sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ: ᴘᴇɴɢᴜ ᴡᴇs - Ep.2
Today, I'm very happy to host a great friend and artist.
Without him, Flickr would definitely be a sadder place.
He is the wildest dream of every penguin girl :P
Ladies and gentlemen, the funniest, the doodest, the irreplaceable: Mr. Pengu Wes - and his little cute buddy Pengy!
Cla: Hi, Pengu! Thank you for accepting my invitation!
Pengu: Hello, Cla! I was more than happy to accept the invitation from a dear friend! Thank you for thinking I am interesting enough to be interviewed!
C.: You certainly are, Pengu! Let's start from the beginning: How and when did your Second Life start?
P.: So back in 2017 I looked around SL after watching a video on YouTube long ago that was poking fun at the platform. I was in-world for maybe… 1 hour, then did not come back until 2 years later.
What brought me back was, well, a different (and hilarious) video on YouTube about SL with this guy claiming to be the Mayor of Second Life. I roped my partner, Andie, into the world, and we pretty much got sucked into the world of SL on July 2019 and have stuck around since!
C.: At some point, a little penguin named Pengy came into your SL and photos. Tell us about this magical encounter? Which type of pictures you like to take with him? And which type he likes to take with you?
P.: I joke about how Pengy magically appeared and descended from the heavens from a hot air balloon into my SLife. But, if I am going to be honest… the name “Pengy” came from a typo Andie made so long ago. It sounded like it should be a name for a little penguin!
Thus, Pengy was born! His first official appearance was driving us and my friend around in a car (flic.kr/p/2kSw4eb). This is one of many times he is seen driving around. I cannot say he is the best driver though, as many of my friends know!
My favorite snaps with Pengy are typically the type where the viewer realllllyy has to search hard for him. Kind of like a “Where’s Waldo” game. Of course, Pengy’s favorite type of photos are when he is the star--usually involves him getting into trouble like crashing into things with a vehicle. Or whenever he gets to look super cute.
C.: You are a talented artist with a unique funny and cute creative streak, but you also are a blogger, a blogger manager and a social media manager for several popular brands and events. How did you grow through these experiences? Which of those roles do you like the most?
P.: I feel like when I decided to take a dive into the blogger world it made me push my creative muscles more, because I really wanted to represent the brands I blog for in a fun and inventive way. This paved the way for me to be picked up by Ananas, starting out as one of their bloggers, and then their social media manager. Which has been so fun, and I get to interact with some fantastic people like Diff, the creator of Ananas, and Bleue, the blogger manager of Ananas, and all of the wonderful bloggers of the brand.
It led me to being a social media manager, and then the blogger manager for Cat-Noodle, a brand owned by Bleue and her partner, Eimear. That was where I learned so much more about blogging, what to look for, and appreciate the different blogging styles. Giving feedback and interacting with the bloggers was really fun, and being a blogger myself, I feel like I had an eye to see the effort a blogger has put in a photo, and I love giving them props for those efforts.
After Cat-Noodle closed, a new opportunity was presented to me to become the blogger manager of a brand new event called The New Ones. Still making my way through this new experience!
All in all, I think my favorite role is blogger. I do have a love for doing such goofy and cute photos. I don’t take myself too seriously, but I respect the craft of SL photography, and enjoy the hobby immensely.
C.: Aside Pengy, the other significant member of your family is your partner Andie. We all know beside a successful man there is always a great woman, so how does she support you in this crazy adventure of yours?
P.: Andie is an instrumental and important part of my adventures in SL. She is a tremendous reason why I stick around on the platform as much as I do. When I ventured into blogging she was fully supportive, and continues to be as I reached milestones throughout my blogging journey. She is always happy to take part in my silly ideas. Though, yes, sometimes she rolls her eyes at some of the crazy things Pengy and I get into, she is always happy to participate in the goofiness! Andie makes my SL brighter and full of laughs. I just adore and love her.
C.: What's your favorite photo among all the ones you took?
P.: Oh, that is a difficult question, Cla! I cannot possibly pick a favorite! But I’ll say one of the favorite types of photos I like to do are collaborations. Working and talking to a friend who gets as much joy as I do with SL photography is a fantastic experience. And then to see the different versions of photos we take together is so fascinating and fun to see how we visualize the same set up of a photo but in different ways!
C.: Triple R (www.flickr.com/photos/pengu_wes/albums/72157716782119041) is a series of yours I personally love because it combines two of the best things in life: friends and food! And it also made us know about all your friends’ favorite foods. But which is yours?
P.: Aw, Rundowns, Roadsides and Restaurants (Triple R) is a series very near and dear to my heart. It was what helped me break out and meet Flickr friends in world.
As for my favorite food, I loooove Southeast Asian cuisine. Pad Thai and pho rank among my favorites!
C.: They say the funniest people are often the saddest ones. Does it apply to you?
P.: I would not say it applies to me. I think, in general, I have a very chill attitude. The world can be dark, and really depressing sometimes, and I just want to help a bring a bit of brightness to it with my goofy personality.
C.: We are at the end of our interview. As for the last question, I would invite you to make yourself a question and give yourself an answer.
P.: “How to make friends in SL?” is a very popular question brought up for newbies and old timers alike. How would you answer this question?
I think it all comes down to interests and really putting yourself out there. Like real life, it can be intimidating to try to make new friends in a brand new community. Being part of the SL Flickr community, and interacting with others has really led me to finding some really wonderful friendships on this platform. Triple R served as a creative vehicle for me to meet new people, and while I was really nervous about reaching out to people to do a photo with me, it was well worth it. I have learned from them, shared so many laughs, and always encourage them as they continue their SL photography adventures just like me.
Thank you so much, Pengu, for your time, for opening yourself up by sharing many of your interesting thoughts, and for making us smile once again!
See you all in two weeks time with the next episode of NSLS
ᶜˡᵃ'ˢ ᵒᵘᵗᶠⁱᵗ ᵇʸ ᶜʰᵉᵉᶻᵘ
ʰᵃⁱʳ ᵇʸ ʷᵃˢᵃᵇⁱ
sᴘᴇᴄɪᴀʟ ɢᴜᴇsᴛ: ᴘᴇɴɢᴜ ᴡᴇs - Ep.2
Today, I'm very happy to host a great friend and artist.
Without him, Flickr would definitely be a sadder place.
He is the wildest dream of every penguin girl :P
Ladies and gentlemen, the funniest, the doodest, the irreplaceable: Mr. Pengu Wes - and his little cute buddy Pengy!
Cla: Hi, Pengu! Thank you for accepting my invitation!
Pengu: Hello, Cla! I was more than happy to accept the invitation from a dear friend! Thank you for thinking I am interesting enough to be interviewed!
C.: You certainly are, Pengu! Let's start from the beginning: How and when did your Second Life start?
P.: So back in 2017 I looked around SL after watching a video on YouTube long ago that was poking fun at the platform. I was in-world for maybe… 1 hour, then did not come back until 2 years later.
What brought me back was, well, a different (and hilarious) video on YouTube about SL with this guy claiming to be the Mayor of Second Life. I roped my partner, Andie, into the world, and we pretty much got sucked into the world of SL on July 2019 and have stuck around since!
C.: At some point, a little penguin named Pengy came into your SL and photos. Tell us about this magical encounter? Which type of pictures you like to take with him? And which type he likes to take with you?
P.: I joke about how Pengy magically appeared and descended from the heavens from a hot air balloon into my SLife. But, if I am going to be honest… the name “Pengy” came from a typo Andie made so long ago. It sounded like it should be a name for a little penguin!
Thus, Pengy was born! His first official appearance was driving us and my friend around in a car (flic.kr/p/2kSw4eb). This is one of many times he is seen driving around. I cannot say he is the best driver though, as many of my friends know!
My favorite snaps with Pengy are typically the type where the viewer realllllyy has to search hard for him. Kind of like a “Where’s Waldo” game. Of course, Pengy’s favorite type of photos are when he is the star--usually involves him getting into trouble like crashing into things with a vehicle. Or whenever he gets to look super cute.
C.: You are a talented artist with a unique funny and cute creative streak, but you also are a blogger, a blogger manager and a social media manager for several popular brands and events. How did you grow through these experiences? Which of those roles do you like the most?
P.: I feel like when I decided to take a dive into the blogger world it made me push my creative muscles more, because I really wanted to represent the brands I blog for in a fun and inventive way. This paved the way for me to be picked up by Ananas, starting out as one of their bloggers, and then their social media manager. Which has been so fun, and I get to interact with some fantastic people like Diff, the creator of Ananas, and Bleue, the blogger manager of Ananas, and all of the wonderful bloggers of the brand.
It led me to being a social media manager, and then the blogger manager for Cat-Noodle, a brand owned by Bleue and her partner, Eimear. That was where I learned so much more about blogging, what to look for, and appreciate the different blogging styles. Giving feedback and interacting with the bloggers was really fun, and being a blogger myself, I feel like I had an eye to see the effort a blogger has put in a photo, and I love giving them props for those efforts.
After Cat-Noodle closed, a new opportunity was presented to me to become the blogger manager of a brand new event called The New Ones. Still making my way through this new experience!
All in all, I think my favorite role is blogger. I do have a love for doing such goofy and cute photos. I don’t take myself too seriously, but I respect the craft of SL photography, and enjoy the hobby immensely.
C.: Aside Pengy, the other significant member of your family is your partner Andie. We all know beside a successful man there is always a great woman, so how does she support you in this crazy adventure of yours?
P.: Andie is an instrumental and important part of my adventures in SL. She is a tremendous reason why I stick around on the platform as much as I do. When I ventured into blogging she was fully supportive, and continues to be as I reached milestones throughout my blogging journey. She is always happy to take part in my silly ideas. Though, yes, sometimes she rolls her eyes at some of the crazy things Pengy and I get into, she is always happy to participate in the goofiness! Andie makes my SL brighter and full of laughs. I just adore and love her.
C.: What's your favorite photo among all the ones you took?
P.: Oh, that is a difficult question, Cla! I cannot possibly pick a favorite! But I’ll say one of the favorite types of photos I like to do are collaborations. Working and talking to a friend who gets as much joy as I do with SL photography is a fantastic experience. And then to see the different versions of photos we take together is so fascinating and fun to see how we visualize the same set up of a photo but in different ways!
C.: Triple R (www.flickr.com/photos/pengu_wes/albums/72157716782119041) is a series of yours I personally love because it combines two of the best things in life: friends and food! And it also made us know about all your friends’ favorite foods. But which is yours?
P.: Aw, Rundowns, Roadsides and Restaurants (Triple R) is a series very near and dear to my heart. It was what helped me break out and meet Flickr friends in world.
As for my favorite food, I loooove Southeast Asian cuisine. Pad Thai and pho rank among my favorites!
C.: They say the funniest people are often the saddest ones. Does it apply to you?
P.: I would not say it applies to me. I think, in general, I have a very chill attitude. The world can be dark, and really depressing sometimes, and I just want to help a bring a bit of brightness to it with my goofy personality.
C.: We are at the end of our interview. As for the last question, I would invite you to make yourself a question and give yourself an answer.
P.: “How to make friends in SL?” is a very popular question brought up for newbies and old timers alike. How would you answer this question?
I think it all comes down to interests and really putting yourself out there. Like real life, it can be intimidating to try to make new friends in a brand new community. Being part of the SL Flickr community, and interacting with others has really led me to finding some really wonderful friendships on this platform. Triple R served as a creative vehicle for me to meet new people, and while I was really nervous about reaching out to people to do a photo with me, it was well worth it. I have learned from them, shared so many laughs, and always encourage them as they continue their SL photography adventures just like me.
Thank you so much, Pengu, for your time, for opening yourself up by sharing many of your interesting thoughts, and for making us smile once again!
See you all in two weeks time with the next episode of NSLS
ᶜˡᵃ'ˢ ᵒᵘᵗᶠⁱᵗ ᵇʸ ᶜʰᵉᵉᶻᵘ
ʰᵃⁱʳ ᵇʸ ʷᵃˢᵃᵇⁱ