Artists You Should Know - Highwind Steamworx

It's a little-known fact that the Lad loves steampunk. Maybe it's the tiny hats. Maybe it's the monocles. Maybe it's just that he's a total drag queen and steampunk gives him an excuse. I digress. I met Dawn and Jeff of Highwind Steamworx at Clockwork Vaudeville's Gearbox Fantastique a few months back, and I fell in love with their work. They do steampunk in a totally wearable and effortless fashion, with immense attention to detail and outstanding craftsmanship. And their prices rock. If you're a dabbler, a closet lover of fantastical Victorian costuming, or a full-blown crazed zeppelin pilot, you owe it to yourself to check them out.


Come in! Make yourself comfortable. What can I get you to drink?


Hello! Dawn would love a traditionally prepared absinthe. I’ll stick with an iced tea. What a
lovely abode you have!

Keymaster Goggles

Tell us about yourself.


We have been married for about 9 years. We both went to Bradley University in Peoria. I’ve
been doing professional theater for 10 years in my day job, and am currently studying to be a
pharmacy technician, when we aren’t gallivanting about in our airship. Jeff has been teaching for the last 11 years, in a variety of subjects and grades. We both greatly enjoy the steampunk scene and all the aesthetics and personalities that go with it. We both sort of accidentally fell into this artist thing, after making a few items for ourselves. We started getting involved in the steampunk
scene and found we couldn’t afford a lot of what was available. After we started making our
own things, we decided to get into business for ourselves to offer more reasonable pricing on
steampunk jewelry and goods so that everyone could afford to have some!

12 Hour Days Are Not for the Unprepared

You're sweating in unmentionable places. Vapors of grilling meats and various foods-on-a-stick swirl in the humid air. A film of sunscreen is beginning to form on your skin, you need an ice cold beer, and you check the clock. It's only 2pm. It's the season for outdoor festivals, what we artists and vendors call a full-time job. I was a n00b to the outdoor craft show circuit as of a month ago and desperately wish I could have found a balls-out, no nonsense guide to surviving the process. Sure - many artisans have created their own blog entries detailing tips and tricks to success in selling in the sun, but for me they're always a little...cupcake. Unpleasantness and gritty realism is abandoned for cutesy anecdotes and obvious tips that, honestly, any person with a shred of common sense could have figured out on their own. "Really YummyDeliciousCrochet? You're telling me I need to drink water when I'm in the sun? Thank crafting Christ you bestowed this information on me." It's the Etsy disease - something about crafting makes certain people go soft in the head.

So I've compiled a list (in no specific order) of smart and realistic tips to survive the stressors of working an outdoor festival, based on my own experiences.

Don't Be A Dumbass. It's Hot Outside

You're gonna need sunblock. Today is not the day to work on the tan. Put that shit on your knees, shins, and feet as well. 

You're gonna need water. Exercise common sense and bring a huge ass bottle of your own from home. Do you realize how fucking annoying it is to have to stand in line with festival-goers just to score $5 tepid water? If you don't...you will - right around the time the fifth inebriated frat reject cracks a joke to you about a frozen chocolate banana. And don't gulp it. Sip it. Unless you like fragrant Port-a-Potties.

You're gonna be here awhile, and while I appreciate that you want to look cute, today is a waste of makeup. No one's going to buy your flouncy upcycled hats if you have a lunar landscape of melted mascara and bronzer forming on your face. Just get some big sunglasses and stop being a hoor.

Eat breakfast. Your mom is right.

Park the car as close as you can manage to the tent. Unload quickly. If you have to, re-park the car on a meter-free side street adjacent to the festival ground. Getting in and out of there is going to be an exercise in frustration and heatstroke, so make sure your car is AS CLOSE AS POSSIBLE.

Pack a Bag with Useful Crap

*Wet Wipes. It's filthy out there.

*A wind-up or battery-powered phone charger OR a second phone battery. Once that phone dies, say bye-bye to credit and debit card purchases, which are becoming the norm for your customers. I know, I know - you think Starbucks will let you plug it in. They won't.

*Snacks. Street-fest gyros, chocolate-covered cheesecake, and french fries all seem like happy-time-fun-food, but they should be called "Try Not To Touch Your Ass to the Port-a-Potty Seat While People Steal Your Merchandise". Practice some forethought and buy a damn box of Cheez-Its. 

*Alcohol (if you're a drinker - if you're not, I'm not sure how you found your way here). Liquor travels lighter than beer, and trust me - around 3pm you're going to need it. Don't forget a mixer.

*If you're the kind of person who might conceivably use a lighter, bring more than one.

*A cooler or insulated bag for your booze and/or food. If you can manage to get ice for it the day of the festival, all the better. Keep the ice in its plastic bag and you can munch on it and use it for drinks during the day.

*Galvanized wire and cutters/duct tape. I can't express how much I've required these things for a hundred little annoyances: my displays blow over in the wind; the tent walls are flapping too loudly; tablecloth and signage isn't secure; I need to quickly garrote the person who asks me, "Do you have any rings that are MORE SIMPLE?"

*Light scarf/jacket, a change of shirt, and a pair of real shoes and socks. One minute its beautiful and balmy, and the next everything you have worked so hard on is drenched in city rain, including you. That's not going to make the rest of your day pleasant, so plan for it.

*Deodorant. Hello.

*Burt's Bees Lip Balm. All that talking to strangers is going to chap your lips, so lube up! And it's minty, which is just delightful.

*Pliers.

*Tide-Pen.

*Band-Aids.

Drunk People Everywhere

Don't argue with drunk people at outdoor festivals. Just don't do it. There are going to be dozens and dozens of Cro-Magnon protohumanoids whose full-time gig it is to guzzle beer and bark at each other. The women aren't much better - instead of barking, they go, "WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" and take photos with cheap cameras. When they step to you or say something derpy about your art, just ignore the comment, and, if you can't, just pretend you're in on the joke until they stumble away. Suggest they go look at something you think was "awesome". Drunk assholes love "awesome" things. If all else fails, find security. They ARE there and it's their job to protect your investment. Don't let the scary lushes get you down. While you're out there making money and risking your ass and putting your art into the world, they're going to be throwing up in alleys and contracting STD's from strangers. You win.

It's probably okay to drink. Unless you're contracted with some puritanical, conservative group showcasing at the festival, having a few drinks throughout the day isn't something anyone cares about. Just don't overdo it. Not only can it make your customers uncomfortable, but it makes you smell bad, makes you sleepy, and makes you forgetful. Drink to relax if you want to, but don't drink to party. You're working today.

Bring a Friend. Hell - Bring Three Friends

This is a really, really, reaaaaaally important tip. You do not want to hang out alone, relatively sober, all day long at this thing. Bring someone you like and instruct them in the basic information about what you're selling. You're going to need someone to cover the tent when you pee or have a cigarette. If you're lucky like I am, you have friends who really support you and believe in your work, which makes them amazing salespeople. But make sure you make it worth their while. Cover all the expense of the festival for them if you're able (drinks, food, whatever), give them a ride, and at the very least, gift them something from your line. Friends who sit with you at shows are the best kinds of friends to have, so make sure you reward that love.

Nobody Likes a Bitch, So Get Out of the Damn Chair and Show Me Some Teeth

This really shouldn't be something that requires mentioning, but unfortunately, there are just some crafters/vendors in the world who think their handpainted clown resin bottlecap jewelry is going to sell itself. They sit at the back of the tent, read a book, and wait out the clock. And everyone who enters their space leaves empty-handed and thinks to themselves, "Wow. What an uncomfortable situation with that awkward hipster girl and her unwearable crap." I'll keep it brief:

Get out of the chair. Spend time in front of the booth, just chatting up people who walk by. Find something on which to compliment everyone who checks out your stuff. Smile. Be nice. Be funny. Talk about the gorgeous weather. Ask about the rest of the festival. Hell, complain lightheartedly about the festival. Above all things - ENGAGE THE PEOPLE. It's just more fun for everyone that way.

I promise if you take my advice, you're going to have a better day at the fest. There's no getting around it - outdoor shows are hard. fucking. work. But they're also the most fun of all the shows you're ever going to do, and just being smart about the situation is the best tip you can get. Have fun out there!

Gimme, Gimme, I Want, I Want

Scoring one-of-a-kind custom pieces from Lad Named Felix is easy. Forget bouncing from shop to shop, trying on "traditional" pieces that just anyone can have. And forget bridal shop jewelry with the same old stuff - acrylic rhinestones, plastic 'pearls', less-than-precious metals. Shopping for the perfect wedding jewelry can be an exercise in frustration and boredom, and if you're a Lad Named Felix fan, you're anything but boring. Learn how simple it is to commission Lad Named Felix!

Commissions start with an idea. Email the Lad at ladnamedfelix@gmail.com to introduce yourself and get the conversation started. By answering a simple questionnaire about your personal style, details about the wedding, and your ideas for your custom pieces, designing it is a snap. If you'd like, include any pictures of other pieces you're inspired by, your wedding colors, flowers, pictures of your dress...or just a plea of "HELP!". Mention if you're looking for the perfect bridal set, gifts for bridesmaids, cool accessories for the guys, or any combination - tailoring the wedding party's jewelry is the perfect finishing touch to any wedding. Also include the date of the wedding, and the date you'd like to receive your pieces. Commissions take a minimum of 2 weeks to complete and ship, longer if materials have to be special ordered.

Once the bridal ball is rolling, we'll discuss overall look and materials. Lad Named Felix uses only the best components and materials. Want Swarovski crystals for the ultimate in sparkle? Don't really care if the pearls are glass or cultured? Gold, silver, bronze, or other? All the details will be covered.

Once the pieces have been decided upon, you'll receive a quoted price. This price includes cost of materials and the creation of the pieces. Priority Mail shipping for commissions is always FREE, and all pieces will arrive in beautiful gift boxes. Once the price and terms of the commission are agreed upon, a deposit of half the total cost is due. You'll receive regular updates from LNF, with photos of your pieces, and the second half of the total cost is due upon completion of the commission. Once paid, your pieces will ship!

It's that easy! And it doesn't stop at one-of-a-kind bridal pieces. Need something special and sparkly for an event? Mother's Day gift? Graduation (a stylish grad is a Lad Grad!)? Something specially designed for you? Just email the Lad and let's get started!

LNF Custom Bridal Jewelry

Lad Named Felix has been gracing the throats, lobes, and wrists of brides since its inception. From crusted crystal bracelets to sleek necklaces to simple and elegant pearl earrings, LNF custom-designed wedding jewelry elevates every bride's special day to a stylish and one-of-a-kind event. Check out some past designs from fabulous Chicago weddings!

Swarovski crystal, sterling silver, and cultured pearl encrusted bridal cuff

Artist Date 26 April

There come times when you need to revisit an old friend. A conundrum has presented itself as spring unfolds its dampness around me: I have nothing but time to run my business...but creative blockage is preventing it. My head of late has been focusing on anything but creating and furthering my dream of LNF - money worries, ego trouble, mild depression, too much time alone to ruminate. All the spirals of life are dragging me down, and it has manifested in a profound sense of fear. So, like picking up the phone and dialing across the country to unload on a friend, I'm starting the process of Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way. Follow the link to familiarize if the curiousity is there, and I won't bore with the details (though I could - I'm like a groupie for this chick).

Morning pages are going well. Every morning I'm up at 6am. I make tea by whatever light is available through the clerestory windows of my loft, and sit down with...well, with myself. Three pages every day, written by hand, of anything and everything that is swirling around the drain in my head. Its an exorcism, really. Purging my psyche of bad dreams, fears, worries, insecurities; letting the Censor (read: ego) talk without interruption; scribbling down my goals for the day; or just writing grocery lists and writing "fear" over and over again. Amazing how cleansing it can be to pour it all onto a page you'll never see again and get the fuck on with it.

Second basic tool: the Artist Date. Julia describes this time weekly set aside to spend conscious time with onesself as an artist as "a block of time set aside and committed to nurturing the creative consciousness; a play date with your inner artist". I've been needing this - time out of my house in which I spend quality time WITH MYSELF. I have a lot of alone time, but I'm not consciously using it. Cabin fever be damned. No one else in invited on Artist Dates, and its to be defended bravely against interlopers. Play is at the heart of all good work, and let's face it: it can be fun to play with yourself (only without the hairy palms). Today, in spite of dark grey, glowering clouds and imminent rain, I set out with my camera and walked the few miles to the always beautiful Lincoln Park Conservatory.

No headphones. Smartphone turned off. Just me and whatever awaited. I photographed plants, raindrops, paving stones, flowers - anything that my inner artists pointed at to say "HEY LOOK!". Every time I found myself getting annoyed at stray drops of rainwater leaking through the conservatory roof to hit me in the head, I stopped and took it in. When kids screamed like bastards and I couldn't take it...I stopped and took it in. When I got caught in a sudden torrential Chicago downpour...I stopped and took it in. No annoyance, no predetermination. Just...listened and observed.

And a lesson about growth was right in front of me. All around me, really. Once I quieted the ego and told myself to just play...well, the photos speak for themselves. I'm not into churchy, preachy, hyper-inspirational tripe that greeting cards and "spiritual" people use like a sledgehammer, but I recognize when the Universe is speaking, and today's Artist Date was about listening to the message.

To see the whole set of photos, click here!