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To view all of the pictures from the photoshoot with Asuka Martin,
go to SLikon’s (our photographer/interviewer/reporter) SL People page here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17893359@N02/sets/72157603356891888/
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BEN CARTER: : How long have you been active in Second Life?
ASUKA MARTIN: : I started playing around a month after I created my account. When I first came here I was so confused I didn’t know what on earth was going on, so I took a break and came back a month later.
BEN CARTER: : What would you consider to be your skills?
ASUKA MARTIN: : Obviously my favorite thing to create is textures, especially skins. I also like to build avatar related accessories (hair, shoes, etc). Lately I’ve been getting more into furniture and sculpties.
BEN CARTER: : What is your biggest strength, in SL, and in the physical world?
ASUKA MARTIN: : Well my biggest strength in SL would probably be skin making, and textures. Outside of Secondlife I do a ton of artwork. My favorite media is oil paint and I do a lot of pieces with people in them.
BEN CARTER: : If you don’t mind me asking, what is you real age?
ASUKA MARTIN: : 17, my birthday is in March.
BEN CARTER: : So you will be leaving us in 1 year, how do you feel about that and what will happen to Asuka’s and Dernier Cri?
ASUKA MARTIN: : After I leave I’ll probably change my business’s name to “Dernier Cri” and continue my store on the island.
BEN CARTER: : When did you “officially” start Asuka’s?
ASUKA MARTIN: : I started it a week after I began playing. My friend Ally showed me the Cascade mall, and helped me get started. I needed to buy a few usd from the site to pay my first rent but after that things went pretty smoothly. I used to make things for the Sims 2 so I re-created a lot of that stuff into Secondlife clothing. I wasn’t too familiar with the Secondlife avatar so my clothes and skins still ended up looking pretty horrible.
BEN CARTER: : How long did it take you to stop considering yourself a “newbie”?
ASUKA MARTIN : :Hard question. I can’t pin point a specific day, but I felt like a newbie for a really long time.
BEN CARTER: : An easy way to figure out, is to remember when you started thinking of other people as newbies
ASUKA MARTIN: : Haha hmm…. I really don’t know. I didn’t feel like an expert but I didn’t feel like someone who just started playing. It’s really hard to pinpoint when I wasn’t a “noob” but I think after a few months I was getting a good hang of everything.
BEN CARTER: : Most new companies undergo many name changes, is this true about Asuka’s? (off the record: please state any names in you answer)
ASUKA MARTIN: : Actually, when I started my store I decided that I needed some sort of name. I chose “Asuka’s” because it was the easiest thing I could come up in the two seconds I had to setup my store. I intended on changing it, but I never got around to it and it sort of stuck.
BEN CARTER: : What country do you live in?
ASUKA MARTIN: : I live in the United States, Michigan
BEN CARTER: : You are obviously a success story, starting a company and eventually buying an island, how did you do this?
ASUKA MARTIN: : I don’t know how exactly “how” haha. I basically started out selling a little in malls, then I eventually rented from islands and kept making new things and getting more experience. After a while I thought it would be neat to buy my own island.
BEN CARTER: : How did you afford to buy an island? Was it purely from sales?
ASUKA MARTIN: : I was making a lot of real money from sales so the island was affordable. I had around a month and a half worth of Lindens saved up on my account which I used to pay for the island.
BEN CARTER: : A lot of people’s parents are involved in the Second Life, helping them buy islands, land, etc., is this true for you?
ASUKA MARTIN: : Haha, I wish. No, they don’t pay for anything in Secondlife for me. If I have to use they’re credit card to pay initial tier costs or anything like that I would have to pay them back.
BEN CARTER: : Where do you get the inspiration for your designs?
ASUKA MARTIN: : I like to look up real clothing online and base my ideas around things I see in magazines and whatnot. Sometimes I’ll make ideas up out of my head but normally it’s a combination of things I’ve seen or like to wear.
BEN CARTER: : Who is you main “target consumer”?
ASUKA MARTIN: :Most of my designs are aimed towards girls but I’m working on creating more items for men.
BEN CARTER: What are you monthly profits?
ASUKA MARTIN: That’s a secret. 
BEN CARTER: What about your monthly expenses? (off the record: texture uploads, rent, etc.)
ASUKA MARTIN: I think it’d be impossible to track my texture expenses. I’m sure it’s a significant amount though. I pay around 15k for tier each month.
BEN CARTER: Why clothing? Why not furniture or furries?
ASUKA MARTIN: I really like to paint people in real life. I think it’s why I like making skins and people related things in Secondlife. I’ve made a few pieces of furniture and I like to build sometimes but I don’t tend to sell those kinds of things in my store. I once tried to make a furry but it was really frustrating and I gave up.
BEN CARTER: : How many items in your inventory?
ASUKA MARTIN: : Currently 20,478 o.o Uh oh.
BEN CARTER: How many L$ in your account?
ASUKA MARTIN: I sell my L$s, so most of my earnings go strait to my bank account. Telling you wouldn’t say too much.
BEN CARTER: What are you most proud of in general, inside, and out of Second Life?
ASUKA MARTIN: The thing I’m the most proud of is being an artist. 
I’ve loved drawing and making things for as long as I can remember, and I intend on getting into some kind of artistic career.
BEN CARTER: Which of your products makes you most proud of yourself?
ASUKA MARTIN: In Secondlife I think I do the best with my skins.
BEN CARTER: What is your favourite passtime?
ASUKA MARTIN: Hmm it’s hard to say. I spend most of my time making things whether it’s for Secondlife, an art class, or something else I’m doing on my own. Other than that you’ll probably catch me sleeping, listening to music, or hanging out.
BEN CARTER: What kind of music do you like?
ASUKA MARTIN: Rave music! Then probably punk rock. My friends don’t think it suits me at all. I’m really laid back.
BEN CARTER: : 1. What would you reaction to these statements be:
a. “HEY ASUKA! can i borrow some money?”
ASUKA MARTIN: : (does not reply)
b. “OMGOMGOMGOMG, ASUKA< CAN I GET A COPY OF YOUR HAIR”
ASUKA MARTIN: : “OMGZORS LIK NO” kidding.
BEN CARTER: : lol
ASUKA MARTIN: : I tend to all of a sudden forget someone is talking to me if they ask a question like that. I’ll be completely oblivious or change the subject.
c. someone orbits/grief you in some other way on:
i. Your land
ASUKA MARTIN: : i. Ejected, no words exchanged. If someone’s grieving they’re not actually interested in shopping on your land.
ii. Elsewhere
ASUKA MARTIN: : ii. I probably won’t do anything unless I’m in a really bad mood that day. It’s just irritating.
BEN CARTER: : Are you doing anything else right now, other than taking this interview?
ASUKA MARTIN: : listening to iTunes and talking to several other people
BEN CARTER: : Any last remarks/statements?
ASUKA MARTIN: : Hmm, not unless you have any more questions.
BEN CARTER:: Operating System? Graphics Card? Time you spend doing SL related activities?
ASUKA MARTIN: My computer runs on windows XP and I have a Geforce 6600. I’d like to get a new Apple computer sometime soon though. About how much time I spend doing SL related activities? Too much.
