ANST - Documentation

[Gail P. Taylor]

What I think that I hear, more than fear of learning something new, is
intimidation because one is new.  I can understand this...the "what can I
do...I'm only a new person...I don't know as much as the other people out
there," mindset.  True, someone may come up to you at a display and ask you
about your work, and they might know more than you.  But in this society, I've
encountered only encouragement from those who have come to talk to me or judge
my work.  If you find that you are totally jazzed about what you are
doing...even if you don't know the complete history...then let this excitement
show and you will make a favorable impression.  The SCA is a journey, and an
excited new person has a whole lot of potential, but certainly isn't expected to
be near the destination.  You won't be judged harshly (and if you are, let
someone know..this is -not- the way things are supposed to work).  The
development and maturation of new people is what keeps the SCA interesting for
the old-timers- most will be flattered that you have begun exploring their
craft.

Also, I hear some perfectionism coming through.  Fear that shorter documentation
will be looked upon less highly is unfounded- Judges would MUCH rather read a
shorter documention, where ideas are expressed in sentences, than in paragraphs
or chapters.  Cast your net and see what you come up with.  Experiement.
Learn.  Find something that hasn't been explored and explore it.  Have fun...

Isobel

Dory Grace wrote:

> AAAAUUUUUURRRRRGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!
>
> Russell Husted wrote:
> >
> >> There is no forum for the newby, or dabbler. I would like to see two
> >> competitions sit side by side, not as equals, but side by side. One which
> >> requires everything, and the other which is just "Overall Impression" Let
> >> the newbies play as well without the "threat" of documentation hanging
> >> over their heads.
>
> and Don Dore' responded:
> >Now wait a minute, that "threat" is only 20%. The only reason to
> >worry about that 20% is if you think it may make the difference
> >between whether you win or not. If you are new to a field, winning
> >an A&S with your entry is probably a remote possibility anyway (not
> >unlike the odds of winning your first tournament, eh?).
> >
> >So take 10 minutes to write down how you did what you did. I have
> >done this on some of my work. No research, no sources, just "how I
> >did it". You won't get full points, but so what?
> >
> >There is no reason to stress and obsess about a measly 20%. As
> >with fighting, A&S competition is about more than winning.
>
> Thank you, thank you, Dore'! Well said.
>
> It really concerns me, some of the undertones that I'm hearing from folk
> who want to avoid documentation, who see documentation as a "threat" of
> some sort. It concerns me much in the same way that Disney's portrayal of
> of characters in The Lion King, ie: the Good King is Strong, the Evil
> Brother is Intelligent. Anybody else getting a sense of this sort of
> association with the whole Evil
> Documentation/learning/research/writing-a-measly--few-sentences-ferchristsak
> e? I've heard a couple people even express *fears* that learning something
> might slow down their "progress".
>
> How do I explain this? Excercise is excercise; artistic excercise enhances
> intellectual capabilities and vice versa (they do all spring from the same
> sorce, after all). I can guarantee you, Mahee, that the whole while you've
> been practicing at card weaving, you've been learning more than kinetic
> motor memory; your intellect and creativity have not been sitting in a
> corner of your brain dormnant. Taking a few moments out of your week to ask
> some questions and get some historical perspective hasn't "slowed you down"
> by any stretch of the imagination, and you would be wrong to believe it.
> Now as you sit and weave, you have a broader base of knowlege to draw from
> both technically and inspirationally. How could something as positive as
> learning a few things "get in the way of" a person's artistic progress?
> Yes, I've seen instances of documentation overkill, but we're certainly not
> asking that of anyone. As has been repeated by Laurels and non-Laurels, all
> documentation has to be is a few lines saying What it is, How they did it
> in period, How you did it, and Why you substituted/deviated from period
> where applicable. That's *not* a whole hell of a lot to ask of someone who
> wants to enter a competition.
>
> As to displays being held 'side-by-side' with competitions, absolutely, you
> bet. I would encourage anyone to display anywhere as often as they can.
> Even if you go to a competition where there hasn't been a special table set
> aside for display (and you believe that you might somehow be too
> psychologically bound up in scoring well before caring about the comments),
> there's not one thing in this whole wide world stopping a person from
> setting up their stuff and putting a little card by it that says "Display
> only, please comment."
>
> I understand that our world is rife with the perils of opening ourselves to
> being "judged" by others and that we've been taught that writing something
> down is a terrifying thing. I also understand that, statistically speaking,
> something like 80% of the workforce a few years ago was functionally
> illiterate (can read the words but has trouble with overall content of a
> passage.) However, I beleive the SCA has a higher median IQ than the
> general public and that functional illiteracy shouldn't be as big a concern
> for us--especially when we're asking for so little. If you need help, then
> ask for it. If you don't want to deal with competition or documentation,
> then stay away from them. No, reading something doesn't make your artistic
> skill level go down. No, writing a few sentences doesn't stunt your
> technical progress. Learning doesn't hurt you. I repeat, learning doesn't
> hurt you.
>
> Aquilanne
>
> Dory Grace***The Inkwell
> Austin, TX
>
> "No matter where you go, there you are."
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