Steampunk as Workshop

For those that consider the aesthetic used in Disney’s 1954 production of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to be steampunk, that was my first exposure to the grandeur and wonder of steampunk-before-it-had-a-name and the Victorian sense of design. Even though I was barely in grade school, I knew I wanted my home one day to look like that Grand Salon.

Over the years since that first of many viewings of the movie, I have come to appreciate more than just the visual appeal of the set design. Now, there is genuine interest in how it was filmed, and how the costumes and props were created. Like steampunk, the process of creating something takes many forms and includes many facets.

Our community seems to create more of everything than any other group I can think of. Our authors have been creating new worlds in their books for decades. We have artist, musicians, makers, fashion designers, and more. We really can’t go one step in the community, or event, or online forum without seeing, and sharing, something interesting. It would seem that we can’t help but be creative and bring ideas to life – it’s like an addiction that we don’t want to stop.

Our books range from the immediately new to the antique, from whimsical fun to hard driving social commentary, and from the independent to major publishers. Our artwork draws on the many design styles of the last 150 years to evoke a certain feel, while the subject matter is clearly steampunk. Our musical styles are as varied as they were in the 1800s and still tell stories of adventures with all its trials and tribulations. Our fashions definitely show the explosion of individual creativity, bending designs to evoke an old time feel in the cut and style but still presenting some modern element and perspective.

We create steampunk in so many ways and forms, tangible and intangible. We create worlds to play in, not only in reading stories but also in the space and environment we enjoy at small local events and large regional conventions. While we are all together, we create a feeling, a buzz of energy, that not only affects us in a fun positive way, but ripples out to affect those around us, sharing our happiness to bring smiles and wonderment to others.

We create memories at every turn, whether by ourselves or with others. It might be excitement at finding a new item for our outfits, or a must-have print to be framed and hung on the wall, or simply wading into a gathering of fellow steampunks and being greeted warmly with a smile.

And of course, we create ‘things’ – wild, fantastical things guaranteed to amaze and bewilder, to stupefy and inspire. Things that seem commonplace if they weren’t also genius works of art. Things that are born out of “What if” written large in all caps, shouted from the rooftops at ear-splitting volumes, and bulked up on steroids. These might be the things that are people’s first exposure to steampunk, the gateway into the land of steampunk.

With everything that we can build, and make, and create, to hold or to experience, each one of us can drift off to sleep thinking, “WOW! What an amazing steampunk day!” And tomorrow holds the promise of even more  🙂