By Gracie
I spent time with some good friends, BJoyful, Doc and Owl at an amazing place called Campbell Coast. I knew it was an artists town and on the continent of Corsica but I also knew that I had friends from Bellisseria that sang its praises and I had to see this Scottish influenced community for myself. Bjoyful calls it a place where the heart of artists are and Owl quickly added that Campbell Coast is currently home to 28 Artists and growing! But what is Campbell Coast really all about? Well, in a nutshell, Doc said it best, “this is a place where you'll never be short of a drink in Campbell Coast!" And in that nutshell I have to agree, the people that make up Campbell Coast are just as warm as a sitting out by the waters edge painting and drinking coffee as it is dancing at Glastonbelli.
What makes Campbell Coast unique and charming all at the same time is the community. The team that built what we see when visiting is so charming that you feel as though you belong there. A coastline of beauty while artists showing their work and people just enjoying the ambiance that was created for near anyone who enjoys the quaint yet vast feel of the details involved that you cannot help but be in search of a cup of latte while you roam the streets of Campbell Coast.
Campbell Coast is a rural Scottish themed community where every parcel provides public access to both Linden Protected Road and Beach access (with boat rezzing) to over 600 Regions of sailable Protected Coastal Waterway and open sailing water all the way to the Blake Sea. With rental parcels available to help extend your Bellisseria living spaces, you'll enjoy the same type of community adventures as you do at Bellisseria. There is even a Bellisserian Embassy located in the heart of the Artist's Village!
There's a little love story too that began this dream of building Campbell Coast. Most of us in Bellisseria either know or have heard of the names Doc and BJoyful, in fact, they have become household names when it comes to a fun time gathering while DJ Doc spins some tunes on the water while BJoyful is there by his side making sure everyone feels welcomed. I was honored to hear about their journey from Second Life to the real one and how our community of Second Life has bridged their story into a beautiful tapestry. Don't take my word for it, here's their story and how we came to know and love them and see their vision of Campbell Coast come alive:
I started out asking Doc, "How did you two meet and how did Campbell Coast come to be?"
I first met Bjoyful .. herein called Joy, the joy of my life, in June 2016 in Di Ella's Club Enigma. I became a DJ there and Joy was already a hostess and hosted for me. The spark was there from the word go, Joys professionalism in keeping the party pumping whilst welcoming every arrival thoroughly impressed me.
Four years down the line Joy continues to amaze me with her boundless enthusiasm for all things SL. She still occasionally Hosts and I still occasionally DJ although we have been more involved in organizing events this last year. Glastonbelli in June 2020 and Bellifest in February 2020 were two examples of our organizing in conjunction with Owl Dragonash. Both events covered 2 days live music and DJ's.
SL means the world to us, its spontaneity and possibilities keep us fresh full of new ideas. We have made a great group of friends in the new lands of Bellisseria and many hop back and fore to enjoy all SL has to offer in live entertainment, parties, art and building a fine piece of mainland for all to enjoy.
Belliserians who love the beauty of that build, indeed it was our inspiration for Campbell Coast, are welcome to drop by and see how we continue to attempt to beautify the mainland in a similar fashion but with the freedom to shop as well as party hard!
Then of course, BJoyful filled in all the gaps and my heart warmed to hear the love in her words, notice all the hearts ♥
Doc and I met in June 2016 at Club Enigma where I was Host Manager and he was a DJ who became a regular there. I Hosted for Doc as often as possible, loving his music and lovely inclusive personality and encouraging rapport with everyone who visited the Club Enigma. We were friends from the first set Doc played. ♥♪ We have so much in common we often seem to read each other's minds now! I don't recall even when we actually became a couple but sometime around a year after meeting we realized we had become inseparable♥.
Doc showed me so much about SL as I was really very noobie, having only really actively been in SL since 2015, and Doc has been in SL longer and has so many skills. There's really nothing he can't do in SL except no mesh building ...yet. Doc's patience and encouraging guidance also made me believe there's nothing I can't do here either ♥
I had joined SL in early days after first hearing about it on an episode of Law & Order on TV. I was too busy working in RL to devote much time to figuring out how to function here and within a couple of weeks I had lost my account login info with no idea how important that might be later on! I also joined SL in 2010 after I was invited to visit PhantomEFX's Region(s). I did and was still extremely busy and at the height of my RL career so I didn't retain that account info either (smh).
Everything changed for me in SL when Doc mentioned the Blake Sea and his yearning to sail on its many adjoining Regions. This piqued my interest immediately and I asked him to show me, which he happily did. He showed wonderful Builds and creations by the mysterious Moles. Within a few hours of looking at the World Map, and seeing I could navigate, that SL became a 'real' place for me. I knew Mainland was going to be Home. Within a few months of leisurely sailing and looking at land prices on World Map, we found a great deal! That was the first 4096 in the SE corner of Emyniad which is now part of the Campbell Coast land.
Then Bellisseria appeared and we knew since the Preview in March 2019 we wanted a Windlass Houseboat and I scrambled and managed to snag one on April 15, 2019, the first day they were released. Within days, an amazing community formed and we discovered some of the most amazing people in SL including our dear Owl Dragonash, artist and the Curator of all art and music events in Campbell Coast. Shortly after moving to Bellisseria we met a few of the mysterious Moles and even Lindens! It's always a thrill to get the opportunity to say hello and ask questions or compliment them on the work they do creating and maintaining our Second Life.
Seeing the beauty and living in the freedom from banlines and security orbs in Bellisseria was a big part of the inspiration for Campbell Coast. The space between parcels and the beautiful roads and community areas was also important. Each time I looked at the expanse of Abandoned Land to the north of that 4096 in Emyniad I wished someone would develop it and make it as beautiful as it deserved to be. Finally, I realized I could make the first steps and Doc showed me how to build and landscape, supported and encouraged me to keep going.
During our slow progress many friends contributed advice and skills and then we really lucked out and got the help of the best Mainland Builder and Landscaper I had ever seen, in our Kitten Mills and her landscaping crew of Uli Jansma and Raffael-Ludewig von Fimicoloud (Raffael Fimicoloud). I had seen her build of a French Village and restaurant named Marie Antoinette in Edge Walker Region when we first moved to Emyniad and went for a drive around Circuit La Corse. It was so welcoming and beautiful I sent her an IM complimenting her work. She was very nice and encouraged me to practice and build. Not long ago I asked if she remembered that I had been a fan for a long time but she didn't remember ;D. Kitten and Uli have the Eulannest Restaurant and land Group located South of Campbell Coast in Novatron Region. Kitten works very quickly and so beautifully I often call her our Category 5 'tornado of goodness' ;D
Another inspiration for Cambell Coast is our neighbors to the West and North, LILITHxBLACKmoon and Titti Anatine who have created beautiful Italian themed Regions.
SL is a RL equivalent for Doc and me. It is our connection tool and our Home, especially since this pandemic has affected world travel. Our plan in RL is to retire to Scotland and in the meantime our friends have helped create it here in Campbell Coast in SL. It's growing daily by means of tier donation, expanding into adjoining parcels and adding more Abandoned Land as more residents join the group and donate tier or contribute their efforts. We hope to keep growing and expanding, meeting new neighbors, encouraging others to create Land Groups and set their creative imaginations free ♥.
((Doc & BJoyful)
Photo credit: Kitten Mills
Owl Dragonash, Curator of Campbell Coast has a terrific resource page to check out. Everything you need to know about the Artists Village at Campbell Coast and per passions of art. You can check it out HERE
They also had a recent Street Fair Art Festival to introduce all the galleries on September 22. Here is a wonderful blog about the event.
Want to know more about Campbell Coast? Check out these other resources:
LM to Artists Village: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Emyniad/188/72/29
Many thanks to BJoyful (BJoyful Resident), Doc Rast (rasterscan Resident) and Owl (Owl Dragonash) for sharing their amazing Campbell Coast!