Since this blog is about our version of a steampunk lifestyle, I try to keep abreast of what other people's versions are also. So from time to time I web search the phrase "steampunk lifestyle." This time I discovered the latest issue of the Gatehouse Gazette, a free web distributed magazine of steampunk and dieselpunk literature. This particular issue is dedicated to “living steampunk” and contains an excellent article by Jacqueline Christi called "Explorations into steampunk lifestyle." Her essay doesn't exactly mention urban homesteading but her exploration into the mentality of the subculture definitely makes me feel included. Does an article like this in a magazine dedicated to steampunk as a genre signal some kind of consensus in the eternal fan culture vs lifestyle debate? You decide.
That was an interesting read. The funny thing was she didn't really identify what steampunk as a whole lifestyle looks like --beyond simply the aesthetic. But she did mention some of the motivations behind developing a steampunk lifestyle, which I believe lead people to things like alternative power and urban homesteading. People wanting to know what goes on inside their gadgets, but also the ideas of learning from history and taking the good but leaving the bad.
ReplyDeleteShe also talked about Steamers' "need" to be unique. (I agree and disagree.) I think that uniqueness is a big part of a steampunk lifestyle--not being unique for the sake of uniqueness, but recognizing that we don't all have to be doctors and lawyers--that life as we make it can be interesting and rewarding and is about more than just obtaining contemporary status symbols of name brand clothing and cars.
I think the fan culture will always exist alongside the lifestyle. There will always be people who use Steampunk as temporary escapism from their own lives. But they will forever be missing out on the true potential of the genre of Steampunk: to provide the inspiration to make ones own life worth living.
Jeanette,
ReplyDeleteThat was extremely articulate and insightful. I would only add one thing to your observation about the lifestyle vs the fan culture. A grad student once interviewed me in person about the Estate and steampunk. She came by during the demo of the tile floors and it took me a while to figure out that she was the student because she joined in so quickly to the work at hand. I thought she was one of my wife's work mates. Anyway when she interviewed me she commented after a hard sweaty day. "But... this is HARD, not like making a costume. That's basically the reason so many people favor the fan culture. The lifestyle is a lot more demanding. On the other hand, you get back from life what you put into it.