Cory Edo 1ON1 Interview

CREATOR: Cody Edo
Trompe Loeil: STORE – Marketplace

Part 2 (Part 1 Feature Article Trompe Loeil)

This is a follow-up 1ON1 interview with the founder of Trompe Loeil, Cory Edo. I got to ask a few questions and get her detailed responses. Enjoy.

Q: Welcome Cory! I am so glad we had a chance to talk one on one. Did you get a chance to read the article on Trompe Loeil? Because I have more questions. lol

When and why did you decide to start Trompe Loeil?

A: Hi Sam! I did read the article and it was lovely, thank you so much! Gosh I’m not really sure what else to add. I started Trompe Loeil as a side project in 2007 back when I was working for the Electric Sheep Company in the pre-mesh era, and picked it back up again around 2010. So the brand has been around for 18 years but we really didn’t start putting out regular releases until mesh came to the grid in 2012. 

I started working in SL when I was a 2D graphic designer, and I loved the easy access to collaborative 3D building and creation concepts that helped me branch out and learn entirely new skills. When I made the jump to dedicating full time effort to Trompe Loeil, I said I would keep doing it until it didn’t work out anymore. I never in my wildest dreams expected I would still be able to be working at this 13 years later! I really just kept my head down, didn’t listen to naysayers, and kept putting out releases month after month to get better. Our customers have been so kind and generous and enthusiastic, and LL has done a truly spectacular job navigating the changing tech environment and updating the platform and centering the artists that create the vitality and wonder of the grid. I am very pleased that in these uncertain times for artists and technology, I’ve dedicated my work to a platform that understands the value of its worldwide artistic community and is still dedicated to seeing them thrive. 

Q: What keeps you driven to continue making new and interesting builds?

A: I keep doing it because I love it! I can honestly say that creating environments and structures is something I’ve always loved to do and would be doing it as a hobby even if I wasn’t so lucky to be doing it for a living. If I couldn’t continue with Trompe Loeil then I would probably jump to architectural visualization work, which would be a pale shadow of creating for inworld use by others – but I would only be able to do it because SL has given me such a fantastic opportunity to educate myself, test ideas, and gain confidence in my abilities and my work. It was a rare thing to see in 2005 when I first discovered the platform, and it’s even rarer in 2025.

Q: Like I mentioned in the article, I own 100’s of your builds and items. Mainly because of the price and quality. You make it so easy to just grab an item and try it out.

A: I’ve always tried to keep the pricing reasonable on our products because a lot of people use SL to escape, to be with friends, and to relax and create things themselves. I would rather make a little less on an individual sale if it entices people to see what else we offer and maybe buy something else they would enjoy as well. There’s no reason not to have a hundred prefab homes in your inventory and change them like you change your outfit – and I’d love to be the person making those prefabs for you! 

Q: I know several people who do exactly that, changing their plot/sim decor themes very often. I had friend ask my opinion on several of your builds and couldn’t decide, so they just bought several to try them out.

How do you keep coming up with new ideas and themes?

A: There are so many amazing artists on the grid, and a number of them are professionals, so the standards are very high – each release and each year I find myself pushing to learn more to keep up with inworld artists who are really pushing the envelope. I’ve discovered so many artists inworld that simply blow me away each and every time. It’s such a joy to see so many other artists falling in love with the possibilities and sharing their work with others. They also keep me inspired, and that’s partially why my style covers so many different themes and categories. There’s simply no limit!

Q: What do you feel about the future of Second Life in general?

A: I am optimistic about the future of SL for several reasons – it’s beaten the odds just getting here, LL has navigated several hype circles by maintaining a steady focus on the residents and the artists, and the Lab is doing the work at getting new residents in and staying. I think there is a tremendous and growing demand for human-centric platforms that celebrate and platform human creativity, and by championing those founding values that SL hasn’t strayed from, it’s very well positioned to take advantage of that demand and provide the freedom, the tools, the tech, and the community that people are looking for. 

Q: This has been a great personal pleasure to chat with you. Is there anything you would like to add in closing?

A: Since I don’t get this opportunity often, I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to everyone who’s ever bought or enjoyed a Trompe Loeil product. Our customers are honestly fantastic. I do my own customer service for several reasons, but one of them is because our customers are so uniformly wonderful to interact with. Every time someone says thank you or offers a complement, it really means the world and I deeply appreciate it. I’d also like to thank the event organizers for all our monthly events, some of whom I’ve been working with directly for many years – truly amazing people who help the artists they showcase shine each and every month, I wouldn’t be nearly as successful without their hard work. Thank you for making us a part of your SL, and as long as the grid is here, we’ll be here too! Thank you so much!

And thank you Cory, you are truly one of the great ones still doing what you love in Second Life.

This is Samual Wetherby with my special guest, Cory Edo, saying thank you for being here.