Inspiration

If you enjoy the aesthetic of Steampunk, you can find inspiration almost anywhere. The roots of the genre originally came from Victorian Scientific Romances such as ”The War of the Worlds” “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea“ and ”The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” amongst others.

I grew up watching old 70s movies, almost always starring Doug McClure, that embraced that alternative with a flourish of brass pipes, leather trim and safari suits.

Modern Steampunk has expanded it’s references to include such a wide array of influences that it is almost impossible to categorise now.

SteaMP3. - The Steam Tent Co-operative. © Gary Waidson - www.Steamtent.uk
Why do Steampunks wear goggles? . - The Steam Tent Co-operative. © Gary Waidson - www.Steamtent.uk

As a group, we have a broad recognition of many such influences.

Some of our core members have come from a backwoods and bushcraft camping background with it’s traditional and old school equipment. Others have come from re-enactment or living history where historical accuracy was the prime consideration. We have fantasy live role players, antique collectors and others I probably haven’t even thought of yet.

It might be thought that finding common ground amongst all these different interests might be fraught with difficulties: But actually they seem to fall together beautifully under the banner of Steampunk.

The threads that seem to draw all these things together are good old fashioned quality and  creativity.

We all appreciate a fine example of craftsmanship far more than a mass produced piece of tat. A good wooden tool handle feels far better in our grip than a cast plastic one. and a breathable canvas tent is so much more comfortable than a stuffy nylon one. 

Radon Gas Torch. - The Steam Tent Co-operative. © Gary Waidson - www.Steamtent.uk

We also enjoy a clever new use for an everyday object or new life given to an ancient idea.

I find ideas from the world all around me but I also find inspiration from books, pictures and on-line as well.

Google images is a great place to start but specialised Apps like Pinterest are even better.

Pinterest allows you to pin the images that you find into your own virtual pin-boards. This is a good way to organise them but it also allows the software to learn from the type of images you collect and recommend more that you might find interesting.

If you are the type that finds such technology scary that may be disconcerting, but if you are a visual searcher like myself it is inspired.

I often spend a few minutes in my spare time  browsing the feed of images it gives me. each time you follow a connection it offers you more. 

So many times I have started looking for one thing but come away with a dozen other ideas I had never even thought about.

I have several boards that I gather my pins into and through the magic of the internet I can share them with you here:

Steampunk Camping     Steampunk Furnishing Ideas

Steampunk Hardware Ideas     Steampunk Leatherwork Ideas

I hope you find the pictures as inspirational as I did. The content will change regularly as I research new projects or shuffle things around but have a good look and follow some of the pictures in different directions as well. Have fun.

 

The Steam Tent Co-operative. © Gary Waidson - www.Steamtent.ukThe Steam Tent Co-operative. © Gary Waidson - www.Steamtent.uk