“Hope when you take that jump, you don’t fear the fall
Hope when the water rises, you built a wall
Hope when the crowd screams out, it’s screaming your name
Hope if everybody runs, you choose to stay”
OneRepublic – I Lived
Sometimes a backdrop surprises you. When FOXCITY and Rosary announced Bubble Blvd for Collabor88, my first instinct was pretty predictable. I gravitated toward the Babe version immediately. Bright pink, playful, loud, impossible to ignore. If you saw my previous post with Cori, then none of that should come as a surprise. That shoot ended up becoming exactly what I hoped it would be. Colorful. Confident. A little over the top in all the right ways and probably then some.
So naturally, I assumed I was finished with Bubble Blvd. But, I kept finding myself coming back to the Mono version. Same build. Same concept. Completely different energy. One of my favorite things about Bubble Blvd is that Satomi didn’t simply create two color options and call it a day. They feel like two entirely different experiences. The Babe version transforms the space into something vibrant and playful, while Mono strips everything back and lets the atmosphere take over.
FOXCITY describes Bubble Blvd as a complete destination experience and after spending time with both versions, I think that’s exactly right. This isn’t just a backdrop dropped onto a platform. Every detail feels considered, from the custom branding and landscaping to the signage, lighting, running water, optional car (not pictured) and puddles, and the way the entire mood shifts depending on which version you choose.
Mono takes all of that and turns the volume down. The bright energy gives way to something quieter. Cooler. A bit more cinematic. Somewhere along the way, this stopped becoming a second Bubble Blvd post and became something else entirely. The more time I spent wandering around the scene, the less interested I became in recreating what I’d already done. It wasn’t about finding another angle anymore. It was about following whatever felt different. Funny enough, that’s where my mind kept drifting back to one song.
One of my favorite OneRepublic songs has always been I Lived. I don’t think I’ve ever connected with it because of the big moments. It’s the smaller idea underneath it that sticks with me. Trying things. Making things. Following ideas even when they don’t end up where you expected. Creating something because it feels right. That’s what this shoot ended up becoming. At first I thought I wanted to shoot inside the wash tunnel. That felt like the natural continuation after spending so much time there with the Babe version. Instead I kept getting pulled outside. The reflections on the pavement. The glow from the sign. The shape of the car. The empty space around the scene. Eventually I made another decision I wasn’t expecting.
I shot the entire thing in black and white. Not because Mono needed it and not because I wanted it to feel dramatic. I did it because the more I looked at the image, the more color started feeling unnecessary. Removing it changed the way I looked at everything. Instead of focusing solely on the styling or the environment itself, I started noticing the shapes. The lighting. The reflections. The way the scene felt instead of what it looked like.
The black and white treatment ended up doing exactly what Mono already hinted at. It stripped everything back. Weirdly, it made the photo feel more alive. I think that’s one of the things I appreciate most about Second Life. The majority of my favorite photos weren’t planned. They happened because I stopped trying to force an idea and started paying attention to what the scene in front of me wanted instead.
For this one, Mackenzie ended up becoming part of that. Unlike my previous Bubble Blvd shoot with Cori where I leaned fully into styling and energy, this one felt stronger the more restrained it became. Mackenzie brought exactly what the scene needed. No overly dramatic posing. No super complicated setup. Just enough presence to let the atmosphere do its job. That changed the entire direction of the photograph. Instead of trying to make a statement, it became about creating a moment. Honestly, maybe that’s what I Lived has always meant to me. Not doing everything. Not making every moment extraordinary. Just staying open enough to follow an idea somewhere unexpected and being glad you did.
For styling, she kept things simple and leaned into the cleaner, more understated feel that Mono naturally creates. Mackenzie is wearing Seniha’s Ariana bikini paired with DOUX’s Lisbon hair and MIWAS Bubble on Me. Between the softer styling choices and the black and white treatment, everything felt cohesive without competing for attention. The final scene came together with FOXCITY’s Bubble Blvd (Mono) and the [Surplus Motors] Springbok car helping tie it all together. Looking back, I’m glad I resisted the urge to add more because this ended up being one of those shoots where the details worked best once they stopped trying to stand out individually.
Looking back at the final shot, I think my favorite thing about Bubble Blvd isn’t that it gave me two versions of the same backdrop. It’s that it reminded me creativity doesn’t always stop after the first idea works. Sometimes it’s worth coming back. Looking again. Trying something different and seeing what happens. Something I was exploring for a bit with Same, Same, But Different, Period. I might have to go back and explore that more again in the future. Credits for everything can be found below, and make sure to go and grab your own Bubble Blvd before Collabor88 closes on July 6th!
“Hope that you fall in love, and it hurts so bad
The only way you can know is give it all you have
And I hope that you don’t suffer but take the pain
Hope when the moment comes, you’ll say…
I, I did it all”
OneRepublic – I Lived
Credits:
~Her~
Head: LeLutka EvoX AVALON 4.0 ~ Jaden Nova
Hair: DOUX – Lisbon Hairstyle ~ Dam1710 Resident
Body: [LEGACY] [BODY] (f) Perky Edition (1.7.1) ~ MeshBody Resident
Arm Tattoos: HORL – Arm Orn 4 Tattoo [FADED 50] ~ Bree Coy
Bikini: Seniha. Ariana Bikini ~ Seniha88 Resident
Bubbles: MIWAS / Bubble on me (Transparent) #White ~ LiuMiwa Resident
~Scene~
Backdrop: FOXCITY. Photo Booth – Bubble Blvd (Mono) ~ Little Snacc ~ NEW @ Collabor88 (June 8-July 6)
Car: [SURPLUS MOTORS] Springbok v7.0 ~ Jules Catlyn