We've moved

I have been accepted as a staff writer for Dr. Fantastique's Show of Wonders, and so I am shamelessly leaving this site to join him.  To the 433 visitors I've had thus far, I hope to see you there!

Corporate Machine

General Disclaimer: This is not in any way meant to be a political commentary.  This should not in any way be construed as legal or financial advice.  The Steampunk CEO is neither a Financial Advisor nor a Lawyer; just a business man.

The Corporate Machine.  The oppressors of all artists everywhere that keeps you from becoming the artist you want to be by not paying enough to keep you working on what you want to and paying the bills; or pumping out mass produced, cheap products that people buy instead of yours.  Lobbying for laws that keep you down.  Despotic Corporations that are the root of all evil in most Steampunk worlds, especially post apocalyptic ones.

But what is the Corporate Machine really, and how does it affect a Steampunk Artist as a business person?

"The Corporate Machine keeps us down!"

First, the term Corporate Machine, which is unabashedly stolen from Captain Robert of Abney Park, is a misnomer.  Corporations are business entities that count as legal persons for the purpose of protecting their owners from personal liability in the event something goes wrong.  The Corporation can be sued instead of the individual shareholders.  When it boils down to the core of what a Corporation is, it is a shield.  When you incorporate, you give birth to an artificial person, which has its own rights and responsibilities.

"Corporations should not have human rights!!"

Don't worry, they can't vote.  What they can do is start other companies, produce a good or service for a profit, sue, and most importantly, be sued.  These final two are where the shield come in; if the corporation is sued, the person bringing the lawsuit can only take the assets of the corporation, and not the individual shareholders, officers, or employees.

"Why not?"

When you have a large group working on the same project, mistakes are bound to happen.  Mistakes within the company and with the customers.  Sometimes people get hurt; law of averages says it will happen eventually. When something goes wrong, someone is bound to try and get money for it.  The Corporation shields the individuals in the corporation from financial loss beyond their investment into the corporation (they can still have criminal charges brought against them by the police for negligence or crimes).

"How does this shield work?" 

The Corporation is owned by its shareholders, investors that want an interest in the company for a return on investment in the form of dividends (payments of small amounts of money per share) once per quarter (three months).

"Corporations have no morals."

The purpose of the Corporation is to make money.  They gather resources, often en-masse (giving large bulk discounts), and pump out their product or service faster than the competition.

Corporations don't have morals because they are artificial.  The people inside of the corporation need to have morals in order for the Corporation to have morals.  It's like blaming a lunch box for hurting someone, but not the guy swinging it.

"What does this have to do with me?"

Just this: as a business person, you will end up running into competition.  As a steampunk, most of your competition will wind up being other artists.  However, as our culture heads directly toward being in the mainstream, there is a good chance a Corporation, whether it be an airship or a major Corporation such as Wal-Mart, will enter play.

"Wait, did you say airship?"

Yes, airship.  You have a crew (staff), generally agree on what direction to go (voting like shareholders) and mutually profit.  The only thing missing is the paperwork, and therefore the shield.

Any questions?

Please feel free to comment on this blog.  Julien Harrison, the Steampunk CEO, wants to hear discourse and commentary on any and all blogs written here.  He will attempt to answer any questions.

Mainstream Steampunk

Recently, there have been people talking about the possibility of Steampunk going "mainstream", and what it will mean for the subculture, both aesthetically and intellectually. More importantly, there is a loud part of the subculture (though not necessarily large) that does not want our subculture in mainstream stores such as Hot Topic or Spencers because they are afraid of either a) the quality of normal steampunk goods degrading, b) solo artists (such as the iconic figures Jake von Slatt and the Datamancer) losing their market share through the Corporate Machine (a subject I refuse to touch), or c) that it will be picked up by people that do not understand steampunk and the whole culture will run away from us.

As an artist running a business, it should be important to you whether or not steampunk goes mainstream--and why it should be important may surprise you.

Steampunk going mainstream is a great opportunity for the small artist to make their work get noticed, with or without the stereotypical "Corporate Machine" that will inevitably pump out plastic prefab steampunk gear.  And who can blame them?  Nerf has cornered the market on making Steampunk Firearms simply by producing the most modifiable prop in the industry: their Maverick Rev-6.  If they were to prefab a Steampunk Maverick, many new people to the Steampunk scene could enter with little cost to themselves.  Let's face it; being steampunk is expensive.

Those customers will like their cheap plastic prefab gear and start thinking, this is cool.  But I want a piece with real brass and leather on it.  This is where you come in.  By sticking to your guns and making sure you have the best product for the best price (remember, no Guilt Math(tm), you can give them the opportunity to expand their horizons and turn into a real, productive and thought provoking member of the steampunk culture.  Captain Robert of Abney Park said it best in this entry of his Captain's Blog.  

One more important thing to point out: when our culture does go mainstream and a lot of products are cheaply produced, here is what you need to remember: most manufactured products are made for the least common denominator, meaning it is made cheaply and in mass quantities.  They are classified as inferior goods by economists because they are just that: inferior.  You, as an artist, must strive to produce superior goods that will be priced higher for those truly serious about Steampunk culture.  Captain Syfer Locke of the Banish Misfortune said it best: "we all start somewhere".

Apologies

Due to flooding in my city, I will not be posting for a while as I work the extra hours necessary to deal with increased traffic due to reroutes from the flooding in Bismarck ND.

My thoughts are with those residents of Fox Island and Hogue Island, who have been evacuated and have or may lose their homes.

To those affected by the floods, please evacuate when offered the chance as you may be cut off before you can get away during a flood situation.  Even a few inches of elevation can mean the difference between escape and tragedy.

For others affected by the flooding on the Missouri River, and its tributaries including the Yellowstone, my thoughts are with you as well as the US Army Corps of Engineers tries its hardest to save the maximum number of homes, both up and down stream. 

I take heart that many people in this city have pulled together to make over 350,000 sandbags for protecting property and lives during this crisis.  Everyone is doing what they can, as they can.  This is what being neighbors is all about.

Social Networking

Social Networking.  Ten years ago, social networking meant standing in a room with a hundred people you don't know, introducing yourself and giving out business cards.  With the advent of sites like MySpace, Facebook, and The Steampunk Empire, social networking has taken on a whole new aspect as  method of connecting with friends and family.  However, it has one other major benefit to the artist/businessperson: the ability to reach your customers.

Many, if not most, major businesses have a page on Facebook.  It is method of letting your customers know what you are up to and what you plan to do next.  You'd also be surprised how many cool ideas you can find from your customer's suggestions.


There are at least a dozen sites and more books on how to utilize Social Networking Sites, many of which you can order from my web portal (provided at the bottom for your convenience).  I would recommend any of the "Dummies" or "Complete Idiots Guide" books as they are usually the most user-friendly.

Since this isn't a technical guide, the various technical details will not be provided here--invest in yourself and buy a book written by an expert.  Instead, utilization is something that is important to you as an author.

First, follow the list of DON'Ts.

DON'T use your personal page.  Set up a separate page for your business.  Even working from home, it is important to keep professional life and personal life separate; after all, it's not your customers' business what church you go to or who your friends are.

DON'T allow your family to use your business page as a way to simply say "hello" because you've been gone a while.

DON'T sign up for flash games on your business page.  It ruins your image and makes it look like you don't take yourself seriously.

Finally, DON'T ever place personal problems on your business page.  While this may seem basic, a lot of people miss this detail, and it drives away customers.  Customers don't want to know about YOU.  They want to know about YOUR PRODUCT.  Talk about things in terms of THEM.

For more information on Talking in terms of THEM, read any sales book by Jeffery Gitomer (www.gitomer.com).  For books on Social Networking, visit www.amway.com/vallerand, register if you're a first time customer, then click on OTHER PRODUCTS; PARTNER STORES; BARNES AND NOBLE.  And thank you for your patronage.

A Blog about Blogs

The internet has changed the way products are marketed, and being a Steampunk is no exception.  If it were not for the net, in fact, the culture of Steampunk likely would not have proliferated in the way it has over the last few years.  How you use the internet can define how well you do in your business endeavor.  There are two ways you can proliferate your work through the net: Social Networking, and a Blog.  As social networking is such a diverse part of everyday life these days, I will take that second and talk about blogs today.

Blogging is a method of communication similar to journaling that shows your audience your thought process, ideas, or other parts of your business that may otherwise remain hidden.  It is also a good way to show your progress on a particular project, whether it is making a monocle that is designed to see into the soul of a mechanism, or to show off pictures of the Lawn Gnome while you make it.

Most importantly, it gets your name out into the world.  A blog, especially a professional blog, is the easiest, and one of the most common ways to get your name into the world to prove you not only know what you are doing, but are one of the best at it.  Allow me to become a bit self-indulgent and use this blog as an example:

In the six weeks that this blog has been active, it has had 168 hits (Thank you!).  That is a potential 168 new people that know something about my skills that they didn't before.  It has had hits from the US, UK, China, Finland, Singapore, and five other countries.  That means that my name is now known around the world.  And that was only in one month!

As an artist and a businessperson, your ability to become known across the world will give you the opportunity to take special orders and make more money doing what you love, rather than having to use funds from a job you may not like to do what you love.  Do this by writing.  When you blog, come up with a subject you can write about weekly and use it to show your customers (because even though you are not selling, your readers are customers) what you want them to know.  Many Steampunk sites use this method to get the word out between productions, especially the magazines.

When you receive comments, make sure you read them.  Often times they can provide insight into what you are doing and offer suggestions regarding it you may not have considered before.

Finally, I'd like to take a moment and THANK every person that has read this blog and spread the word about it across the Steampunk culture.  That it has become a worldwide blog in less than a month is astounding.  I will strive to continue to deliver what you expect out of me every week.  -Julien A. Harrison

Dress Code

Now for a moment many artists fear: time to implement the dress code.  Even in a flexible culture of people such as Steampunk, it is important to put your best foot forward and show off your desire to be taken seriously as a businessperson as well as an artist.  The first step to being taken seriously, is to dress the part.

This does not mean to drop the Steampunk gear.  Any businessperson walking into a Steamcon in a modern suit and expect to do business will likely be laughed off the stage unless they are selling pieces that are meant to be used in modern, everyday wear.  In case you are asking, yes I do wear suits like that, and understated Steampunk accessories can pique the curiosity of any boss.

But as the artist focused on selling your art, you must be part of the culture.  When selecting your wardrobe, be prepared to sacrifice some of your favourite pieces for practicality

The Golden Rule: Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. This pearl of wisdom, given to me by a co-worker when I was a Grocery Clerk (and a dear friend) is perhaps the most important aspect of looking at your wardrobe.  Some steampunk accessories can be extravagant, and it can be great fun to show off your best pieces at a Con.  However, many of these pieces can get in the way actually working, especially when dangling pieces can catch on or damage your work.  So leave the larger, more extravigant pieces in your case for the parties and stick to the more understated styles.

Dress Conservatively-but still Steampunk.  It is important to understand that dressing conservatively does not mean dressing like the CEO of a major corporation.  It means being a little more dressy, a little less gaudy, and a little more professional.  Thankfully, the Steampunk culture provides a very useful out for the artist that wants to look steampunk, since any culture will attract people from their own culture rather than those from without.

Steampunk is steeped in Victorian Traditions, which held some of the classiest forms of dress for both men and women.  When dressing for a con that you plan on working at, look to Victorian Styles to provide the inspiration for how you dress.  Many Victorian dresses and suits can easily and quickly be adapted to good looking Steampunk wear with space for some of your smaller accessories, such as a wrist-band computer or ray-gun holster.

The Alternative: Dress in the theme of your art.  If you make functional or artistic equipment, dress the part.  A Ray-gun tinkerer should probably wear something that leans more functional or military.  It's useful to dress the theme of your art if your art is something that is worn, such as jewelry or accessories, or provides a particular theme, such as metal work.  Functional art (like a clockmaker) will see better success with this type of dress style than aesthetic art (such as painting).

There is the option to "blow them away" and go completely off the deep end with your dress style, but it is usually best to do that once you are a well known artist within the Steampunk community.  Remember The Golden Rule and keep people coming to your booths!