// The Art of Steampunk: Why It's Rarely Heard of and Why It's Becoming More Popular Now //

I found steampunk about two years ago. Before that, I had no idea what it was and I had honestly never even heard the word. It isn't a popular thing among the everyday people. You have to find the certain type of crowd that knows what steampunk is. When someone I know asks me what kind of book I am writing at the moment and I reply with "a steampunk fantasty", they have NO clue what I am talking about. Then I have the pleasure of explaining what steampunk is.



Even now, you might be trying to google steampunk to see what in the name of sam it actually means. Your search will probably come up with some kind of weirdly dressed men and women who are wearing goggles and top hats and scanty dresses. "Why would you write that?" you might ask.

WELL. Writers have a very different perspective on this. Yes, apart of steampunk is their weird clothes. I personally try and come up with a different wardrobe for my steampunks. However, it's a cultural thing. Steampunk is an art; steampunk is a society.  Steampunk is a very different world from ours, run by steam, natural oils and gears. Clock parts are scattered through their lives, like diamonds are in ours. They wear brown mostly and they have goggles (because goggles are cool). It's a beautiful sub-genre tucked beneath the protective covering of science-fiction.

So why is this wonderful thing rarely heard of?

Well, people don't understand this genre and little piece of love. Steampunk is literally an art form. It's HUGE imaginations mixed with the world. It's beautiful technology run by impossible things. But people rarely hear of this, because not many even know it exists. "Oh, steam? You mean like Victorian London?" Yes, and no. I personally don't write anything set in the past or present times. I like looking to the future and I love writing futuristic steampunk. So, no. I'm not talking about Victorian London.

It's rarely heard of, mostly, because people just haven't discovered it yet. Most people know what steampunk is, but they don't call it steampunk. They probably call it Victorian London. There is so much more involved in all of it. The dresses, the goggles, the boots... It isn't limited to the British past. This is why most people don't understand what steampunk is.

But it's getting more popular. Especially among young writers (like 13-20 years old). I'm currently writing my second steampunk and I have two more steampunks planned. I love the way I can imagine almost anything I want in a world like that. Most writers' enjoy world building. We look forward to creating people and worlds. Steampunk gives everyone this major opportunity to created amazing things.

Not only that, but young writers like steampunk because it is getting more popular. People are finally seeing what exactly it is and they want more books and movies. As young artists who haven't had too much experience in the writing world, we get to choose what types of books we want to be known for. And because steampunk is so cool, most young writers want to be remembered for writing the greatest steampunks.

I actually have a novel that is a mixture between steampunk and cyberpunk. It still needs a lot of help, but it's different from what most people write. I don't want to be remembered as someone who had thirty best sellers. I want to be the writer, the artist, that is remembered for creating something unique. And that's the beauty of writing and drawing and creating. We, as creatives, get to come up with the coolest things. Original things, at that. It's a beautiful thing to create the art of steampunk.

What about you? Do you like steampunk? What are some things you incorporate into your steampunk world? I'd love to hear from you, so leave a comment. Share if you want, too. 

Photo Creds: Megan Elaine Photography