Because of the increasing changes in my health situation I wanted to let all my friends and customers know what my plans are for my future commercial projects (and freebies! :)

It is nothing life threatening, but it is now becoming very limiting physically for me to work at the computer for long periods of time, and work in particular ways. I have Fibromyalgia and with my age, it is catching up with me. I used to be SO active with hiking around Zoos and visiting farms with my photography (both for personal, commercial portraits and resource collecting) and now I am lucky when I can get across a couple of streets to our local pond/park to enjoy the wild life there.... frustrating to say the least!

One major problem with Fibromyalgia (FM for short) is the tendency to get "frozen shoulders" from any sort of repetitive motion. That came on with web building a few of years ago. I have been in therapy and getting shoulder joint cortisone shots off and on for years, and still have to take great care of the amount of time I spend and how I use my shoulders and arms. I have lost some range of motion in my arms/shoulders and if I push too hard, I will loose more. Surgery is not an option and often does not even "take".

This is the major reason I simply cannot continue to do the intense work it takes to make original models. If I go slow, and work less I can continue with my first love - that being "morphing and mapping". You may have noticed I have been doing that for a while now. My latest project of Millennium Horse Textures (that include some new morphs from me, the gift of Jan's morphs included with permission as well as added goodies from Tiny and SnowFire Graphics! :) is taking quite a long time. I love horses and I am working to include some really different textures.... (I want to do 3-4 more textures, then I will start on the MATs). I think the weather affects me too, and it has been the coldest wettest "Sunny California" winter in YEARS.....

I have to apologize to the folks that were hoping I would make an original llama model and some others that I had previously announced I would do. Unless a real medical break through happens, it is just unlikely. I am doing everything I can to continue to do morph/map projects and I also NEED to play with the GIGs of wonderful products I have bought over the years..... so when I am "allowed" just so many hours a day on the computer, sometimes my muse really needs to take a break and do art for fun, to relax. I have been pushing myself to only do the horse maps lately, with so many looking forward to them..... so this is one reason I felt it would be good to let folks know how things are going for me.

The FM syndrome affects everyone differently which is why it is just now being accepted as "real" to doctors, while they still do not know too much about it, or what to do for it. I plan on gathering some information and posting it on my own personal web site for my own use and for others who might have all these oddball symptoms and never understood what is going on. Growing up with odd pains, odd reactions to medications, going through all sorts of tests that were "negative" has been difficult, but I managed fairly well until my age caught up, and I no longer have hormones to help my body cope.

I plan to continue to take care of my web sites, our Vista Internet Product store site, product support, and continue to make my morphs/texture freebies for a very long time. I just may be a lot slower (I am so late in updating our wonderful store gallery web site, and I do apologize for that too!!) at these things. I am generally only "gone from the net" for one or two days at most, so if you write to any of my e mails you will understand why, if I am a day or two late to respond.

I do have some exciting news about a new product that is in very early stages of beta testing! I hope to have a Poser 5 HAIRY rabbit - a set of my wild rabbits and a set of my domestic rabbits all "furry" and ready to go in the near future (near future is relative, depending on when I get the horse maps done, get the rabbit hair finalized, MATs made, etc.) I have some wonderful friends helping me create, learn and beta test this new product.... I was lucky to be in on the beta testing of Tiny's Hairy DAZ mil house cat - which turned out so lovely and has been sent to DAZ.

Very special friends of mine who are able to understand the "hair room" of P5 (which is still new to me!!) got my rabbit started. I was thrilled with the idea that a poser animal could finally be truly hairy, fluffy, and not need any post brushing "right out of the box" ! :) The minute the two sets are completed (and I have every confidence that they will work out, once some small issues are worked out) they will be in our store.

These rabbits will NOT require the original sets. It has just been discovered that when you do the hair process that the original obj is generated (connected to the hair) and has to be included with the character. So you can purchase these sets as add on sets or instead of my other sets. This is another reason that ONLY my own original models can be made into hairy versions. I probably will not have hairy versions of the very short haired animals, such as my Impala, Gazelles, Reindeer, Elk, Moose - unless a different "very short hair" technique is discovered. The hopefuls are the sheep, goats, and rodents of various types. It will take time to try each type.

I MIGHT additionally have separate Ready Pose (my model sets that do not require poser) sets of these Hairy animals for Vue, if the mapping will translate. At this early stage, the hairy rabbit will go into vue, but the mapping is still being tested there. I have not been able to get the hair parts of the the rabbit to go into Bryce 5, via an obj import or the DAZ plug in, at all. At the very least, the hairy animals will work in Poser 5 (and I assume Poser 6 - I have ordered 6 already) in two ways... to render in a scene using a backdrop set or to use as a "copy and paste" with it's poser alpha channel. I have found that the alpha channel in Poser 5 will get 99.9% of the hairs when you copy and paste with it to place the rabbit on a background in a paint program. Perhaps with Poser 6's ability to "shadow capture" the alpha will be more precise, but that remains to be seen.

After the hairy rabbits, I have hopes for other mammal models of mine to become hairy, fuzzy, or whatever! At this point, my "hairy beta team" LOL continues to explore the "hairy possibilities"... and as those work out, we will give sneak peeks, and announcements. As always my prices will be very reasonable.

Meanwhile I will continue with some very special morph and photo-real Texture sets, of models from my store, DAZ, and others. Thankfully all the years I spent with my camera, and all the funds I spent buying the rights to photos, plus the generous sharing of photos from friends, I have a huge resource stockpile to work from.

Thanks for listening,

Lyne
Lyne's Creations
Vista Internet Products

Oh Lyne I'm so sorry to hear about your health problems. You seem to be adapting very well and I admire you for that. Your new projects sound wonderful and I wish you all the best with them! Hugs to you!! Carol

Fibermanalgia is very dehabilitating, I have known people with it :(. I am so sorry. I am watching the progress of the horse textures, I love them.

Best wishes from me to Lyne.

Lyne, my heart is with you. I, too, have fibro, and I understand what it does to you and your ability to create. Hang tough! Denny

I am also sorry to hear of your health problems. You are a rare and wonderful talent, and a very nice person too. Thank you for sharing so much of your creativity and yourself...you are truly one of the best. Gentle hugs from me and my beasties.

Lyne, I, too have FMS, and it sucks. So sorry to hear about the shoulders. That must be pretty awful. The disorder can be very frustrating and debilitating at times. :( I know of a really good chronic pain/FMS support board (which I found through another Poser community member who runs it ;-). PM me if you'd like the URL. bonni

Hey Lyne, sorry to hear about the health problems but I still look foreward to whatever you do.

You will be in my prayers.

Sorry to hear of your health problems too. I will keep you in my prayers, Take it easy and most of all relax and take the time to enjoy playing with the products you've purchased ;o) (((hugs))) Sallie.

You hang in there, do what you can, when you can. I will be just as happy and thrilled, as always, with anything you do, when your able to do it. Probably even happier, since I know you will be taking care of you first! :-) Hugz! Jenny

My best to you, Lyne. Please take care of yourself and know that you slowing down will not discourage people from the wonderful things you're capable of making within your health restrictions. hugs Helen

Lyne - All your products are nothing short of amazing; you are a true artisan! It's a shame that this debilitating disease has robbed such a talented individual as yourself from enjoying her craft. Be that as it may, PLEASE make your health and comfort priority number ONE. We can and will wait 'til whenever, for the release of your future wares. Although many of us (myself included) don't know you personally, through this crazy hobby of ours, we DO share bonds amongst us. It is this (however thin) bond, that is the basis for all of us wishing you the best and keeping you in our thoughts/prayers. PLEASE take care of yourself! - Ray

I have a brother-in-law who has FM. Except in his case, it's in his lower back. He can't tolerate being in a normal sitting position for longer than 15 minutes at a time. He has to either stand up or lie down. Or recline. I've seen up close and personal just how difficult this condition can be. I wish you the best, and certainly look foward to seeing your art.

Just take care of yourself.. everything else will be ok. I really aprreciate your great animals, morphs and textures. Hugs to you! Diana

Oh my, Lyne. Please do, take care of yourself. But thanks for keeping us posted. I love every one of your models and sets that I have!

Attached Link: http://www.myalgistat.com

All my best wishes for the future Lyne. I know what it is like to have a medical problem affect your artwork. Let your muse guide you and I look forward to seeing whatever you create in the future. William

I understand you very well Lyne I don't have Fibromyalgia. I have HS (Hidradenitis Suppurativa) but I know how it is not able to work. I have pain every day. Fibromyalgia is a nasty thing like you said no one really knows what it is. Here the gouverment made new rules for people who are sick (they receive some money from the gouverment if they can't work anymore) and they decided that FM is no disease terrible huh. I wiosh you all the best and take care of yourself do what you can do not more that way your life is the easiest to live with a disease

hugs
Ang (I putted my story also on my personal homepage that way I don't have to explain it all the time it really helps)

Message edited on: 03/17/2005 02:33

Aww Lyne! I send you heaps of good thoughts! Be well, my friend!

Sorry to hear about your health. Please be careful and put your health as your Number 1 priority. I'm enjoying your freebies (P4 horsie morphs especially), so I hope you'll find the strenght to give away another freebies, but for the time being please think about yourself, not all those leechers in Poser community :) Vil

My best wishes, Lyne. I'll continue to follow your productions with the same appreciation as ever. Orio

Lyne, I am so sorry to hear about your health problems. I can certainly relate as my daughter has Fibromyalgia along with Crohn's Disease and with two young children, every day is a struggle. I think like my Daughter, you are a strong-willed person and will see it through the best you can. I had a complete shoulder replacement 4 years ago and can understand your shoulder pain very well. Thankfully my surgery has done wonders. For such a talented artist such as yourself, this is an obstacle that at times is unjustly cruel but you sound like a very positive person and that helps so very much. All my very best to you Lyne!! {{{Hugs}}}} Irene

I've very sorry to hear this....best of luck to & please take your time with whatever you choose to do. Best of luck to you, your work is fabulous and I will continue to support you outstanding line of models & maps.

So sorry to hear about your health problems, Lyne. I know how chronic illness can take so much out of you. Obviously, you need to take care of yourself first. You always do marvelous work, so whatever you feel op to doing will be gratefully recieved by this fan at least. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts and prayers. Daio

Just hoping for the best for you.

I can empathize with your problem. I've been experiencing problems with my right shoulder now for about 9 months and it gets so bad all I can do is lay down and find a position for my arm that doesn't hurt. I see what I love doing (grapics) becoming something I can't do and I wonder if I shouldn't begin to learn to "run" the mouse left-handed. Doctor has never mentioned (the possibility of) FM to me and has me taking some OTC pills that are "joint lubricaters". Hehe, and I was always careful about carpel-tunnel (sp?) syndrome. Sigh.... But, not to hi-jack your thread, good luck with your illness and keep hopes up for something to come along and fix it. One never knows. And thanks for sharing the info.

Aw Lyne my heart goes out to you. I love your wonderful work...hope you can do enough to give you the pleasure you give to others. I hope things get better for you! -jay

For those asking: one reason why FM can be hard to diagnose it that it can reaemble so many other repetitive strain injuries. Everyone, be careful about how you use your computer. Mice and keyboards and a bad setup can spoil your life with RSI. Take regular breaks. And, Lyne, I look forward to seeing what you can do. Half of Lyne is better than none.

I'm so sorry Lyne. All you can do is what you have been doing. That is take each day as it comes. You have a great talent, and we all understand you will be working a little slower and I'm glad to see your going to be making some pictures. I think this helps a person. Hugs and Love to you. Leah

Oh darn, I'm so sorry to hear it Lynn! Thanks for posting the redirect notice in the regular forum, btw, or I wouldn't have seen it.

I know that can be debilitating - I have a friend with it. I hope that it leaves you in peace enough days for you to still have FUN on the computer, even if you can't continue creating all our many furry friends!

I've really enjoyed your creations over the years. Had I enough money, I would have bought them all! That little calf is STILL on my wish list tho!

I wish you well, and as much enjoyment of your 'time off' as possible.

--Cindy, 'Kamilche'

Lyne I'm so sorry to hear this news_ I guess you've been struggling on in silence for a while. I'm glad you've let the community know_ I hope the response you've had will help in the darker moments. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was your skillful and beautiful models that inspired me to get involved in animal modelling and I always strive to emulate your real feel for your subject matter. We will miss your productivity but will wait patiently for the gems you come up with, when your health allows. best wishes Nigel

THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH one and all! It is hard to admit a personal situation, but I went on faith of our community and I am not disappointed... I really appreciate all your kind words and "permission" for me to do "fun art" and your willing patients for my commercial projects too... Yesterday, I took my active time to do one load of laundry and while that was going I went across the streets to the park/pond close by and just walked slowly by the pond and grass while hundreds of butterflies flew by me all the time...red winged black birds called in the trees above my head, the mallard ducks asked for some food, the huge geese (like the ones I did in one set - I think they are farm geese gone wild) honked loudly in concert with huge unseen bullfrogs.... Two crows WALKED by me, looking for duck food left by people (rare- crows here stay in flight or trees!) and of course the hundreds of "coots" (little black duck like things with bright yellow funny looking feet) plus many gulls wandered around. High above a red tailed hawk...and in the grass near the foot of the low hills bunnies and squirrels munched on the fresh so green-grass. It was a time that nurtured my soul... of course I walked a bit too long soaking it all in...and pay with pain and more rest needed BUT it was worth it!! The 65 degree sunshine on my face for that half hour or so was heaven! (I still don't have the discipline down for limiting myself...but will keep at it, and not give up these little occasional outings) I can rest while another storm comes rolling into our "sunny" California the next two days! Thank you again, from the depths of my heart!! Lyne

Oh my dear, sweet Lyne, how you must struggle to do what you do, is short of amazing. I have no idea of the work you do, I only know the finished products are breathtaking. My heart and prayers go out to you, that you may find some relief from the pain you endure. Bless you sweetie and know many care about you. Big hugzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.........

I'm so sorry, all my best wishes for the future Lyne. ZETT

We have to enjoy those moments when we do get into the sun or do get some time to create. Chronic pain is sometimes easier to deal with than the depression. Setting different goals and pampering yourself is for the best. It really isn't selfish if it allows you to keep working. {hug} Carolly

Hey kiddo :) I am so sorry to hear this. The important thing is to take it easy and take care of yourself. Go as slow as you need to. You've contributed two lives worth of wonderful creations to the poser world already. If you take care of yourself, there will be much more to come.

You are a very precious soul Lyne. Reading some of the other comments and knowing the community, I can say with confidence that we are all far more concerned with you enjoying your life and finding fullfilment in what you do than we will ever be concerned with getting more products. I take joy in seeing what you do because I know it gives you joy. If it ever becomes a burden, I (and I'm sure everyone else here) would be completly content with what you have already done. First and foremost, you take care of yourself. Nobody makes the quality of wildlife you do, but we would rather have a void than to have you burdened. Of course, as long as it is part of your vitality of life, we wll be glad to see what you come up with next, however long it takes you. You know from our talks that I know how hard this can be, but do try to pace yourself... and thank you so much for sharing with us.