Feature Home & Garden Designer - tarte.

Writer: Taylor Wassep Photographer: SCAR REQUIEM

Home design is a major passion for many in Second Life™. Having the freedom to create an ideal space for your specific tastes can be truly rewarding. This experience is likely why games that give its players the opportunity to customize are so popular. For example, The Sims™ franchise has been a beloved game for millions of people across the globe. As a real-life simulator, The Sims™ gives its players total control over various aspects of its characters life.

Alessandra Donato, the owner of tarte, was just as in love with The Sims TM game as most. Back in 2012, she was looking for a similar game that she could play online. After searching for a bit, she came across an advertisement for Second Life™.

“To be completely honest, I joined [Second Life™] on a whim and didn’t think I’d end up staying very long, but here I am 8 years later and creating has become my full-time job.” she said.

Stylized as tarte, her home decor store was opened in late 2013 and specializes in cultivating home and garden items for Second Life™. With a style rooted in a rustic, shabby sense of itself; this everevolving decor store keeps creating excellent items for residents on the grid. Funny enough, Alessandra came up with the name tarte through a love for the color yellow. While searching and brainstorming, she thought of “lemons” and “sour” things. It was not until the word “tart” popped up that it clicked. Having a French-styled word was something she also wanted to have, so she landed on the stylization of “tarte”.

It is not just Alessandra that works in tarte, although she is the sole creator. Included on her team is amazing Brand Manager, Corksoaker Gloom, who handles customer service inquiries and clerical tasks. Rounding out the group is Rogue Falconer, whom she describes as a fabulous Blogger Manager.

Like many who first join Second Life™, there is a period where the overwhelming magnitude of this virtual space echos loudly around you. Alessandra could remember teleporting into one of the infamous Info HUBs and just was bombarded with so many different types of avatars. Some were blasting music or making random sounds through the local voice chat.

With most new adventures there is definitely a learning curve. She would spend weeks just grid-hopping, playing dress-up and just familiarizing herself

with the user interface of the game.

“I thought it was SO neat that it was a user-created world,” Alessandra said.

One place she remembers that had an impact on her was Bryn Oh’s “Anna’s Many Murders” exhibition. Alessandra would visit that sim and was just so inspired by the way that Bryn had manipulated the tools Second Life™ has to offer to create such a sim. The immense amount of creativity intrigued Alessandra enough that she stuck around.

That spark of creativity kicked-started Alessandra to branch out and try various avenues of expression starting with blogging. Believe it or not, she started out as a Home & Garden blogger. Alessandra was fascinated with the idea of creating virtual spaces and would share what she decorated through a Flickr™ account. After a while, she had become active within the blogging community. Seeing so many other talented people pushed her and inspired her to keep decorating and sharing what she had done. Though, at times, there would be components or something that was missing that would finish off this idea she had for a virtual scene. Then the idea hit her: “I should really try my hand at creating.”

Through trial and error Alessandra was able to construct something for the very first time in Second Life™. A little bench with a cushion on it, and though she may look back and see issues with it, she was proud of her work. From there on, Alessandra practiced her newly

discovered hobby and kept creating. Soon after, on December 3rd, 2013, tarte was born. Alessandra uploaded her logo into Flickr™ and the rest was history. For those who may not be totally familiar with tarte’s aesthetics, Alessandra is totally infatuated with worn and distressed textures, warm-toned woods and neutral fabrics. All elements you can find amongst the array of home decor and garden items released by tarte. Likewise, Alessandra confessed to me that she might have a slight love affair with string lights. Many of her products can be found with custom string lights.

With anything there is a good and a bad side to things. As exciting it is to be creating and producing, there are moments when you find that it can be extremely demanding, and sometimes unforgiving. “There are years I’ve missed holidays with my family because I was racing to finish a deadline. There are nights I’m up until 3 a.m. working to get a release finished,” Alessandra said. Of course, there can be unruly customers who come in swinging, upset about something happening or just feeling unsatisfied with a product.

But, for all those negatives that could happen, the flip side would be the customers as a whole. Alessandra went to gush that her customers are the ones who keep her there. “You guys allow me to bring my creations into Second Life™.” The lovely notecards she receives thanking her for contributing to this virtual world make her smile frequently.

“It’s the sweet messages I log in to on Monday morning. I absolutely love my customers and am so thankful for their continued support,”

So, looking forward into the new decade, be sure to be on the lookout for tarte. Alessandra spoke about venturing more into landscaping recently and moving to a full sim in the new year. Though, she was a little tight-lipped and wanted us to remain surprised. I guess we will just have to see what Alessandra has in store!

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