look even more beautiful than I hope for when creating them. Of course, there is Edo Tone, my phenomenal mentor and teacher. Finally, I am fortunate enough to have made friends like Amutey DeCuir, Kay Fairey, Asalt Eames, and Chrissy Ambrose who I can talk to about anything. IE: What’s the most rewarding thing about running your own SL business? What’s your biggest headache? MJ: The most rewarding part of my job is being able to create items from images in my head and being able to support myself in RL with what I earn in SL. Using English and thinking in terms of time difference gives me headaches (laughs). IE: What is it that sets you and the AZUL brand apart from other designers and business? MJ: AZUL is all me and my creations are like my daughter. I am very serious about my designs and I work very hard to ensure that my brand remains relevant. I don’t do this for fun; it is very much a huge part of my life. IE: What qualities should a great designer possess? Who are some of your favorite SL designers? MJ: I would say that a great designer is one who is diligent, earnest for study, and never takes or copies the ideas of others. My favorite SL designers are Amutey DeCuir and Sissy Pessoa. IE: How long does it take you to create a design? How long after you finish it does it take you to put it out for sale? MJ: It takes me anywhere from a few hours to
a few months to complete a design depending on the complexity and what I have going on in RL. Once I’ve finished it, I sometimes wait a few weeks to put a new design out for sale because I like to wear it for a bit to get a feel for it. IE: Do you have plans to run the Miss AZUL contest again in 2011? MJ: The contest was quite popular! We had almost 300 entries and the winner was given an opportunity to compete for the Miss Virtual World Crown last month. I am grateful for and wish to thank all of those who worked hard to ensure the success of the Miss AZUL 2010 Competition. We will definitely do it again in 2011. IE: What advice would you offer potential contestants? MJ: Miss AZUL has a huge amount of responsibility in that she serves as the face of the brand and must represent it wherever she goes. That being said, I am looking for someone who truly loves AZUL, who can truly handle the responsibility, and who demonstrates inner beauty as well as outer beauty. Second Life has an abundance of talented people who fail to achieve success because they are not willing to invest the time and energy required to do so. Fortunately, for us Mami Jewell chose not to be one of them. Her tenacity and overwhelming desire has not only brought her extraordinary success as a fashion designer; it has enabled her to build one of the most popular brands on the grid. A