As plans begine to finalize for next year’s Las Vegas convention, we find ourselves plowing through conversations from last year. Of course as plowing goes, this tends to be the fun kind.
A Sky Wonderland Conversation
I’m sitting here with Sky Wonderland, Penthouse Pet.
Sky: Hello!
Where do you find inspiration, both in your work and in life outside of work? What inspires you?
Sky: People that are very driven. I love watching my Twitter feed, and seeing people go super hard. I love watching Summer Vixen just go hard as fuck, and I’m like, “That is inspiration to me.”
I love that. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received related to your craft or profession?
Sky: Take the good and bad for what it is. Just take it for what it is. Don’t think too hard about it. Just like, “that’s life” and move on.
That’s great. How do you deal with creative blocks or moments of self-doubt if you have any?
Sky: I kind of go to my best friend about it. She’s also in the industry, and we kind of just bounce off of each other, so if one is not feeling up to it, the other will always pick the other back up.
It’s so important to have friends like that, you know?
Sky: It is.
Is she older or younger?
Sky: She’s one year older than me. [laughs]
How do you stay grounded and connected to your roots despite your fame and success?
Sky: Ooh! I mean, I just keep doing me! Like, I’ve always been a nerd at heart. I still game. I still do my twitch. [laughs] Yeah!
What’s your favorite game, and what system do you use?
Sky: I’m a PC gamer. I like playing Fortnite, and I like playing Skyrim.
I know nothing about games [laughs] What’s something that you’ve always wanted to achieve, but you haven’t yet?
Sky: Ooh, I want to win an AVN or XBiz award.
What’s stopping you?
Sky: Nothing! [laughs]
So great! Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years, both personally and professionally?
Sky: Professionally, very successful, and also personally, just successful in the sense of being happy.
That is the best form of success, just being happy because they say that money buys happiness, but –
Sky: It doesn’t.
It really does not. How do you envision the future of your industry, and where do you see yourself fitting into that vision?
Sky: Ok, I see the future of the industry… because we’ve come a long way, we really have, we’ve opened doors for a lot of different types of people, and I see myself fitting in right in.
That’s so true. I think it’s also the industry has become so much more mainstream, and acceptable from mainstream people that it’s very easy to cross over to do other things and not just be on one platform.
Sky: Right. Yeah! You can literally do whatever you want. The world is your oyster.
That’s so true. What’s a guilty pleasure or something that you do for fun that people would not expect? Besides gaming…
Sky: Oh, well, that was my answer. [laughs] But, I have a favorite food that people wouldn’t expect. I really like hot dogs! Like, that’s my guilty pleasure food. I fucking love hot dogs!
Really? What do you like on your hot dogs?
Sky: I like ketchup, onions, a little bit of mustard, not too much, and that’s it. [laughs]
Ok. It sounds like a New Yorker.
Sky: [laughs]
Do you like white or wheat bun?
Sky: White!
[laughs] And do you like boiled, grilled or on a flat top?
Sky: Grilled.
Ok, there you go. If you could instantly master a new skill, what would it be?
Sky: Ooh, gymnastics… Dude! Those girls go hard! They are flexible! They are strong! That would be so much fun!
And it would also help with the industry.
Sky: It would! Oh yeah!
Oh, you could do things no one else could.
Sky: Yes!
What’s one thing that always makes you laugh no matter what?
Sky: My best friends. [laughs]
What would you do if you woke up one morning and no one recognized you or knew your name?
Sky: I would have so much fun! [laughs]
[laughs]
Sky: I would get away with things that I would never get away with! [laughs]
[laughs] That’s so great. If you could have any superpower for a day, which one would you choose, and what would you do with it?
Sky: Ooh, teleporting, and I would travel the world.
Where in the world?
Sky: Italy. Greece. Anywhere in Europe, really. I’ve never been, so that would be really cool.
I love it. What inspired you to start creating nude art and content?
Sky: You guys.
Penthouse? Yes?!! … Explain more. Tell me a little bit more about your journey. Like, how did that happen?
Sky: Well, obviously, I had been in the industry for a little bit before you guys reached out, but I had never really gone full head-on into it, and after Penthouse reached out, I was like “I can do so much with this!”. I don’t just have to do just this one modeling thing. I can really expand and make the most out of this.
Oh yeah, and I loved your layout!
Sky: Oh yeah! Oh my God, it was beautiful!
Your cover and your layout… it was beautiful. And you know, you were on a very famous issue, because you were the first double cover that we ever printed. It was you and Cherie Noel.
Sky: Yes! She’s a very sweet girl.
She is! How do you see your work impacting your audience? Whether it’s inspiring, provocative, or even educational?
Sky: Oo, I think all of it. Educational on the side that if you follow me on my social media, I kind of just say things how they are. Provocative, obviously, in my shoots, but inspirational to girls who want to do this, you know. I came from, like, a normal suburban area, and now look. Look at where I am. So, I think that’s inspiring to people.
What is one misconception about your profession that you wish people would understand?
Sky: That not everything is exactly how it seems. Chemistry is so, so important, and you can’t really force that. So, when it looks really good on camera, it is really good on camera. When it doesn’t look really good on camera… you know?
Yeah, there’s just not really probably an attraction. Yeah, they weren’t vibing.
Sky: Yeah.
Can you share an experience where you felt particularly proud or accomplished in your work?
Sky: Yeah, when I got reached out to shoot Vixen. Yeah, that was really fun.
Tell me more.
Sky: Yeah, they reached out to my agent, and they were like “We want her for BlackedRaw” and I also shot a scene just for Vixen, and that was really, really cool. It was a really nice experience.
What is your creative process when preparing for a shoot or creating new content?
Sky: I usually just see something and like… For example, on Twitter, if I saw a girl wearing all pink, maybe I’ll take something from that and wear all blue. Take something inspiring, and kind of make it my own.
I like that. How do you protect your mental and emotional wellbeing while working in a space that often invites judgement or objectification?
Sky: I go to therapy. [laughs]
[laughs] You’re so funny. What role do you think social media has played in the changing landscape for creators, especially those in the adult or alternative art spaces? How has social media impacted it?
Sky: I would say social media impacted it good and bad. Bad in the sense that I feel like there’s more judgement, but good in the sense that there’s a whole new way for us to all connect and be supportive of one another.
And also, it’s a great form to reach out to fans, and you are able to obtain them from all over the world instead of just like –
Sky:… in one area, yeah.
Yeah, exactly. How do you handle criticism when it comes to your body or the type of content that you create?
Sky: Really? I just fucking laugh at it. Because it’s like… Who are you talking to right now? [laughs]
What gave you that confidence?
Sky: It took a while, but I really just found it in myself, and learned to love who I am, and my body for what it is, rather than compare it to everyone else.
And there’s like a million internet trolls too…so…
Sky: There is.
And who gives a fuck what they think?
Sky: No one. [laughs]
And then if you could just tell us on what social medias we can find you on? Like Twitter, Instagram?
Sky: Oh, yeah. Well, I did change my social media from the last time I talked to you guys.
Oh my god, ok, so explain really quickly the whole “Sky”, “Ali” and then “Sky”.
Sky: So, when I first joined mainstream, I had not the best agent in the world, and she was like “You should choose something different”, and then I was like, “Ok, maybe I’ll choose something different”, but then I was like, “People are going to be so confused, like who are you?” and I was like, “Well, I already shot for Penthouse. I love the name Sky . I think I should go back to that…So Ali Summers was just kind of like… What do you call it?
Like a pseudonym?
Sky: Yes! Yes, [laughs] and then I was like “Wait, nevermind… Nevermind!”
I’m so happy you’re Sky again.
Sky: Me too! Me too.
Because also, that’s what you built up your brand as.
Sky: I did… I did. So yeah, stick to the roots always, and you can find me @skibbsky on my Twitter, my Instagram. That’s also my TikTok, and that’s also my snapchat. It’s literally everything.
It would be disrespectful to the serious amongst us to say the sky’s the limit with this special Pet, right? So we will not. … We will absolutely think it, but we will not say it out of respect for all the serious people (one of whom may or may not sign the check here). We will make what Sky says easier for you, though, at least as of this update. It gets kind of wispy up there in the sky, in case you had not noticed. These social handles seem to change a lot.
