Today we are shining a spotlight on Grant Valeska, a visionary artist that shapes high-fashion photography and art into visually stunning narratives. Grant is an embodiment of LGBTQ+ pride, celebrating his identity while inspiring others.

How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it?
My gateway to the world of Second Life was The Sims Online, where I had met other Residents who were transitioning to the Second Life platform as Maxis shut down their own metaverse. I dabbled in Second Life on various accounts as a teenager (remember teen grid?! RIP) but it wasn't until I graduated high school in 2010 that I started using Second Life regularly. I was no longer just making friendships at a random hub or dancing in the corner of a club afraid to talk to someone. In fact, I met some of my closest friends, to this day, mere days after creating Grant Valeska!

You are known for your sense of style and editorial photography in Second Life. Do you have a background in fashion or photography?
I think many people are surprised to know that I have zero background in fashion, besides working retail for almost a decade. From the time I can remember, I have had an obsession with fashion - specifically when it came to popstars and the back pages of fashion magazines (that's where the editorials gather, in case you didn't know). I found fashion to be an escape from reality, it was otherworldly and perfect. In a place where I felt everything was so boring and mundane, fashion became my escape from the walls of a conservative Christian upbringing, to quote Andre Leon Talley, "It's a famine of beauty, honey! My eyes [were] starving for beauty!"

How has Second Life impacted your creativity and are there any RL fashion influences that affect your work in Second Life?
Without Second Life I would not have an outlet to rid my brain of its ideas and creative cloggination. Cloggination is not a word but let's pretend it is for today! Haha! Though there are many things I can't accomplish YET within Second Life, it does force some creativity in Photoshop to make my ideas come to life which in turn has forced me to become quite the wizard at Photoshop! When it comes to influences, I have a handful of fashion industry icons that I try my hardest to not copy but emulate in some form or fashion. I have been obsessed with Grace Coddington since seeing her in the documentary 'The September Issue' in 2009. I was familiar with her prior but her commentary about ways to create an image, specifically storytelling and emotion, is constantly on replay in my brain. Along with Grace, I love David LaChapelle's photography style - it's so vibrant, campy, and over the top yet still fashion-forward! There are so many iconic images that have come from his lens. A quick Google search will leave you breathless. Outside of fashion industry icons, I am overwhelmingly inspired by pop culture moments and music. There's something about a conceptual album rollout that gets my heart racing! In more recent memory, Dua Lipa's 'Future Nostalgia' album was a major source of inspiration for me - from her promotional imagery to the music to the music videos, it spoke to my love of disco in such a graphic way!

What is your creative process when styling for a shoot and what tools do you use to get your photos to look polished and professional? Any advice for those looking to increase their skills in fashion photography?
My creative process is chaotic, like most creative people I've encountered in my lifetime. It can start anywhere. When it comes to Second Life I have styled an entire outfit based on a pose, I've styled based on a color, I've styled based on a dead tree lying in some grass that I saw on a walk (true story!) - it can come from anywhere and anything! I believe inspiration can be found in anything if you are open to letting your mind lead you. Cliche saying alert: the brain is a powerful thing! As mentioned in the last paragraph, I use Photoshop for literally everything. Without Photoshop, no one would be impressed with my photos, I swear! My advice for anyone wanting to increase their skills would be START NOW. If you don't start somewhere, you won't get anywhere. My images from a decade ago compared to my images now look like a whole other person. Note: I do have a re-style of an image from 2011 reimagined to 2023's standards coming soon to a top-secret publication, then you can see for yourself how booger I used to be! Ha! Also - I can't go without saying these four syllables - EX-PER-I-MENT! Don't get stuck repeating the same thing, if someone "copies" you (I use that term very loosely, everything is a reference of a reference of a reference, in my opinion) create something new. When you do something over and over, not only do you lose the interest of the people viewing your work but your mind is on autopilot. Forceable creativity works!

June is Pride month and in Second Life many members of the LGBTQ+ community find this to be a safe space to express themselves and feel empowered. Are there any activities or events that you’ll be taking part in or are looking forward to during this month?
Pride in Second Life is incredibly important to me. My first introduction to queer people was through Second Life and has continued to be the primary source of my interactions with other LGBTQ+ people on a daily basis. Where I currently am living we don't have any Pride events, let alone any LGBT spaces, so to say we have a community would require enough of us existing from beyond the shadows. For this reason, Pride events in Second Life have always been a great way for me to celebrate in my own way! In previous years I've had the pleasure of doing some live tribute shows at Second Pride, a great non-profit LGBTQ+ organization within Second Life; most recently paying tribute to queer icons Britney Spears and Lady Gaga. Last year's tribute show was at max capacity and crashed an entire region! While I don't love the concept of crashing a region I was extremely excited to have so many people come together to enjoy a show I put my blood, sweat, and tears into all in the name of Pride!

Are there any other projects, activities, and events you are involved with in Second Life? What can we expect from you in the future? 
Wow, this is quite a segway from my previous response because I do, in fact, have a few projects coming up soon! I have partnered with Smokefest to pay tribute to Rihanna this upcoming August and I am currently working on another live show to debut around Halloween at Second Pride since I was unable to do so for their official Pride season events. Beyond live entertainment, I was recently approached by Grab By The Horns to collaborate with them on an art installation located in their incredible region which is the home to other amazingly talented artists in Second Life. My debut exhibit, PRIMITIVE, opened on May 27th and is currently still open to the public. Creating this exhibit was one of my favorite things I've ever been a part of in Second Life! Make sure you grab some merch and if you like any of my pieces they are available for sale, profits not only support my art but they help support GBTH!

Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL that you find inspiring and whose work you admire.
Creating a chosen family is something I never expected I would have but in the past 13 years, I've created a group of friends that have become my family. They are an insanely talented group of individuals so before I mention anyone else I must give a shout-out to each of them. Gianni Broda of David Heather, my co-designer at BlondeSushi Landscaping & Interior Design and former creator of Le Primitif - Bae Leaf, my insanely talented photographer nieces Krishna, Goldie, and Chai - along with two other creator nieces, Riley Yen of Pox and Oliver of Pare!

Outside of my tiny but mighty chosen family, I have a handful of people who inspire me with their creations, their images, and sometimes both!

Rowne probably takes up more inventory space than any other creator. Their pieces vary from high fashion to casual but I highly recommend anything they create goes straight to your inventory - Rowne is always in style. Timeless and iconic.

When it comes to hair, this girl has been my go-to for years, not only to buy from but to send aggressive messages about creating a specific hair at my request - Nova Faerye of Nova - and she always delivers, I am a Nova Hair stan for life! P.S. The aggressive messages are my privilege so don't come at her crazy or I may have to amend this statement - haha!

Jack Valentine of Boys to the Bone is a great example of someone who does it all - their creations are not only groundbreaking and outside the realm of the normal Second Life creations, but their photos are always a 10 out of 10. I have been known to admire their Flickr in a semi-stalkerish way and I have no shame about it. I did what I did and I said what I said!

To continue my admiration of someone who can do it all, Keiko of Keikumu has been another obsession. She creates some of the most beautiful makeup Second Life has to offer - so many options for someone who wants a subtle look to those of us who enjoy a heavy-handed application! Beyond the amazing makeup, her photos are to die for. She is another resident whose Flickr feed I find myself getting lost in, every image is surreal and feels like a dream!

Someone who is a newer find for me, Naomi Wong, can't go without being mentioned here. Not only are they an exceptional stylist and photographer, each image they produce feels like a high-concept fashion editorial, but they have now dipped into the world of creating and I am loving everything I'm seeing. I highly recommend taking a trip to their Flickr feed and in-world store, you won't regret that time spent!

Now since it is Pride season I'd love to give a shout-out to some amazing LGBTQ+ creators who I have had the privilege of working with and blogging for over the past 13 years - Alexander Powell of Thirst, Danny Boo of Noche, Marco Nova of Clef de Peau, House Bunny of Shushu, and Tim Yung of Fake Society. Many of them have great Pride merchandise out right now, so give their stores a quick pop-in!

Where can people see your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts.
Blog  
Flickr  
Instagram  
Twitter  
Facebook  
GBTH Presents: PRIMITIVE by Grant Valeska - https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/GBTH/57/163/35 

Thank you to Strawberry for reaching out with this opportunity (and for attending the opening of my exhibit), being recognized as a legitimate artist and creative by the Second Life/Linden Lab team has been incredibly affirming and exciting to have happened to me in all these years on the grid. I am particularly honored to be a part of the Pride Month Spotlights. As a very loud and proud gay man, and a lover of all things LGBTQ+, this was a great way to start the month of June! Happy Pride ya'll! 🌈

Thank you, Grant, we’re delighted and honored to have you as a part of the Pride Month Spotlights and appreciate the high-fashion photography and art you bring to the grid!

Each of our Spotlight posts features a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup