My First Post

I suppose a description of this new blog is in order.  It's a long one, so bear with me. ;)

This blog is my attempt to document my creative endeavors (or lack thereof) in an effort to motivate myself to CREATE!  MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA*cough cough*

I am attempting to embrace the "make it yourself" ethos of the steampunk subculture.  For those that don't know, steampunk is a rich and expanding subculture that has it's roots in speculative sci-fi from the Victorian times, and has grown into a fashion, political, etc. etc. movement (everything but music, I suppose, and I'm sure some would argue that as well).  One of the most important aspects of the subculture is a "make it yourself" mentality; since much of the items essential to a steampunk wardrobe are not readily available at the shops, one must either learn to create for themselves (or modify existing clothing), or buy from other steampunk aficionados.

It is common in steampunk to create a "persona" to style yourself after (although not everyone does this), to help create a coherent look.  Victorians were as varied a lot as we are today, but their clothing choices tended to be more limited by their commercial and geographical means.  Fabrics, dyes, etc. have become much cheaper in this day and age, so we have access to a much larger selection than was typical at the turn of the century.  Because of this, people can choose to be a coal miner or a Victorian lady, without much difference in cost of materials.  But mixing the two would create an potentially chaotic look; if that's not what you're going for, a persona can help guide choices.

My persona is a cook on a privateer dirigible, the Pélerin, running out of New Orleans.  She has recently retired, on her ill-gotten gains, to Seattle.  I chose a cook on a dirigible, because there aren't many cooks around in the aesthetic, and someone has to rustle up the grub (to mix my genres).  Most people are captains, or gunners, or mad scientists.  But I like to cook, so there!  Also, having been on a dirigible implies travel to far away places, so I can bring in items from other cultures besides Western culture, and I can mix my fashions (so I can have old West stuff with my high Victorian and my East Asian).  If (when, really) I go to a convention, this persona will be more fully fleshed-out into an actual character, but I'm not quite there yet.

I think I shall leave it at that for my first blog post.  I shall update soon on my current projects, and their level of completion.  Not all will be steampunk (like a doggy bed), but most probably will be.  My goal is to update at least once a week, with my progress or lack of, and any excuses I've come up with.   My hope is that with a perceived audience, I'll feel more pressure to get to work!