[Ansteorra-textiles] question A&S

[Mahee]

Morgan,
  Thank you for your very clear answer. I have taken your words to heart and it has changed the way I will judge the next time. 
  I too have received my string of beads, and the ones that really mean something to me are the ones that had a small card on them with the laurel's device so I know who gave them to me. I will try and keep that in mind too when I give out largess and identify myself as the giver so the person can seek me out if they wish comments.
  A pad or small book next to entry for comments...that could be good too. I like the idea!
  
Thank you again.
 
Your servant,
mahee

"Morgan Cain (Ansteorra)" <morgancain at earthlink.net> wrote:
> What could be done to A&S competitions for you to like it? >
> What is it about A&S competitions that you do not like?
 
Mahee, it's probably one of those early bad experiences that scars people.  But I recently heard someone giving a similar reason as hers for not entering A&S.
 
Many years ago, I worked a piece.  It was not strictly historically accurate, but I could document the technique, there were extant pieces of similar type and other design, and I explained all this and my reason for making it the way I did in my documentation.
 
I got absolutely SAVAGED by one of the judges, who wasn't a Laurel but knew the technique in modern terms, who was known for wanting to be a Laurel, and who told me I was a complete idiot for doing what I did because it was not historically sound.
 
A local Baroness pointed out that despite that, I had achieved a second place score, so could go on to Kingdom A&S (in the Midrealm, you had to place first or second at one of the local "feeder" competitions to go to Kingdom).  Which I did, and the same person ripped me apart again, plus told other people what an idiot I was and that I shouldn't get even a single point because I had CLEARLY not learned my lesson after she had given me feedback at the local competition.
 
So, I decided that A&S competitions are no fun, and creativity isn't worth the trouble, and documentation takes too long to write, and I'm just not playing that game but leaving it to those people to whom it clearly *does* matter so very much.
 
(She did become a Laurel many years later, but for a different art, and has never in the SCA practiced the one I had done all those years before.)
 
Recently, a friend of mine was explaining to a Laurel of our acquaintance why she doesn't want to enter an upcoming competition.  She said that there are two people who work professionally in the crafts they enter, and she feels that she has no possibility of winning as long as they are in the competition.  I agree, you don't have people saying "by the way, I am a professional carpenter, and here is how I have used my skills that have supported our family for the last twenty years in an SCA context."  They just say "I made a chest" and you don't know if it took them twenty minutes a day for the last two years, because that is all the time they have between work and family, or if they went into their professional shop or studio on two weekends and knocked it out.  I have heard people say that they expect a higher level of accomplishment from persons they know do the art professionally, but that information isn't always conveyed in the documentation, and unless you know the person you
 don't know if they are a professional or not.
 
Another issue, which I think was discussed recently on the Kingdom list, is that the judges never give feedback.  If there is a crowded room, they will skip over commentary entries so they can judge the ones in competition, which I understand.  Or, they look at things, nod and "hhhmmmm," and move along.  It would really help, and I have seen people get quite excited, if instead of a piece of candy or a couple glass beads the Judge takes a minute or two to say something like "interesting interpretation of the Assumption; you say this is Italian in design but the clothing looks French, can we talk about your source? I might have a better model for your next painting, or would love to learn about yours because it might fill a gap in my research."  Yes, it takes a lot longer, but it's considerably more constructive.  If the judges are supposed to encourage the competitors to grow in their art, it would help if the judge could offer a way for the competitor to learn.  I recommend that
 people put a notepad or few pieces of blank paper and a pen at their station in the hopes of some feedback (more than just "good work!"), but it would be nice if the judges thought to bring some paper and pens or little printed cards on which they could write something.  Maybe a calling card sort of thing, and they could add their contact info if they want to further the discussion?  It's better to get something and say "Hey!  Mistress Bibbidybobbety Boo really liked my weaving!" than "I got four beds, two caramels, a butterscotch, a piece of ribbon, and a ring."  A&S should be a learning experience, not Hallowe'en.  (IMVHO)
 
And, finally, I don't consider preparing competition pieces to be fun.  Too much concentration.  Too much riding on a single penstroke, minute in the oven, lift of the needle.  I do the SCA for fun.  I'm not an A&S goob.  That's about it.  So don't think that competitions have to change just for me, because you aren't going to get everybody to enter a competition no matter how nicely you construct it.
 
                                                                ---= Morgan
 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
" One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making
  exciting discoveries."                               ---=  A. A. Milne
"....look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere else."
        ---= Tom Stoppard, "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" (1967)
 
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