[Ansteorra] artists & merchanting

[Elizabeth Ellis]

Way back in the 80's I heard the idea that if you sold your stuff you wouldn't see a peerage - but I also heard way back then that a real peer could make a living at their craft if they wanted too - so take your pick as to which myth you want to believe.  For what it's worth,  there are lots of laurels I know of who have or are supplementing their income with their craft. For instance, a good percentage of the merchants at Gulf War are laurels.  Many of these people are training their apprentices not only in the creative aspect of their work, but also in the business end of it too - and that's seems pretty ideal to me.  As for those who want to maintain a "trade secret" or two,  if they are also doing a lot of teaching as well, then things balance out.  My personal discomfort zone kicks in when an artist refuses to do any teaching at all in order to hoard all their knowledge to themselves.
   
  >
>Why is it believed that if you merchant your craft you will never
>see a peerage?
>

   
  Tivar wrote:
Here's the flip side of this question: if someone has learned most of their 
skills outside the SCA--a professional musician, for example--are they 
still deserving of recognition?
   
   
  My response:  What a great question!  Yes, I think a person should still receive recognition if they practice their skill appropriately within the parameters of the SCA, regardless of when or where they learned it.  If anything, a person's efforts to gain mundane experience in a particular skill shows just how dedicated they are to what they do, and ultimately it enriches the SCA for everyone.  Saying that an artist's mundane experience should count against them would be like saying that a rapier fighter's mundane fencing experience should count against her/him, or that a person who's learned to get things done via mundane volunteer efforts should be discounted for service recognition, or that a person who learned to ride horses mundanely should be discounted when it comes to recognition for equestrian activities.  
   
  I really like the philosophical aspect of this question. 
  Corrinne
  
 
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