ANST - [scribes]: Re: A Command, okay really a plea

[Dennis and/or Dory Grace]

Hi all, Aquilanne here.

I'm subscribed to the SCA scribes' list and got this just this weekend. Not
only was I overjoyed to see I'm not alone in the tendency to fall into rant
mode at times, I thought I'd just inflict a little scribal awareness on
youse guys as a whole.  ;->  Seriously, although some of the things she
talks about are based on regional customs, the original poster makes some
good points and interesting suggestions concerning scribes' visibility and
ways of expressing appreciation for the folks devoting many hours to
sharing their talent with us. Thought some of you might enjoy/find
interesting.



>Greetings, good gentles.
>
>A comment was made (On the northshield list; this rant 
>cross-posted to scribes list as a similar conversation is 
>going on there as well) regarding the recognition of 
>scribes and the fact that recognition would come in the 
>form of thank-you notes if scribes would put their names 
>and addresses on the back of their works.
>
>Gentles, I have been working as a scribe for more than 
>five years. I have put my name, address and email on the 
>back of almost every scroll. I have worked for 
>Northshield, the Middle Kingdom, Drachenwald, and 
>Atlantia. I have done HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of scrolls. To 
>date, I have received all of THREE thank-you notes and a 
>COUPLE of emails. Expressions of thanks are so rare that I 
>will seek out the person who sent the note, if I can, and 
>thank them for taking the time to write. Please do not 
>imagine that the simple provision of information will 
>change behavior in this respect. I know, from experience, 
>that most people are not going to take the time to write. 
>Thus, if we wish to thank our scribes, we must not count 
>on individuals writing thank-you notes to do it. I, too, 
>have been remiss in sending thank-yous, and so do not 
>understand me to be critisizing anyone. I am simply saying 
>that if we really want to thank scribes, we are going to 
>have to make some other effort, especially since I believe 
>that members of the populace have come to see a scroll as 
>a "granted", and have been lulled into complacency 
>thereby.
>
>Generally, when we who are scribes are hidden in a back 
>room working to the last minute, event after event, we 
>become invisible. Truly, think upon this now, how many of 
>you reading this have any idea of what I look like or who 
>I am? I mean nothing bad by this, I'm just making a point. 
>Most of you wouldn't recognize me unless I walked up to 
>you and bit you. How could you know me? I've spent my time 
>in scribes rooms. Thus, despite my years of service, 
>intense love for the SCA, and devotion to the people of 
>Northshield, I am invisable. As are many other scribes. I 
>love to do scribal works, and so I will continue to work 
>whether anyone ever says "Thank You" again, but that 
>doesn't mean that I'm not going to take the opportunity to 
>say "Excuse me, can we look at this situation?" when the 
>opportunity arises.
>
>We have created a situation where scrolls seemingly just 
>come into being, and people rarely question the conditions 
>under which these things are made. There are individuals 
>in the mix who are shining stars of grace and courtesy, 
>who realize what happens, who make their appreciation 
>known. If we want to make it a Northshield Cultural 
>Expectation, though, we will have to think creatively and 
>be willing to put our heart into our efforts in order to 
>make a change, not just require scribes to put names and 
>addresses on the back of their scrolls.
>
>Let me make suggestions; I'm not a whiner, but a person 
>with an eye to altering a habit.
>
>There is a problem with invisiblity. Not only are we 
>hiding our scribes in scriptoriums, but we are also 
>creating works that are seen for 30 seconds in court and 
>then, for all intents and purposes, the works disappear 
>forever.
>
>First, let us move scriptoriums into the open. Stop having 
>the scribes located in one section of the royalty room. 
>Put the scriptorium in the open. This will require a rope 
>boundry to keep the populace out (wouldn't want to spoil 
>any surprises) while allowing the scribes to be visable. 
>This also allows scribes to be a part of events that they 
>are, after all, paying to attend. People can come and talk 
>to us without having to get through the guards at the 
>door. We can take the mystery out of the scroll making 
>process; it will no longer be an esoteric thing that 
>happens in some room, like it is some sort of secret 
>society. Scribes are often encouraged to keep portfolios 
>of their work; let one section of this scriptorium be a 
>table where scribes are encouraged to show some or all of 
>their portfolios; after all, most scribes, myself 
>included, are not going to walk up to you and hand the 
>portfolio to you, saying, "Here, look at this!"
>
>On the other hand, you can come up to me and ask to see my 
>portfolio if you are interested. Ask me about my 
>portfolio, about how I did something, about scribal 
>materials. I will talk about this as much or as little as 
>you want, and I would be SO GRATEFUL for your attention. 
>You don't have to want to be a scribe to be interested in 
>how scrolls are made, and I would value your friendship 
>more than anything.
>
>Second, let us consider a culture of exchange. While I 
>imagine that this would take years to come into being, it 
>would be wonderful if each award recipient would consider 
>his or her skills and offer an exchange to reward and 
>thank the scribe. Are you a bard? Compose something and 
>perform it publicly for the scribe who made your scroll. 
>Are you a fighter? Carry a friendship token for that 
>scribe into a tourney and make a statement before each 
>bout that you are honoring not only your lady/lord, but 
>also the scribe that did honorable service on your behalf. 
>Are you an armourer? Make a piece of armour or a metal 
>rose or a circlet or some such to thank your scribe. Do 
>you make bobin lace, embrodier, sew, weave? Make a length 
>of trim or a piece of garb to thank your scribe. Lest you 
>think any of this unreasonable, consider this:
>
>A typical scroll takes a MINIMUM of 8-10 hours of 
>work--many take more. This does not consider research and 
>other preliminary work. This is just the "sit down at the 
>table and work" time. Materials cost money. And, as 
>scribes become more experienced, they start making their 
>own paints and so forth, besides drawing on a vaster store 
>of knowledge and greater skill; that ten hours does not 
>include any of that either. Now, I have occasionally done 
>work for game-card companies, and they paid ~$150 per 
>piece. These pieces were not as worthy as many of the 
>scrolls I have done. I can, therefore, get $150 for 
>something that isn't as nice nor takes as long as a 
>scroll. I also can make a T-tunic or surcoat, do a piece 
>of embrodiery, decorate and dye a leather belt, make a 
>bunch of candles, and many other things in less time than 
>it takes to do a scroll. My time is valuable in terms of 
>money I could make or other thinks I could be doing. Thus, 
>I don't think it unreasonable to suggest a culture of 
>exchange that requests scroll recipients to do what they 
>enjoy doing and are good at to thank scribes. This also 
>has the advantage of allowing others with less obvious 
>skills to also make their work more widely known.     
>
>Third, awards are also apropriate for scribes, and apply 
>in many different ways. Know a new person who has, for the 
>past year, worked to learn C&I and has got good enough to 
>start doing pieces used for your group's tourney awards? 
>Write 'em in for an AoA. Know a scribe who has become 
>quite skilled at an art? Write 'em in for a Willow. A 
>scribe good at making his/her own materials? Write 'em in 
>for an Oak. Does your local area host a group of scribes 
>that have formed a cohesive group and has produced lovely 
>work regularly? Write that group in for an Award of the 
>Grove. Has this scribe worked for Northshield on a regular 
>basis? Write 'em in for Athena's Ring. Has this scribe 
>been working for the kingdom regularly? Write 'em in for a 
>Purple Fret. Has this scribe served as any sort of signet? 
>Write 'em in for an Award of the Guidestar. Worked two or 
>more years as a local or Baronial Signet? Purple Fret. Two 
>or more as a Regional Signet? Dragon's Heart. Two or more 
>as the Principality Signet? Go for the Order of the 
>Pelican! Seriously! If you feel uncomfortable with that, 
>try writing in for a GoA. These are just suggestions, of 
>course, intended to point out that a lot of different 
>awards are appropriate for scribal work as they are 
>appropriate for many other things, too. You might have 
>your own criteria. I'm simply suggesting that you expand 
>your thinking.
>
>Fourth, when the Royalty take the time to thank the 
>scribes, (Vicountess Therica calling us up to give us 
>glass beads comes immediately to mind), chose one scribe 
>from out the crowd and go forth to offer thanks. It may 
>not be a scribe that has done something for you in the 
>past, but s/he will still be touched and pleased if you go 
>forth and say "I know you work many hours, and I just 
>wanted to let you know that I appreciate it. It enriches 
>my SCA experience to see people called into court and 
>rewarded, and your work helps make that possible."
>
>Fifth, have your group run a fundraiser specifically to 
>allow the purchase of supplies for scribes. While this 
>might involve some administrative hassle, I don't think it 
>would be insurmountable, and God knows, scribes could 
>stand to not have to pay out of their own pockets for 
>every scroll they do. 
>
>Well, this has turned into another ramble down the 
>corridors of my befuddled brain. Thank you for reading it. 
>Some of my suggestions are quite extensive, but some are 
>small, simple things that we can each do to individually. 
>Please try some. :)
>
>Gentles, may your days be pleasent and your hopes 
>fulfilled. :)
>
>Your Servant, now as ever, Merouda Pendray
>Ever your servant, Merouda Pendray. 
============================================================================
Go to http://www.ansteorra.org/lists.html to perform mailing list tasks.