The following is a transcript of our “Building Character” talk with Sandi Glas during the “Meet the Designer” series held on May 17th, 2011, at the Home and Garden Expo. Enjoy!
Rowan Derryth: I’d like to thank you all for coming to our Prim Perfect Meet the Designer session! As this session will be in text, we hereby absolve everyone from the sin of outrageous typos! I know I’ve been making them all day! 😉 We are pleased to welcome the talented Sandi Glas, owner of Glas Houses. Thanks for being here Sandi!
Sandi Glas: Thank you for having me.
Rowan Derryth: We’ll start our with a wee interview, then we’ll open things up to questions from the audience – but do feel free to ooh, ahh, smile, laugh, etc. as you like! Just please don’t snore! I first encountered Sandi’s fantastic builds when she participated in the former Frank Lloyd Wright Virtual Museum’s themed Build-off competitions – she was hard to forget because not only were her entries lovely, she was the dancing builder!!
GM Nikolaidis: she was a good dancer too!
Rowan Derryth: That was the first time I’d seen anyone do that, and I mean, why not? And it must have added good juju because if I recall correctly, you took awards in most of them, no?
Sandi Glas blushes
Rowan Derryth laughs
Sandi Glas: I was awarded a couple of awards, yes.
Percival Antiesse: (so long as they don’t have the same quantum numbers or are bosons, it is admissible, Kim)
Rowan Derryth: I remember giving you highest marks when I was a judge there, and your gorgeous open-plan builds for Glas Houses certainly reflect an appreciation for Wright, but before we get to that, can you tell us a little more about your start? When and how did you first become involved in Second Life?
Sandi Glas: I joined SL a little over 3 years ago. I had read an article in some business magazine about it being a functioning virtual economy and joined more out of curiosity to learn more about what that meant, really. Plus, I was curious about the whole thing. Never had been a computer game player, and it seemed like more than just another game.
Rowan Derryth: I think we’d all agree with that sentiment. Is there anything in your background (your First Life) that suggested you might focus on the areas that you are currently involved in?
Sandi Glas: Nooooo. I got involved in building about a month before I started law school RL. I have OCD, and I was starting to get a little nuts. I thought maybe something like building would help me focus. It did, actually! nothing like doing something uniform and detailed when you have OCD!
Rowan Derryth: That is fascinating. So many great builders have these amazing circumstances in RL – like Jadyn Firehawk as well… How did you learn the ropes here in SL?
Sandi Glas: Jadyn is an inspiration. Painfully, with lots of rope burns along the way. Seriously, I have been lucky and met great people along the way who have been generous with their time and knowledge.
Rowan Derryth smiles. What were the origins of your designs? What inspires you?
Sandi Glas: This is so embarrassing. I sit and listen to other builders talk about there interest in architecture outside SL, and how they plan a build, do drawings even. I just start laying down prims and the ideas just kind of form as I go, usually. Most of the time I start with a vague idea what I want it to be, but it evolves on its own.
Rowan Derryth: That isn’t embarrassing, I think most would relate…
Kim Chihuly smiles in agreement
Rowan Derryth: And when you are an architecture geek, there is a danger of becoming a copyist 😉
Sandi Glas: I would say what inspires me is the challenge of making prims do what I want.
Rowan Derryth: I think I’d be a HUGE copyist, lol. That IS a challenge!
Sandi Glas: Always.
Rowan Derryth: As I mentioned, I can see the influence of Wright and other Modernist architects – likely unintentionally – in the open-plan style, and the borad expanses of glass in your work… or Glas I guess 😉 But you also have a very eclectic range of homes on offer. How would you describe your design style? (The Coral behind us is a great example of this!)
Sandi Glas: I don’t know that I can. I build what interests me. It always seems that there is a touch of Wright, but its not intentional. Most of my builds are based on the first thought, “I wonder if…” and go from there.
Rowan Derryth: I think the Wright thing speaks to his wider influence.. so many North American grew up in more open-plan and/or prairie inspired homes. It has become part of our heritage. Can you tell us a bit about your favourite creations – and why they are your favourites?
Sandi Glas: Choose my favorite child, huh?
Rowan Derryth: Well, it isn’t Sophie’s Choice
Sandi Glas: Okay. One of them has to be Cassandra. My concept for the build was peeling an apple. The journey around the house is walkways and stairs around a central area. Another would be Nabreena, which was a follow up and the concept is coring an apple. a centralized stair with the rooms radiating off of it. A sort of special favorite I call “Famous Detective Brownstone” I created what I thought the brownstone home of Nero Wolfe would look like.
Sandi Glas: If you are a builder and you have never attempted a brownstone – don’t.
Rowan Derryth: There she is – you have a LOT of daughters! I love that Brownstone too! It makes me want to play detective! What are you proudest of in your work?
Sandi Glas: Attention to detail, that I keep things realistically scaled, and that the finished product gives the future owner lots of different ways to put their own stamp on their home.
Rowan Derryth: Ah, scale!
Sandi Glas: the bugaboo of SL
Rowan Derryth: That is an important aspect that we don’t talk enough about. Maybe we can chat about that more at the end, I’d love to hear everyone’s thoughts about it. What would you say has been the greatest challenge you’ve faced?
Sandi Glas: Facing my own self doubts. Its hard for me to get past “I can’t” sometimes.
Rowan Derryth: Again, I’m sure we can relate. Let’s talk about Glas Houses as a business for a sec… What would you see as the key stages in the development of your store?
Sandi Glas: The strong positive feedback I received at the FLWVM build-offs would be at the top of the list. Having other builders encourage me, and having the judges give me good reviews really went a long way in making me think I might be more than just a hack.
Rowan Derryth: Yeah, the build-offs are truly amazing… they push people to develop their talent. I’m glad to see they are continuing in the new incarnation. Has anything about its development taken you by surprise?
Sandi Glas: Oh, everything. I was surprised I got up the nerve to actually open it. I was surprised, and humbled and thrilled, that people actually buy my homes.
Rowan Derryth: And we are NOT so surprised! 😉 Did you always have the intention of creating something like this – or has it grown beyond your expectations?
Sandi Glas smiles and blushes. It is way beyond my expectations. When I started building, as I said, it was simply to help me focus during a stressful time in my life. I never dreamed it would turn into anything more than tinkering with prims. Its been an amazing ride.
Rowan Derryth smiles. What do you feel is most important in developing / running a store?
Sandi Glas: Finding a niche, using all the resources SL provides, and realizing profit can’t be your only purpose.
GM Nikolaidis: great answer ㋡
Rowan Derryth: THAT’S for sure! And are you able to look ahead yet and let us know … what next?
Sandi Glas: There are so many variables to that. Look at how building and texturing has changed in just the last couple of years in SL. Whatever is coming, I’ll be doing my best to keep up, and hopefully, build houses that people want to call home.
Rowan Derryth: Mesh? That has been the question all week!
Sandi Glas cringes back in her seat and wimpers, “That’s a scary word” Seriously, its going to change everything.
Rowan Derryth: Mmhmm, I’m sitting here thinking.. “Will mesh work for a wall?” Then I went “Frank Gehry!” Ok, at this point I’d like to open things up for questions from the audience, and we’ll sit here patiently looking cute while you type away.
Sandi Glas shudders at a universe of junior Gehrys.
Rowan Derryth laughs
Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood): smiles
Rowan Derryth peers around looking for typing hands
GM Nikolaidis: in what way have you seen your build ideas change since you first began?
Rowan Derryth: (please feel free to throw more questions out, we can catch up)
Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood) raises her hand ” I wondered, what material you haven’t used yet, but may want to try in a build?”
Ulyth Hax: is there a female touch in building and if so do you recognize it in your builds and with other builders?
Cain Maven: what is your take on mesh? good, bad, or total disaster? 🙂
Sandi Glas: I think they have matured. I spend more time thinking about where to put walls, and why a window should be here and not there. Things like that.
Rowan Derryth: [14:35] Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood) raises her hand ” I wondered, what material you haven’t used yet, but may want to try in a build?”
Sandi Glas: I don’t have an answer for that. tomorrow I might think “I’ll try this”, but I don’t really plan my builds.
Rowan Derryth: [14:35] Ulyth Hax: is there a female touch in building and if so do you recognize it in your builds and with other builders? (awesome question!)
Sandi Glas: For Ulyth, I think there is a female touch. I don’t want this to sound like a knock, because it isn’t, but men tend to overbuild, in my opinion. Women tend to put in only what needs to be there.
Kim Chihuly: overbuild?
Sandi Glas: I’m gonna get mail….
Rowan Derryth: Very interesting… particularly when avatars might not reveal their true gender…
Kim Chihuly: (asks the noob builder)
Rowan Derryth: LOL
Cain Maven: lol
Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood): giggles
Ulyth Hax: more like statement building i guess
Rowan Derryth: Like, their virtual monument?
GM Nikolaidis: I sometimes see a gender difference, but it mainly is about color choices
Ulyth Hax: that is a nice way of puting it i would be less pg
Rowan Derryth: We could get Freudian about this!
Rowan Derryth: LOL
Saffia Widdershins grins
Aisling Sinclair chuckles
Rowan Derryth: [14:35] Cain Maven: what is your take on mesh? good, bad, or total disaster? 🙂
Saffia Widdershins: like leather walls?
Rowan Derryth: (not to change the subject)
Sandi Glas: Color choice is a good example. But also, when you see a house with 900 prim….chances are a guy built it.
Cain Maven looks at his shoes
Rowan Derryth: Ha! Or a noob
GM Nikolaidis: lol
GM Nikolaidis has zero 900 prim houses \o/
Rowan Derryth: Colour choices.. do women choose softer tones then?
Aisling Sinclair smiles
Rowan Derryth: I’m thinking of examples that go both ways. Froukje has some bold choices, for example
Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood): smiles
Sandi Glas: I think mesh will be a good thing. Its going to be a game changer, and not just for building homes. I can’t wait for a skirt that actually moves in a natural way
GM Nikolaidis: I built a bed, for example, and Barb would not let me place it in our house because it was “too masculine”
Rowan Derryth: Ha, I’d be interested to see that, I think I like masculine styles better. Rez it for us after 😉
Saffia Widdershins: the built in TV set and the booze fridge in the bedside cabinet?
Rowan Derryth: Unless it had the horns of a dead animal, then I’d have to agree with Barb
Ulyth Hax: thats just it sometimes its takes me by surprise i think this must be made by a man an than its a woman
Cain Maven: booze fridges are bad?
Aisling Sinclair: remotes for everything built in?
Rowan Derryth: We had another question, but do carry on… Question from an audience member: How do you deal with the extreme differences in “how tall and not tall” avatars are today, or are you just choosing something in between?
GM Nikolaidis makes a note to build booze fridge in the next project
Saffia Widdershins: when they’re only on one side, and designed to just carry beer
Cain Maven: lol
Aisling Sinclair: remote-controlled beer dispenser
Rowan Derryth: heh
Rowan Derryth: Sandi, did you catch that question? Or are you already deep into answering? 🙂
Sandi Glas: That’s a great question. As you can see, my avi is dimunitive. Still, I have to build for those who have tall avatars. I make my doorways 3 meters tall, my ceilings 4 to 4.5 meters tall, unless its a vaulted ceiling, and leave room in stairwells for taller avatars.
Rowan Derryth: aha
Saffia Widdershins: I think there are some designers who I would see as having a very masculine style, and others have a style that’s more feminine
Kim Chihuly: stairs are tough when your camera ends up outside
Sandi Glas: I will go on record…going to get more letters….as being dead set against 10 meter high walls and 8 meter high doors
Rowan Derryth: I find the scale thing very interesting, as a curator.. the camera “eye level” is so problematic
Saffia Widdershins: There are not a lot of male-identified designers producing shabby chic
Ulyth Hax hides sandies mailbox for those letters
Erie Waffle writes sandi a love letter.
Aisling Sinclair: true…but shabby chic never pretended to be anything but feminine
Rowan Derryth: I think that is reasonable.. means the art won’t be hanging at the 5 meter mark, which makes me mental
Sandi Glas: I of course, invite everyone to tour my houses and see for themselves. I think you will find there is still enough cam room
Rowan Derryth: There is, because they are so open! AND!! I have to say… One thing I loved… You struck a fantastic balance between windows and gorgeous wall space for art. I find that lots don’t think about that (present company excepted!)
Sandi Glas blushes still again, “Thank you”
Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood): grins (grin)
Rowan Derryth: THEY’LL MAKE IT ALL GLASS, OR USE A WALL TEXTURE WITH A FAKE DADO
Rowan Derryth: Oops
Rowan Derryth: I’m getting excited I guess
Rowan Derryth: lol
Ulyth Hax: lol
GM Nikolaidis fans Rowan
Rowan Derryth: My curatorial hat slipped on
Ulyth Hax takes rowans glass of wine
Rowan Derryth: Thanks guys 🙂 But you take my point
Aisling Sinclair: I just hang art on trees if I don’t have enough wallspace 😉
Rowan Derryth: Ha!
Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood): a tree is a work of art 😉
GM Nikolaidis: lets talk about tree scale (ducking)
Rowan Derryth: Are there any more questions for Sandi?
Rowan Derryth: Well, that can be a topic for another show 😉
Sandi Glas: one of the core beliefs I have as a builder is that for it to be a home, the owner has to be able to furnish it. Which is why I don’t often do kitchens.
Aisling Sinclair: LOL
Rowan Derryth: That is a big part of the fun for buyers, of course!
Sandi Glas: I leave room for a kitchen, but who am I to say how you furnish your home?
Aisling Sinclair: I’m all for customization
GM Nikolaidis: Saffia likes customization too 😀
Rowan Derryth: Indeed… I just built my very first custom kitchen for a friend, and I learned so much!
GM Nikolaidis: and we love Saf
Aisling Sinclair: hehe yes
Ulyth Hax: umgebindehaus
Rowan Derryth: Made the textures, learn to do a pose menu
Aisling Sinclair: great learning experience, Rowan
Rowan Derryth: So it leaves opportunities for us to learn too, which is great!
Aisling Sinclair nods
Rowan Derryth: Mmhmm, I’ve got the bug! (shhh!)
Sandi Glas: I guess that’s why I’m not FL…..I don’t want to control everything
Rowan Derryth: I think that’s the right idea
Saffia Widdershins: Saffia loves her GM home 🙂
Rowan Derryth: Well, if there are no more questions for Sandi?
Sandi Glas: Frank Lloyd
Rowan Derryth: Thank you SO MUCH for being here…
Saffia Widdershins: Sandi, this has been really interesting – thank you!
Rowan Derryth: Oops, yeah
Ulyth Hax: .-‘`’-. APPLAUSE APPLAUSE .-‘`’-.
Kim Chihuly claps
Sandi Glas: Thank you all for coming, and for your questions
Cain Maven: ··..•°•..··☺ Applauds! ☺ ··..•°•..··
Cain Maven: ♫♪♫♪ ☺ Applauds! ☺ ♪♫♪♫
Cain Maven: ··..•°•··..☺ Applauds! ☺ ..··•°•..··
GM Nikolaidis: thank you Sandi and Rowan
Aisling Sinclair: ~~~ * APPLAUSE!! * ~~~
Rowan Derryth: And do go see her homes if you haven’t, they are gorgeous!
Kim Chihuly: Thanks Sandi and Rowan
Zodi (zodiac.wytchwood): claps enthusiastically
Saffia Widdershins: Thank You!
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