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At 02:09 PM 5/23/2006, you wrote:<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">On 5/23/06, <b>Chiara
Francesca</b> <<a href="mailto:chiara@io.com">chiara@io.com</a>>
wrote:<br>
<dl>
<dd>I would like to ask a question in addition to that as it has
puzzled<br>
<dd>me every since I joined and heard someone say it out loud while
we<br>
<dd>were all in court.<br><br>
<dd>Why is it believed that if you merchant your craft you will never
<br>
<dd>see a peerage?<br><br>
<dd>Great questions!<br>
<dd>Chiara</blockquote>
</dl><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite="">I would also like to know the
answer to this. I love to sew and one of the merchants sells some
of my extra clothing. Does this mean that I can't receive an award
for my sewing?<br><br>
Will the merchant never receive an award for his sewing and work?
<br><br>
Thanks for any answers,<br>
Racheal</blockquote><br><br>
I wouldn't say that a merchant will *never* receive SCA awards for their
work, because I know of a number who have--Master Iolo for his crossbows,
Master Peter of the Golden Isles and Master Connor McCinneide for their
armor-making, etc.<br><br>
I suppose that part of the negative perception is because on the one
hand, merchants are doing it for money, rather than for "love of the
art", and on the other hand, merchants are perceived as having some
sort of an advantage because they're (presumably) doing it full-time
rather than as a hobby. <br><br>
Another difficulty is that if someone is a merchant, they may not be as
visible as an artisan who just does it "for fun". A merchant
has to spend most of his time in his booth, rather than, for example,
entering or judging A&S competitions and if Merchants' Row isn't
visited by those who make the decisions about such awards--i.e. the Crown
or Laurels--they may not be aware of this person's skill.<br><br>
<br>
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?<br><br>
<x-tab> </x-tab>-Tivar
Moondragon<br>
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