Steampunk Hands Around the World 2017 – Support

Image Courtesy of Mr. XPK

“I read your blog about …”

“Your artwork looks fantastic!”

“These shoes would be great with your outfit.”

“Have you heard about this steampunk book/music/art/movie?”

“You know about steampunk, right? Can you tell me more about …”

Comments and questions about steampunk can come to us from many directions, and it’s particularly nice when they come from supportive family, friends, and coworkers.

They may not be steampunks as well, or even regularly followers of our work, but they know of our interest and obsession passion and their comments are one way of letting us know that they support us.

Those comments not only let us know that they pay any attention at all to us and our interests, but that they are interested enough to pass along things they see to us. Sometimes they just want us to share, sometimes they nudge us to do the sharing.

These supportive people make my life better because their encouragement keeps me going, their interest shows that what I do extends beyond just our community, and that at the very least, they have some interest in the things I participate  in and do in my life.

One of my nieces found my steampunk activites and blogs interesting enough that she created this art work for one of her class assignments.

My Dad reads my blogs and frequently sends me follow up questions and comments about what people say in their interviews.

My sister-in-law’s mother expressed some interest in steampunk things she had seen and wondered if her daughter knew anything about it. The response was “Well, Mom, there’s someone in the family who knows a fair bit…” which led to all kinds of conversations at family get-togethers. it’s fun to chat about our common love of older Victorian style homes.

When I was consulting for the GSN tv show, Steampunk’d, I showed the trailer to co-workers at one of our team meetings. Several people watched the show and we talked about each episode the next morning.

One of those co-workers  made me buy a pair of awesome boots to go with one of my outfits. Okay, maybe it was “strong encouragement”. Or simple validation that I really couldn’t live without them for another second. Whatever. I credit her for helping me build my steampunk wardrobe.

I had a boss once who helped make sure that I could attend all the conventions I was invited to. We worked together to make sure projects kept moving along, that people knew what to do while I was out for a few days, and generally made sure there was no disruption to anyone when I headed out of town each month for a long weekend.

More than once, a friend would contact me about a steampunk author or artist. “Have you read this book?” of “Have you seen this artwork?”, was often followed up by “They are a friend of mine. Would you be interested in talking with them?”  Well, yeah! Interview opportunity!

Some people know of my fondness for tea, and they have been quite helpful and generous in sharing their sources and samples. A certain author turned me onto Strong English Breakfast from England, and another friend shares the most amazing blends that she comes across.

Each of these things is a nice compliment, about our friendship, my interests, and the work I do. How do your family, friends, and co-workers encourage and support your passion in steampunk?

Follow along each day as new entries are added to the Official Link List and join the discussions on the Facebook event page.