balmain brand, while the third, Shudu Gram, is a free agent popularly known as the world’s first digital supermodel. British fashion photographer Cameron-James Wilson created Shudu, who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and blurs the line between digital and reality. She can’t talk, nor is she artificially intelligent, but with Wilson’s help, she shares her message of empowerment and diversity in the fashion industry. 

Will it last?

“Only a few years ago, the idea of social media influencers was in its infancy, so their popularity is a sign of how quickly the trend took hold of the public’s imagination,” says photographer and online marketer Katerina Leroy. She says using virtual influencers benefits brands because it gives them full control, saves time searching for the right human influencers and reduces the risk od negative feedback. On the other hand, it could be another marketing agency experiment that fades away, “not one that will alter the course of influencer marketing,” she says.

Harry Hugo, co-founder of the Goat Agency, says virtual influencers will be unavoidable in the next 12 months. “They can be available 24/7 and have a personality molded to be exactly what you want. They can literally be whatever you want them to be. These things are massive plus points for brands because they make the perfect ambassador.”

According to HypeAuditor, “Virtual Influencers have almost three times more engagement than real influencers. That means that followers are more engaged with virtual influencers content.” The piece suggests that novelty is a key element in their current popularity, and as digital models become more commonplace, they’ll lose some of that interest. But will they? Will we even know who’s real and who’s not in future? The stats here would suggest that it’s likely to become a bigger point of discussion.

Website Design & SEO Delray Beach by DBL07.co

Delray Beach SEO

source http://www.scpie.org/cgi-created-virtual-influencers-are-the-new-trend-in-social-media-marketing/

[laurelkrugerr]

CGI-Created Virtual Influencers Are the New Trend in Social Media Marketing

Brands try creating their own influencers to control their messaging.

Free Book Preview No BS Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing

The ultimate guide to – producing measurable, monetizable results with social media marketing agency.

July 31, 2020 5 min read

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

With more than 1 billion people using social media all over the world, it’s more difficult than ever for brands to stand out from the crowd. Thus, the rise of the influencer, which has been one of the most significant changes in marketing agency in the last decade.

Some creative marketers have decided to to find an alternative to the typical approach to influencers and instead create their brand ambassadors themselves using artificial intelligence. These virtual influencers are computer-created fictional characters whose “personalities” are entirely fictional. They’re paired with animated images from digital artists to accurately re-create the subtle features of human faces. Some companies are building their own influencers from the ground up, creating their own character that they can control every aspect of. 

Lil Miquela and friends

Instagram users have already seen creations like 19-year-old Lil Miquela release music while going through a carefully scripted drama that kept her 1.6 million followers riveted. Lil Miquela, created by the L.A.-based firm Brud, can be said to have started the CGI influencer phenomenon in 2016, when she blew up on Instagram. Now she’s a regular face in fashion magazines and fronts a wide range of lUXury brands. More than 80,000 people stream Lil Miquela’s songs on Spotify every month. She has given interviews from Coachella and shown off a tattoo designed by an artist who inked Miley Cyrus. Until her creators revealed her true provenance, many of her fans were convinced she was a flesh-and-blood teenager.

Just like Lil Miquela, Blawko was created by Brud. Sporting streetwear style and tattoos, he describes himself as a “young robot sex symbol.” He’s perhaps the most mysterious of all the virtual influencer stars due to the mask that covers half of his face. He has become popular among users for his laid-back nature and on-off relationship with Bermuda, another CGI-created influencer.

The virtual Colonel and others

Intended to parody the lifestyle of Instagram influencers, KFC’s virtual Colonel shows the ridiculously good-looking Colonel Harland Sanders living his best influencer life. The uncannily human character posts from KFC’s official account, which has 1.3 million followers. It identifies him as a virtual influencer who is chasing the dream, selling chicken and based out of Louisville, the company’s headquarters. He sports the Colonel’s signature gray hair, black-rimmed glasses and white suit, but instead of a pudgy old man, this version is a modelesque hipster, complete with a torso tattoo that reads “Secret Recipe for Success.” He frequently collaborates with other brands, including Dr Pepper, Old Spice and TurboTax.

In fall 2018, French lUXury fashion house Balmain launched a campaign starring three digital models. Two of the models are exclusive to the Balmain brand, while the third, Shudu Gram, is a free agent popularly known as the world’s first digital supermodel. British fashion photographer Cameron-James Wilson created Shudu, who has more than 200,000 followers on Instagram and blurs the line between digital and reality. She can’t talk, nor is she artificially intelligent, but with Wilson’s help, she shares her message of empowerment and diversity in the fashion industry. 

Will it last?

“Only a few years ago, the idea of social media influencers was in its infancy, so their popularity is a sign of how quickly the trend took hold of the public’s imagination,” says photographer and online marketer Katerina Leroy. She says using virtual influencers benefits brands because it gives them full control, saves time searching for the right human influencers and reduces the risk od negative feedback. On the other hand, it could be another marketing agency experiment that fades away, “not one that will alter the course of influencer marketing,” she says.

Harry Hugo, co-founder of the Goat Agency, says virtual influencers will be unavoidable in the next 12 months. “They can be available 24/7 and have a personality molded to be exactly what you want. They can literally be whatever you want them to be. These things are massive plus points for brands because they make the perfect ambassador.”

According to HypeAuditor, “Virtual Influencers have almost three times more engagement than real influencers. That means that followers are more engaged with virtual influencers content.” The piece suggests that novelty is a key element in their current popularity, and as digital models become more commonplace, they’ll lose some of that interest. But will they? Will we even know who’s real and who’s not in future? The stats here would suggest that it’s likely to become a bigger point of discussion.

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source http://www.scpie.org/cgi-created-virtual-influencers-are-the-new-trend-in-social-media-marketing/ source https://scpie1.blogspot.com/2020/07/cgi-created-virtual-influencers-are-new.html