“Life’s like a novel with the end ripped out
The edge of a canyon with only one way down
Take what you’re given before it’s gone
And start holdin’ on, keep holdin’ on”
Rascal Flatts – Stand
As June continues, so does my participation in Pride At Home’s Pride Month Color Block Challenge. The challenge invites residents across Second Life to create original photographs inspired by each color of the traditional Pride flag. Having worked my way through the previous colors throughout the month, this time brings me to the final color of the traditional Pride flag: purple.
Pride At Home continues to create opportunities for residents to connect through events, fundraising efforts, education, and community engagement throughout Pride Month. Their Color Block Challenge has encouraged participants to explore each color beyond its appearance, taking time to reflect on the ideas and values represented within the flag itself. Purple traditionally represents spirit.
Of all the colors represented in the Pride flag, spirit may be the most difficult to explain because it means something different to everyone. When I think about spirit, I don’t think about perfection, confidence, or having life completely figured out. I think about conviction. I think about the beliefs, values, and pieces of ourselves that remain unchanged regardless of what life throws our way.
In some ways, I’ve started to think of spirit as the foundation beneath all the other colors in the flag. Life, healing, sunlight, growth, and serenity are all important, but none of them happen in isolation. It takes spirit to continue living when life becomes difficult. It takes spirit to heal after we’ve been hurt. It takes spirit to step into the light and allow ourselves to be seen. It takes spirit to grow beyond the person we once were, and it takes spirit to pursue peace when the world around us feels anything but peaceful. Maybe that’s why purple feels like such a fitting conclusion. The other colors represent moments, experiences, and stages of life. Spirit is what carries us through all of them.
That’s one of the reasons I found myself returning to Rascal Flatts’ Stand while working on this photograph. The song isn’t really about avoiding hardship. It’s about what happens when life challenges you and asks whether you’ll stay true to yourself or allow those challenges to define you. At its core, it’s a song about resilience, but it’s also a song about conviction.
One of the things I appreciate most about Stand is that it doesn’t pretend life will always go according to plan. It acknowledges that there will be moments where we’re knocked down, disappointed, uncertain, or afraid. What makes the song resonate with me isn’t the struggle itself, though. It’s the reminder that our response to those moments matters. We may not always control what happens around us, but we can choose whether we allow those experiences to change who we are at our core.
That message feels especially meaningful during Pride Month. For many people, authenticity isn’t something that arrives all at once. It’s something we choose repeatedly. We choose it when we stop apologizing for who we are. We choose it when we support others in doing the same. We choose it when we continue showing up as ourselves, even when it would be easier not to.
The older I get, the more I realize that spirit isn’t measured by how easy life is. It’s measured by what we’re willing to stand for when things become difficult. It’s the quiet voice that reminds us who we are when the world would prefer we be someone else. It’s the strength to hold onto the things that matter most, even when doing so would be easier to abandon. I think that’s ultimately what spirit means to me.
Not perfection. Not fearlessness. Not having all the answers. Spirit is the part of us that remains grounded in who we are and what we believe. It’s the willingness to keep moving forward without abandoning the things that matter most. It’s the quiet confidence that comes from knowing yourself well enough that you no longer need permission to be yourself.
For this photograph, I decided to keep things relatively simple. I wore Deadwool’s Vinz tracksuit in purple and paired it with FOXCITY’s Show Time backdrop. As I spent time thinking about what spirit means, I realized I didn’t want to hide behind elaborate scenery or complicated symbolism. The message felt more personal than that. The stage-like setting of Show Time ended up fitting the theme better than I expected. Spirit isn’t just about what we believe when nobody is watching. It’s also about having the confidence to stand in the spotlight as ourselves. Pride has always been rooted in visibility, authenticity, and refusing to shrink ourselves to fit someone else’s expectations. With the purple backdrop framing the image, keeping the focus on the person standing in front of it felt like the right choice.
As the final color of the traditional Pride flag, purple feels like a fitting conclusion. Not because it ties everything together neatly, but because it asks an important question: what do you stand for? For me, spirit is found in the answer. It’s found in the willingness to remain authentic, to support others, and to continue showing up as yourself. Sometimes, as Rascal Flatts reminds us, the strongest thing we can do is simply stand. Credits for everything can be found below as always.
What comes next? I have my regular blogging obligations to handle but I do have other ideas as well. One is a darker more fantasy styled photo, I won’t say more than that for now but hopefully it turns out how I want. Secondly I may have done all of the traditional colors but I do plan to do the colors of Transgender Pride flag 🏳️⚧️, so we’ll be doing light blue, pink, and white in addition to the six traditional colors soon! 🏳️🌈
Pride At Home Presents : Pride Month Color Block Challenge
Celebrate Pride by bringing the colors of the rainbow to life!
Create an original “color block” photograph centered around ONE of the six classic rainbow colors:
Red • Orange • Yellow • Green • Blue • Violet
Your chosen color should dominate the entire image – clothing, makeup, props, lighting, background, accessories, styling, everything!
Make your color the star of the shot, well, as well as you, obviously!
Your photo must be:
– Original
– Taken by you
– Focused on one single rainbow color
That’s it. Simple, bold, creative.
Pose alone, collaborate with friends, or have fun with a group. Whether your style is glamorous, dramatic, minimal, surreal, cozy, futuristic, or chaotic – we want to see YOUR vision.
Selected submissions will be displayed in the in-world Art Gallery on the Pride At Home sim throughout June, and may also be featured across our social media and future Pride At Home projects.
How to Submit? Post your photo on the social platform of your choice and tag us, or share it directly in the Pride At Home server.
Can’t Pick a Color? Tell us and we’ll choose one for you.
Most importantly:
Have fun with it, get creative, and make your color shine.
We can’t wait to see what you create!
“‘Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend ’til you break
‘Cause it’s all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Yeah, then you stand
Yeah, baby
Woo hoo, woo hoo
Woo hoo, woo hoo
Then you stand, yeah yeah”
Rascal Flatts – Stand
Credits:
Head: LeLUTKA.Head.NOA.4.0 ~ Jaden Nova
Head Applier: VELOUR: KALEB Skin for Evo X ~ Kiria Mama
Hair: [MFCNT] THOR Bun – Grooming Hair – LeBarbier Alpha
Hairbase: LeLUTKA.EvoX.Hairbase.044 (BOM) ~ Jaden Nova (Comes with the LeLUTKA NOA Head)
Ears: ^^Swallow^^ Gauged S Ears ~ Luciayes Magic
Ear Tattoo: RichB. Ears Tattoo #08 ~ Salvy Hexem
Beard: [MFCNT] Ducky Skunk Beard & Stache – LeBarbier Alpha
Beard Layer: [MR] Jimmi Facial Hair for EvoX Heads Style 1 ~ Daniel Whiskers
Body: [LEGACY] Athletic Edition (1.7.1) ~ MeshBody Resident
Skin: VELOUR: PICASSO HOMME Skin for Legacy (FIT/TAN) Picasso Neck ~ Kiria Mama
Hand BOM: K.O.K.O.S SHOP – SEXI MAN HANDS-BOM ALL BODY. ~ Aleric Dallas
Nails: Pare.Cure Mesh Nails Both Hands [Short] – Legacy ~ Flazedo Resident
Suit Coat/Shirt: [Deadwool] Vinz track jacket ~ Masa Plympton
Pants: [Deadwool] Vinz track pants ~ Masa Plympton
Ring (L): ~~ Ysoral ~~ .: Luxe Wedding Ring Eliot:. ~ Fenixdragon Rau
Rings/Bracelets: *RE* Atreides Bracelet & Rings ~ Crashnoww Resident
Earrings: = DAE = SXD1 ~ Naomi Darkheart
~Scene~
Backdrop: FOXCITY. Photo Booth – Show Time: Darks ~ Little Snacc
Pose: SP – Juan Pablo ~ SweetDaniellee Resident