[Sca-cooks] Overdocumentation

[Laura C. Minnick]

At 04:58 PM 11/18/2004, you wrote:
>>  Craftsmen want to make a "thing", then they want to
>>show it off. It can be pretty far out of the comfort
>>zone to have to also write a paper about the "thing"
>>before it counts for display.
>
>Or, as I like to put it, requiring that every period project be 
>accompanied by a term paper is a good way of discouraging period projects.
>
>But then, I'm not an admirer of arts contests more generally.

I have to say that I agree. While I understand that many people find that 
they are more motivated to push for a higher standard in their work when 
they are working on a contest entry, I find that there is a negative 
flipside to this- that is, the idea that you only do the research/use the 
period techniques/use the most authentic of materials when you're doing it 
for a contest. How many times have you heard someone say something like 
"Oh, this isn't period, it's not for a contest or anything"?

Putting together documentation for a project is a good way to check our own 
progress- it makes it a little harder to let things slide (or at least we 
have to be honest about it). But in a perfect world, we would do the 
research and craftsmanship for the pleasure of itself- just because it's a 
neat thing to do, not because of an external reward. Of course this isn't a 
perfect world...

'Lainie
___________________________________________________________________________
The penalty good men pay for not being interested in politics is to be 
governed by men worse than themselves. -- Plato