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<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua">> What could be done to A&S competitions
for you to like it?
<DIV>></DIV>
<DIV>> What is it about A&S competitions that you do not like?</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>(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.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>
---=
Morgan</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Book Antiqua"></FONT><FONT
face="Book Antiqua"></FONT><BR>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<BR>"
One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly
making<BR> exciting
discoveries."
---= A. A. Milne<BR>"....look on every exit as being an entrance somewhere
else."<BR> ---= Tom Stoppard,
"Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" (1967)</DIV>
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