You know, when I was in film school, it was all about being super deep. Everyone worshipped “Memento” and “Fight Club”. David Lynch was viewed as some sort of deity.
But you know what, there’s a reason why “Avatar” is the highest-grossing movie of all time. And it’s not just because of 3D or because James Cameron has more money than God.
No, it’s because he took a bunch of familiar character tropes, mixed them up in a blender with “Dances With Wolves”, made a very tantalizing dish out of it and served it to an audience hungry for exactly that sort of thing.
…why is that bad?
Hint: it’s not.
We live in a world where there is much emphasis on absolute originality in creative pursuits. If you make a story and some character or plotline has already been done, everyone sees it as some sort of grave unfortunate error. But the truth is that that’s how stories work.
As a storyteller my job is first to entertain you and secondly to hopefully teach you something. Both of these things are best done by allegories, fables, and parables. By the familiar hero that is almost like us, if maybe we were just a little more brave. By the familiar character arc that is almost like our own, if we had been born a little different. In that world that is almost like our own, if you hold a funhouse mirror up to it. That’s where you make emotional connections and that’s where you tell the best stories.
Yesterday I watched “Elf“. It was completely unoriginal. But it was thoroughly entertaining, it made me laugh, the ending made me go “awww”, and I loved every minute of it. That’s what movies and stories are supposed to do.
Guys, if you’re a writer or a dreamer or an artist or what-have-you, and your goal isn’t to make the next “Ulysses” but to make the next “Warcraft: The Last Guardian”, then stand up and be proud. Who cares if you’re not super hardcore or deep? Who cares that students won’t have to BS their way through long papers about your work sometime in the far future? You made someone’s day a little better.
I would rather make the next “Elf” than the next “Apocalypse Now”. And I’m not afraid to admit it.
Hating on steampunk seems to be the cool thing to do lately. It seems like I can’t turn around without my invisible fluffy bunny tail brushing up against some author or blogger somewhere who found a cogwheel in his or her soup and isn’t happy with the waiter, and wants the entire Interwebs to know about it.
Art by http://thatoddowl.deviantart.com/
So obviously I’m going to step in here and address a few of the issues that seem to be cropping up the most. As a disclaimer before I begin: I obviously do not speak for all steampunks, just the clockwork rabbit variety.
1.) Steampunk is Overdone
I’ll actually concede the point on this one although I also don’t think it’s the end of the world. Steampunk is getting a lot of press and attention right now and I think it’s primarily because of a few reasons: One, it’s attractive to a lot of different pre-existing groups and subcultures (goths, punks, geeks, makers, etc.), two, it’s so different than traditional fantasy or sci-fi, and three, it just plain looks cool if you need a spiffy wedding or Halloween party in a pinch.
There seems to be a concern that a lot of people are jumping onto the steampunk bandwagon, and a lot of non-steampunks are ranting about it. Guess what, though, a lot of bona fide steampunks are ranting about it as well. (Trust me, “Steampunk is going mainstream, everyone run for cover” is basically the most repeated thread subject on the steampunk forums I frequent.)
My overall opinion is that the exposure is good because yeah, you’re going to get the bandwagoners, but you’re also going to get the people who finally realize “This is it! This is the term for what I have loved all this time!” and in the end the wheat will separate itself from the chaff and it’s not a huge deal. I’ve seen it happen in other fandoms and it’ll happen again here.
2.) Steampunk is just a bunch of plastic gears glued onto nerf guns and top hats.
This stereotype is perpetuated by what you see so often on Regretsy and truthfully some steampunks themselves. To which, in response, I invite you to really dig into the culture and spend some time on the “maker” sections of steampunk websites. Not only will you figure out within five minutes that “glued-on gears” is largely (though not universally) frowned upon within the culture itself, but the steampunk subculture has an inordinately high percentage of members with backgrounds in engineering, mechanics, and other related fields. These are people who value items with function. Things that are beautiful and that work. “Post pictures of your workshop” threads are pages and pages long. These aren’t just people who are sticking old clock pieces on random items and calling it steampunk, these are people with garages filled with lathes and power tools.
You know, like this thing.
3.) Steampunk is silly and is about stuff that doesn’t work in the real world.
This is a criticism that is frequently leveled against steampunk literature by the serious hard sci-fi folks. While there is some truth in this generalization, that’s frequently the nature of the genre. It’s fun! That’s why we’re here.
That said, do refer to my previous answer. Most steampunks are well aware of the fact that their imaginary tech bends the rules of physics. Several of us, myself included, work hard to make sure that said fantastical objects are at least almost real. I have seen several multi-page forum threads that delve into the detailed minutiae of mechanics problems presented by various sorts of imaginary airships or automatons and said threads always impress me with the vast amount of knowledge in this area that many involved in steampunk possess.
4.) Steampunk fans want to bask in the glory days of upper-class Anglo-Saxon masculinity as embodied by the Victorian Era, or some such.
No, seriously, I see this a lot, and it always cracks me up. These people apparently don’t know that the possibilities offered by non-European steampunk are a frequent topic of discussion, enough that there are entire blogs and websites dedicated solely to said concept, oh, and that most steampunk is less about the upper-class and more about the middle and (especially) lower classes. That’s where the “punk” comes in to play. Sure, there are the dandies among us, and items such as top hats and monocles are fun to play with, but it’s not like we’re part of some vast steampunk conspiracy (although I like the sound of that) to return the world to 19th century imperialism. We are all aware of the fact that the 19th century had major problems. We think the 21st century has some pretty big problems, too, and that’s the connection and that’s the point.
Once we invent our time machine the Global Steampunk Conspiracy will travel to the Cretaceous period in the name of science.
5.) It’s not a “real” subculture/genre/etc., it’s just a fad, et al.
I’ll be the first to admit that the definition of steampunk as both a “subculture” and a “genre” still seems to be rather tenuous. Most steampunks, being a largely intelligent lot, will admit the same. “What is steampunk?” discussions inevitably derail into long, complicated, rambling essays and no one ever comes to a conclusion. Perhaps the one conclusion that most people make is that right now it’s a bit of a jumble. Art and literature that defines itself as steampunk or steampunk-inspired runs the gamut from retro-styled science fiction to relatively accurate historical fiction to pulpy action novels to fantasy/alternate universe stuff to post-apocalyptic stories, and that’s just the surface.
Likewise, if you identify as a steampunk, you could be one of many people that fall under that umbrella: literature fans, art fans, writers, artists, musicians, people who dress up, people who don’t dress up, makers, people who view it as nothing more than a fashion style, and people who take it very seriously as a sort of political/social statement. When you throw all of those people into a room and they all choose to identify as one label, things get a little muddled, and you know what? That’s completely understandable.
Ultimately, I see the steampunk movement as one that is about camaraderie, imagination, beauty, science, and above all, optimism all mixed up in a blender and topped with a shiny pair of goggles that you modded yourself. It’s about figuring out why something works the way it does, making it better, and making it stylish while you’re at it. Some of us think we could to do that to society. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Plus, did I mention the airships? Because the airships are awesome.
Admit it: you wouldn't complain if this was the preferred transportation method of the future.
List of horses that I have jinxed by getting all attached and watching their races:
Cigar (and his win streak)
Silver Charm
Real Quiet
Charismatic
War Emblem
Funny Cide
Smarty Jones
…after Smarty I fell out of racing for a while because my heart was shattered into billions of tiny pieces because I was tired of the racing gods toying with me.
Then along comes Zenyatta. Holy crap, 19 for 19? Undefeated? Always comes from behind to win in the last second? SIGN ME UP.
…and of course, in the biggest race of her life, going for 20 out of 20…
…she runs harder than she has ever run, she comes from dead last and some 20 lengths off the lead, she weaves her way through terrible heavy traffic, she disproves everyone who said she couldn’t run on dirt…
…and she loses by a head.*
I AM NOT ALLOWED TO WATCH MY FAVORITE RACEHORSES ANYMORE.
Though on the plus side, I guess we can use me as a reliable indicator for who to bet on to place. Eh?
Disclaimer: You may or may not want to listen to me since I may or may not actually know what I’m talking about.
WRITE/DRAW/WHATEVER YOUR THING IS EVERY SINGLE DAY
Guys lemme tell you a story. Once upon I time I was about… 15 years old? And I decided I wanted to be an animator, for Disney. Now you have to understand something very important, and that very important thing is as follows: I COULDN’T DRAW. I wish I knew where my old stuff was so I could scan it in and show it to you to prove it. But I don’t know where it is so I can’t. Regardless, the point remains: I couldn’t draw. Once I decided I wanted to go into animation, I pulled out a sketchbook and tried to draw something. It was **awful**.
So you know what I did?
I started to draw
every
single
day
for months and months that eventually melted into years. I filled up sketchbooks every few months. I spent hours and hours a day drawing.
Slowly, I started to improve. It was a step by step process. I remember learning how to use basic shapes and things like circles to “build” characters from and I remember how much better everything got after that. Even then I still had a long way to go. But I was getting better and better and pretty soon my work was very much improved from how it had been that fateful day when I decided to “learn to draw”.
So by that time (I was about 17 or 18) I figured, what do artists do? They do art school stuff! So I took AP Art in high school. Looking back on it I was woefully unprepared, I’d only been really drawing for a couple of years after all, but I was game and took it anyway. At the end of the year I rounded up what I thought was my best stuff and sent it off to the AP scoring people.
A few months later I got my score: a 1. The lowest score possible.
I was insulted, and bitter.
I mean, really bitter.
So I quit drawing.
…
Yep, that’s right. Cause I got offended rather than choose to improve.
I didn’t start “really drawing” again for a good few years after that. In that short time since then I’ve seen how much I’ve improved and I wonder how much I would’ve improved if I hadn’t quit the first time.
DON’T FREAKING QUIT
I hate to break it to you but you aren’t going to become a crazy-awesome artist or the next bestselling author or the next chart-topping musician in two years. Probably not even five years. I know we all have fantasies of that sort of thing, heck, I have those fantasies all the time, but it’s just not feasible.
THIS DOESN’T EXCUSE YOU FROM TRYING EVERY DAY AND/OR MAKING A PLAN BECAUSE “OH IT’S JUST GOING TO TAKE TEN YEARS ANYWAY”
It’s really easy to procrastinate this stuff. Guess what: if you keep procrastinating you are never going to get to where you want to be.
If you are a creative person, I mean really truly one of those people who feels like they are going to die if they don’t do that thing they do (you will know what I’m talking about if you are)– well, chances are very good you’re prone to procrastination and/or getting discouraged early, since that seems to walk hand-in-hand with creativity, but you have to realize that this whole thing is just 95% perseverance. 95% realizing that yes, you’re going to have that crappy job for the next ten years but it only has to be ten years if you’re willing to put in the extra-curricular work on plying your craft.
Do I sound like a bad motivational poster yet?
No?
How about now?
Okay, terrible jokes aside, I’ve had tons and tons of creative friends lately who are getting discouraged. I’m not going to tell you “don’t get discouraged” because everyone gets discouraged. I get discouraged. It’s a part of the process.
I am going to say: be careful. Don’t let “being discouraged” turn into “never getting anything done”.
If you believe you have something special to show the world, then you do.
A wise man once said that 80% of people in the creative world quit before “making it”.
To which I have two things to say:
One: Don’t be one of those 80%,
and
Two: Man, imagine all the cool stuff we’d have right now if they didn’t quit.
Recently, the esteemed Bell wrote about things she sees on the street that make her rageface. Well, I have a confession:
I’m an angry driver too.
No, I’m not gonna use the horn or even the finger, but my tendency to sputter assorted epithets into the aether while driving is Very High. Here, then, in no particular order, are a list of triggers for me:
Tailgating. I really can’t think of anything more passive-aggressive. Yes, I see what you are trying to tell me, Mr. Two Inches Away From My Rear Bumper. You know what, I’m probably going over the speed limit, and it won’t kill you if you add an extra ten seconds to your travel time. Deal with it. Thanks.
(P.S. I am always super tempted to slam on my brakes here and use “I was trying to avoid hitting a squirrel” as my defense. Truth.)
People Who Won’t Slow Down Even Though the Traffic Light Has Been Yellow For Like 15 Seconds Already. I have no problem with speeding through the yellow light if it just turned yellow and you’re well on your way into the intersection. But if it’s going to have been red for quite some time by the time you get there… really? Really?
Related:
People Who Run Through Red Lights: This is particularly bad in this town, in fact I once heard a local joke go something like this: “What does a red light in Bozeman mean? … … … only three more cars to go! *ba dum psh*”
It’s so true, too.
Seriously, people. Slow down.
That said:
Lights That Are Red For No Reason: You know when there’s nobody at the intersection but the light turns red anyway? What’s up with that?
People Who Cut You Off And/Or Go at the Four-Way When It’s Not Their Turn. Self-explanatory.
Cop Hot Spots: You know what I’m talking about, right? There’s always that one intersection or that one road where cops just love to find some obscure spot to hide out in. Like good lab rats getting shocked, the entire world quickly figures out where these hot spots are and adjusts their behavior accordingly, so pretty soon you’ve got random stretches of road where everyone is going like 5-10mph under the speed limit. You know, just to be sure.
This:
People Who Drive the Heck Out of Their Cars. My car and I have a special relationship. I take good care of him… er, it (of course my car isn’t secretly a Transformer or anything… I mean, that would just be silly *shifty eyes* *cough*) and it takes care of me. I accelerate at a nice, steady pace and I don’t overdo it.
It really drives me up the wall when people try to push their car for more than it can handle. You can tell because it makes a horrible noise, and because I have mental issues and anthropomorphize everything I always picture the poor car just straining with its eyes shut, about to give out.
Like I said. Treat your car well and it will treat you well in return.
*pats her car, which is most certainly not secretly a Transformer or anything. Nope. Not at all.*
