What is Steampunk?

What is Steampunk?

I get this question more often than you may think.  It's become more mainstream just in the past 5 or so years it seems.  But the term was coined more than 20 years ago in 1987.  The popular show Castle (some of us followed this as Nathan Fillian was our favorite space-cowboy in Firefly) even did a great Steampunk episode.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/184337/castle-punked

Starting out mostly as a cult favorite sci-fi book subject and evolving into fashion, design and popular-culture phenomenon. Steampunk combines futurism, time travel, and the Victorian Age. Authors such as K.W. Jeter, Tim Powers, James Blaylock, William Gibson, Bruce Sterling, and Scott Westerfeld all pull their influences from Edwardian authors H.G. Wells and Jules Vernes that have Victorian-era technology and ideals.

These authors have inspired artists, musicians and the like to bring these ideas into their painting, drawing, jewelry, and great music.

Phoenix Oddities (the studio for Phoenix Rising Designs and Embered Designs) have enjoyed making our interpretations as well.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/69391457/steampunk-floral-hair-or-hat-pin

If you're in the Cincinnati area there are even a few wonderful events you can enjoy. 

Here are just two: The Time Traveler's Ball: September 24th, 2011 @ the Southgate House

               Old West Festival: September 10-October 9th, 2011 (make sure to come on Steampunk Weekend!)

Hope to see you there!

The Power of Nature



Artist's Block- Same thing as Writer's Block which we are all familiar with, Artist's Block is something you don't want to run into EVER.  But all creative people eventually do.  Whether you're painting, drawing, making a pattern or writing a paper for school; all of us need our creative thinking to be in high gear to make something of value.

My living is based on my creativity and I can say it is hard to stay creative and not just fall into a rut of making the same thing over and over.  Sometimes I may just make things that aren't quite up to my standards.  I know I've experienced this loads of times and had to take apart or just start completely over with a project. (Just ask Rozena, she has seen my "To Be Finished/I Threw This Against the Wall" drawer.)  I never let these pieces out until they've been properly yelled at and reworked....

Ahhh...but there's hope.  One thing I have found to keep this at a minimum is to be in the Great Outdoors.  Just sticking your bare feet on the grass can do wonders.  I find that studying the Greatest Artist helps me to stay creative myself.  I have pulled out my phone to take a picture of a sunset that had a great color palate that helped me blend my colors better, thrown rocks down a river to take out frustration only to be inspired by the shapes of them and figured out a new way to weave a necklace.  Like the one shown here:   "Wisdom" Owl Necklace

It's not always oooh aaaaah I was just inspired!!  Sometimes it's just about being, just relaxing with the people you care about or on your own.  Don't underestimate this time.  We live in a culture that doesn't play outside all day until street lights come on (honestly it's just not safe for our children to do this anymore), and most of our shopping is done in a large mall rather than at an outdoor market, and a lot of our human contact is done virtually.  So now we must make time to enjoy outside, I'm just sayin'...love that dirt!

In Cincinnati, where I live, it's been raining like crazy!  Getting outside is difficult.  So this week I enjoyed a trip to Krohn Conservatory where the Brazilian Butterfly Show is currently going on through June.  Just fantastic!

So that's what I do to get rid of Artist's Block... the Power of Nature!  Hope it helps you if you give it a try. :)