Micronations as creative outlets

There are a number of reasons why you might want to start your own micronation, or to join an existing micronation. Some micronations are started as art projects and other creative endeavours, or in support of such efforts - Ladonia springs to mind as one such micronation. But even micronations that don't have a creative output as their primary goal represent massive opportunities for creativity in many shapes and forms. 

There are the obvious trappings of a micronation, such as flags, anthems, and even the constitution, although such efforts should be "one and done" - a country doesn't really need fifteen different constitutions or anthems. Then there are things like uniforms (if your micronation has a military), royal attire, crown jewels, and so on, which can be refined over time.

Less obviously, but offering many more opportunities for multiple iterations and versions, are things such as stamps, currency, and even medals. These also offer the opportunity for exchanges with other micronations, either by trading/giving the physical objects or by joining groups devoted to discussion of such things.

And, when (if) you run out of ideas, join one or two of the micronational communities online, or just come to MicroCon - I've said many times that I always come away from MicroCon with a year or two worth of ideas for projects.

And, finally, starting your own micronation or joining an existing micronation project can give you a lot of fodder for building a social media presence, like a blog (😀), Instagram, or other websites.

So what am I working on these days?

 As is typical when I return from a MicroCon, I came away with a whole bunch of ideas, and I've been slowly progressing on multiple fronts over the last couple of months:

• I continue to expand my social media presence, with active accounts on Bluesky, Instagram, and Tumblr, as well as an "alt" account on Facebook. And this blog, obviously. 😀
• I've started working on a book about microphaleristics. If it comes together the way I hope, I will probably publish it through Amazon (physical books only, not ebook).
• I had an initial conversation on Wednesday this week with Dr. Robert Motum, who wrote the Globe & Mail article about micronations and MicroCon recently. We're hoping to find something to collaborate together on - either a chapter in a book he's pitched to a publisher, or an article.
• I've started thinking at least semi-seriously about micronational currencies. I've obtained some "high rag content" paper to run some experiments in printing paper currency, and I'm also thinking about minting coins. And maybe stamps will follow?
• The queen expressed interest in having a military unit of her own, so I've been helping her lay the groundwork for what will become the Queen's Able Company of Knights, or QuACK for short. Their unit symbol will be a duck, naturally.
• As I previously hinted, I'm looking to maybe organize a regional "summit of micronations" for May or June of next year. Once I have the date and location fixed, I'll start publicizing it.
• I'm currently planning an expedition that will tie in to the "Intermicronational Year of Exploration" planned and announced by President Zar Antonov of the United Republic of Obscurium. I'm hoping to actually do the expedition one morning next week, if it's not too warm out.

I think that's it for active projects right now, but there are other projects that are on the back-burner  for various reasons. Some are pending more state funds, including crown jewels (a globus glama (see concept design below) and a silver crown with amethyst stones, maybe a scepter and a mace). I'd also like to figure out how to get over to Europe, both for the 2027 MicroCon in Aiges-Mortes and for at least one of the Micro European Summits.

Concept art for the globus glama

Micronational Stamps

To close out our week of "micronational collectibles", we'll consider the postage stamp. While it isn't something that Slabovia has actively pursued, many micronations have their own stamps made.

Stamp from the Aerican Empire, given out at MicroCon 2025

A set of stamps commemorating the first four MicroCon events, created by West Who

An assortment of stamps from Obscurium

What's more, many micronations actually use their stamps in mail - as long as your envelope has the appropriate postage for the "macronation" it'll be passing through, it generally moves just fine through the postal services. The photo below includes envelopes I've received from (top to bottom) Angyalistan, West Who, Ruritania, Duckionary, and Obscurium

An assortment of micronational stamps that have moved through the macronational postal systems

This concludes this week's exploration of various micronational souvenirs I've collected over the years. Hopefully it's given you some idea of the creativity involved in creating and running a micronation!