Sunday, April 3, 2011

Natives don't wear top hats, or why I do what I do



Originally, this post was going to be called “Deviantart featured a Hipster Headdress, or why I do what I do,” and it was a rant against white, blonde, naked women donning headdresses and how annoying it is that a lot of Native-inspired art is stereotypical. But that was forever ago and I sort of cooled down a bit. Besides, people like Adrienne K. have already made some pretty good arguments about the subject already.

Today, on the other hand, I saw on Deviantart a picture from someone who doesn’t think that top hats, nor turkey feathers, are traditional and therefore the person who wore the top hat was doing “comical cosplay.”* Now before assuming that this was some hipster wearing a top hat with turkey feathers, and warpaint, I’m going to tell you it wasn’t. It was an older man, definitely past his 50s, and his dress wasn’t some cobbled up mess of stereotypes. Most of what this older man was wearing is pretty typical of Great Lakes powwow regalia. But the photographer doesn’t think that top hats are “traditional”, and neither are turkey feathers. Now, the turkey feather thing is straight-up ridiculous, lots of NDNs use turkey feathers, either they use the feathers with their natural colors or they paint turkey feathers to look like eagle feathers. Hell, the ancestors of my tribe used chicken feathers in Nee-Dosh, a traditional dance. But people are more inclined to agree that top hats are not “traditional”. I’m going to get into why that is and isn’t correct in a few. Right now I'm going to start talking about steampunk.

For those who don’t know, steampunk is a kind of an alternative history/science-fiction mash-up that takes place around the beginning of the industrial revolution when steam-power was used, so that would be the late 19th century to early 20th century. A lot of steampunk involves Victorian and Edwardian fashion, combined with steam-powered technology. A lot of the alternative-history aspect of steampunk revolves around Europe (mostly England) and US America. Or at least that was the way it used to be.

Now though, there's more of a push for multiculturism in steampunk. There's a drive to incorporate cultures other than Victorian England and the styles they had in around the time that steampunk typically takes place. And of course there are those who strive to make a Native Steampunk style. In my case, I try to make art that is Native steampunk in style and there's of course a good reason to start such trends.

While it is true of many (if not most) cultures around the world, it is also true that the indigenous cultures of the American continents work well with steampunk, and it is because Natives are pretty good at adapting new and different styles and technologies, and incorporating new ideas into our cultures and lives. We did so before Europeans came to the American continent, and we did so after, and do so now. Take beading for example. Before contact materials such as quills and shells were sewn into clothing. After contact, Natives took up using using glass beads from Europe, and now beaded clothing and accessories are considered regular staples of Native designs. We took on a lot of things and made them our own: horses(okay not tech or fashion but still), mirrors, blankets, wool clothing, ribbons, and yes, sometimes top hats. Right now I'm just using examples from North America, there are plenty other cultures on the American continents that adapted to European and American(as in the descendents of European) styles and tech. Very unfortunately, many times Natives had to take the language, culture, and styles of Europe and America by force, due to cultural and physical genocide. But even during such oppression Natives were very innovative.

This is not to say that other cultures didn't adapt and change over time. All cultures do exactly that, but for whatever reason, people like the photographer mentioned above don't believe that happens with Natives. Traditional always means the same. Except that it is and isn't. Top hats aren't traditional sure, but it is pretty traditional to take on new styles and ideas and materials, so a top hat isn't much less traditional than using seed beads or silk in regalia.

And that's why I like making Native Steampunk art. I'm tired of all the Native-inspired art out there that has a bunch of loin-clothed women in headdresses running around with their spirit-animal wolf and friends and trees being one-with-nature. Steampunk allows me to express that NDNs like technology and like using technology and like adapting technology. It allows me to express that we like to adapt and adopt different styles. And because steampunk is also alternative history, I can imagine an alternative history where Natives had more sociopolitical power, and tribal entities had more autonomy.

Of course, I've had a small journey since my first picture. At first I made art that today feels like I was using things that were typical of both the Native aesthetic and the steampunk aesthetic. Okay, I wasn't so stereotypical as to use headdresses or warpaint, but did I have to use so many dreamcatchers? or clocks? I know that I based my character designs on powwow regalia of the Great Lakes region, and I did that because I knew that beaded designs in the Great Lakes region were often inspired by Victorian patterns, but still. Now however, I'm making steampunk art that draws from the cultural region that my tribes hails from, specifically the California/Oregon border near the coast, and there's definitely a difference. I can definitely see the possibilities, such as the fact that after contact regalia used coins, thimbles, or bells, so having gears or any of those other things at the end of dentalium shell bead strands would make sense. Or that the cultures around here put an emphasis on wealth, so it would make sense that we could have done that by displaying the advanced tech devices we had, along with necklaces made of shells, gears and coins, and expensive silk dresses. Only problem with using my culture as a basis for my steampunk would be that Natives of California and Oregon are so off the radar of what non-Native people think of as NDN that even people living in California and Oregon don't know what Californian and Oregon NDNs look like. So, I'm sure that whenever some usual non-Native comes across one of my newer pictures, they don't know what the hell they're looking at. Oh well, it's the price to pay to come up with something others haven't seen before.

So that's why I do what I do. I should do a tl;dr synopsis, but hell, no one reads me anyway (good thing I don't post often). Next time: should be talking about the new picture I finished if I'm not too lazy to so.

*not going to link to picture. If you go search in deviantart, all you have to type in is "Native American top hat" and you'll find easy-peesy.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Random Haiku

Yeah, been away from blog for awhile (as per usual) and since nobody reads this, nobody cares why or if I write, so no need to make excuses for not writing. In the future I plan on posting about the disaster I had with the Native Steampunk art that I was working on last time I posted, and I plan on doing a different (probably angry) post about hipster headdresses and why I draw Native Steampunk stuff. But for now I have random haiku! I got addicted to this site called Colour Lovers and there's a lot of fun stuff to do, like create palettes and name colors and create patterns. Well, it's fun for color nerds. Anyway I'm in a group that uses color names to make haiku, that are made into palettes. It's a nice way for me to do some writing that's creative but short so it doesn't take too long to do. I thought I would post some of my favorites out of the ones I made. So here goes:

Neon moon please shine
I travel adrift in dreams
I can't find my way

Dirty Neon lights
You can't compare with nature
But I still love you

Devious night pulse
with or without you, I'll fall
deeper into love

electric city
you are too busy rushing
to see me falling

The graffiti art
Inspires me to watch out for
This life's surprises

When I step into
radioactive nightlife
I don't want to leave

Busy wishing star
rushing through fulfilling dreams.
You keep me waiting

I am so sorry
I didn't mean to hurt you
online date site guy

Under these rooms I
Want to believe my heart
Is yours to squander

So yeah, my haiku usually deals with city stuff, love, and dreams. Make of that what you will.
If you want to check things such as the palettes I made out of these haiku, you can check out my profile on the site.

Monday, December 27, 2010

Post Lost and Redone, or Some More Crap You Probably Don't Care to See

I lost a post! I could have sworn I made a post showing the end result of the Native Steampunk California and some pics of the new Native Steampunk picture I was creating, but maybe I’ve dreamt of posting it and thought it’d had happened, that happens to me sometimes.
Anyway here’s a final picture of the Native Steampunk California:

Pretty ain’t it? Well maybe not, since the picture has been on Deviantart for a while and no one has favorited it yet, buttheads.

Anyway, I’ve already started on a new Native Steampunk, again from the Northwest California/Southwest Coastal area. I was somehow cognizant enough to make jpgs of the outline and raw outline when I first started, and here they are:

The blue outline does have some of it erased because I accidentally started painting on it at some point.
Anyway, you probably want to see what it looks now and what it looked like when I first started the project, so here are more pics:

The picture is turning out a little bit more dark and gloomier than I originally intended, but that's okay because this place is always foggy and gloomy though I still find it a nice and pretty place to be. End note: Even now the picture looks a lot different since I fixed the eyes so they're not so far apart and fixed the hat so it looks like where it's supposed to be on her head.

Next time though I will tell you the real reason why I wanted to write today but didn’t because of the lost post. Laters.

Monday, November 29, 2010

Finally an Update

Pfff I can't believe it's been a couple of months since I've posted anything. That's why you should never say you don't have an artist's block, because then you'll have an artist's block the size of Mount Everest, and shit around for a couple of months. Didn't help that I wasn't in an environment that was too conducive but there you go. Anyway, I have done stuff! I've made a necklace (which I don't have a picture of but it turned out pretty nice) and I've worked on the California Native Steampunk, which I do have a picture of so enjoy!
So yeah this is definitely one of my most involved projects, and definitely the most worked on in the Steampunk Native series. It's crazy because a) I don't like drawing backgrounds b) I don't like drawing patterns or c) all of the above. Then I decided to redraw some things because I want it to look 'nice' like the armillary sphere thing that's sitting next to the person in the picture. There's also some more things I might add in, like shown in this pic:
Like, I might add some things on the binoculars/opera glasses, and add a compass or astrolabe in the hand of the person, haven't decided yet. Then there's also some other things I might do, like an ocean scene in the window, or work on the curtain, making me work on this damn picture for another 6 months *sob*.
So that's what I'm working on. Toodles.

Friday, July 23, 2010

No Art, Just Talk

Nothing to really show, since I haven't taken any pictures, and since I'm so busy with beading when I can sit down and work on anything, I haven't worked on the Native Steampunk artwork.
Like I said, I'm beading my regalia. I've been getting faster, but it still takes me awhile to bead. It took me most of the day to do the outlines of outside, the rose, and the leaves.

I might be starting my own business soon, one where I design websites, and make beadwork designs, and sell whatever it is I can make. It's kind of scary to think about, but I guess that's what artists got to do: sell whatever the hell they make. Right now though I'm with good people who'll help me figure things out since they live off their work while doing other things such as teaching beading classes at Humboldt. Exciting stuff.

Next time I'm sure I'll post some pictures of something.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Moccasins and WIP Beading

Alright, so while Native Steampunk California has gone a little by the wayside (a little, I was working on it last night) I've been working a lot on a couple different projects so that I can have regalia prepared for one of my tribe's big powwow, the Nesika Illahee powwow in August. The first thing I worked on were moccasins made out of white buckskin:
Aren't they pretty? I can practically make a print out of this picture because of the angles. They're made in a style that's supposed to be traditional for my tribe and other tribes of the northern California and Oregon, with a piece of leather coming up to make a high-top boot form. It has antler buttons and abalone shell beads to cover up some goof-ups on the sewing for the laces. And here's a crappy WIP picture back when I was still sewing and before I sewed on the top:
Because it's relevant and all that.

Next for me to do was to work on several beaded projects which includes a hairpiece (which will be a hair clip for now since I definitely don't have time to make a beaded crown), two beaded hair extender pieces, something to hold eagle plumes with (once I get one) and a necklace (which I probably won't do myself thankfully). So lots of beading, and let me tell you, it takes a hell lot of time to bead anything, whether it's just to make an outline or filling out a small part. Plus it's my first time so it's taking extra long. My half-sister's mom, the person teaching me to bead, has been beading for over 30 years and is pretty fast and can probably do at least one a night. Alright, so here's another crappy WIP picture to show when I was outlining the whole thing for my hairpiece:Haven't made anymore progress since I was working on a hair extender piece:Notice all the nice tiny holes on it, showing I have no damn clue about where the needle is supposed to go, flaunting the fact that I don't sew either. It's okay though, I'm getting better about where the needle is supposed to go, and the little holes get covered by beading anyway.
And finally:That's with the flower and leaf part beaded, which leaves just the negative space to be filled. And it took way to long to do already. Once I get the whole thing beaded, I'll make a photocopy of it and bead on top of it to make a matching piece. Hopefully the next thing I bead though won't have so many rookie mistakes, such as visible strings and uneven surface.

So that's it for now, since I haven't made enough progress on the Native Steampunk California piece to show a WIP of that one.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Art Block Review 1: Kiki's Delivery Service


It's been awhile since I posted, but I've been busy learning how to bead the Native way and the past week I didn't have an internet access so there you go. More posts soon displaying my newly made moccasins and beadwork if I'm not too lazy or if I don't forget.

Alright, one thing that almost all artists have happen to them at one point of their artistic little life is get an art block. Of course, as is the American Way, tons of people have made tons of books, videos, and other media for poor art-blocked persons to buy so that they would no longer be blocked. I thought I might try to talk about different stuff I've read, watched, or listened to that deal with the problem of artist's block, again with the caveat that I might not continue based on laziness/whether or not I forget. Of course, right now I'm not really in an artist's block since I've been busy with the Native Steampunk series and with working on making regalia for upcoming powwows, but it's still good to talk about what's out there.

So to start off this endeavor of mine, I'm going to review something that doesn't totally doesn't make sense as the first review, which is Hayao Miyazaki's Kiki's Delivery Service, since I am that much of an anime nerd and I love writing overly-long posts about such things.

Kiki's Delivery Service is a movie about a young teenage witch who leaves her quiet rural home to move to a large city by the sea for a year of training that is required of all witches in the world Kiki lives in. Since her only talent as a witch is flying, she decides to run a delivery service in order to support herself. The major crises in the movie is when Kiki loses her ability to fly as she loses confidence in herself, indirectly because of a boy she likes (isn't that always the case for female artists? Okay maybe not since it certainly wasn't the case for me). In the end of course, she saves the day by regaining her ability to fly.

Although KDS isn't as great as Miyazaki's Spirited Away, the movie still holds a special place in my heart for the movie. It probably had at least to do with the fact that KDS was the first anime movie that I watched back before I knew what anime was but knew I liked the shows with huge-eyed kids in them. Buying the movie in the recent DVD collection I know I definitely like it because of the way it deals with art block. There are a lot of movies aimed at kids about following their dreams no matter what the naysayers say (one movie off the top of my head is Ratatouille, though there are plenty more), but I don't think there are a lot of movies for children about trying to follow their dreams, getting stuck and unable to move forward as things don't go as planned, then trying to find a way to get back to doing what they dreamed of doing. It makes this movie all the more special I think.

What's great about the movie is that it hits on so many points about art block. Such as when Kiki tells Tombo (the boy she likes) that she no longer enjoyed flying after she started flying her business. That's definitely a problem for any artist who tries to make living off of art (the making an activity you're passionate about into a job thing, not the flying thing).

The scenes where the loss of flight= art block metaphor is the strongest is when, after losing her powers, Kiki takes time off and goes to her artist friend's log cabin in the woods nearby the city. The artist, Ursula, gives Kiki lots of advice on how to move past her block and regain her powers, such as doing things that have nothing to do with flying such as talking long walks and enjoying the scenery. Ursula also talked about a time when she had a serious art block, and about how she had to find for herself inspiration and the reason why she wanted to paint in order to get rid of her art block.

The ending is okay, to be fair there aren't that many movies that have endings that impress me (I don't even like the ending to Spirited Away, which of course makes me a bad anime nerd), but Kiki does get her flying powers back because *spoiler alert* the boy she likes is in trouble and she flies to him in order to save him. So the lesson learned is that boys are the both the cause of art block but also the inspiration a girl needs to get beyond an art block. Okay kidding, Kiki regained her ability to fly because she dug reeeaaallll deep inside and discovered that her inspiration for flying is all the people who she cares about, which may or may not include boy she likes but certainly looks that way.

All in all I really like Kiki's Delivery Service and the way it deals with art block and growing up and such. If kids pay attention to the movie and it's message, it can definitely give them some ideas to think over when they get stuck in an art block and make them think about why they want to do what they like to do. I give the movie an A-, a minus because Tombo ain't that cute compared to other Miyazaki male love interests (hellooooo Howl from Howl's Moving Castle) and he's kind of annoying.