[Steppes] Part 1 <Longish> Autocratting/Stewarding Events--Thoughts on Change

[Jann Mays]

Hi, you forgot to put your name.  Is this Master Petruccio that I have heard
of in the past? From the East Kingdom(?) I think?  I like your thoughts.  I
especially liked the line about tradition not wanting to be lost, but not at
the cost of stagnation.

Gabrielle

>From: "Patrick Cuccurello" <pat at adtelusa.com>
>Reply-To: steppes at ansteorra.org
>To: "Steppes at Ansteorra. Org" <steppes at ansteorra.org>
>Subject: [Steppes] Part 1 <Longish> Autocratting/Stewarding
>Events--Thoughts on Change
>Date: Tue, 11 Jun 2002 09:41:37 -0500
>
>
> > This, I think, goes to the different concepts on just what an
>'autocrat',
> > 'event steward' etc. is supposed to be. The only way to get people to do
> > this (mostly difficult and headache inducing) job is to give them some
> > leeway over how things work. From what I can tell there is little enough
> > leeway in the major events, I can hardly imagine someone putting in a
> > "bid" for an event that is totally predetermined. They still might apply
> > to run the event, but the "bid" process generally seems to be geared
> > towards putting competing autocart ideas up against each other and
>taking
> > the best.
>
>It is my belief that this is something that we should look at as a Barony.
>If this is working well for us, then we should stay with what is tried and
>true.  If however, we are having difficulties finding, maintaining, and
>educating the next generation of Steward we should possibly examine other
>ways.  It is hard for me to believe that I have been here for five years
>already.  In that time I have endeavored to remain as low a profile as
>possible.  This was a new Kingdom for me with a different history, ideals,
>and manner of running things.  It has taken me this long to get comfortable
>with that--so for good, bad, or indifferent, here are some of my thoughts.
>I'd like to break this down into two segments.  One about the current bid
>process and the second about the "concept" of an Autocrat/Steward and
>thereby touching on the SCA idea of "Service".
>
>**The ideas posted below are solely the mindless rambling of the author.
>Please disregard, accept or manipulate them in whatever fashion you wish.
>Besides, I didn't even know the girl, she was on the other side of the
>river, I had permission from her mother, I don't even own a yak, I had a
>note from her priest, I had a note from the yak's priest, a m00se bit my
>sister once, post no bills, this means you. All checks payable to:
>www.petruccioshomeforunwedmothers.net **
>
>Currently bids are placed by hopeful Stewards/Autocrats who have a vision
>of
>what they would like an event to be.  In the event that this has been
>something that has gone on for the past umpteen years--its complete makeup
>will be governed by "tradition".  Now there will be certain "flavor"
>aspects
>that an the Steward can control  Viking or Celt? Dusty or Grassy? Pastels
>or
>Jewel tones?  Ribbands or Beads for site-tokens?.  Okay, maybe you can
>control a little more than that but the point is any attempt at redefining
>an old event is usually first reacted to with less than stellar comments.
>This is despite the fact that for most of the year people are complaining
>about how "boring" or same-ol'-same ol' the events are.  It's a mindset and
>I believe that if we are to grow and prosper as a group, we need to embrace
>some new, novel, different things for the sake of diversity.  Let us not
>lose that tradition that make us unique, but lets not let that tradition
>make us stagnate into a spiral of entropy.  Trust in the vision of your
>Barons and Baronesses.  Be willing to take some of that minutiae out of
>committee and let your Steward orchestrate (overlooked by your Seneschal
>and
>B&B).  Be willing to take chances, or be willing to live in the same world
>you have for the past 30 years.
>
>Okay, so let's say we are not dealing with a "traditional" event.  You now
>have 2-3 stewards who have lined up their vision of how this should work.
>Only one will be chosen, only one will "win" the bid.  The other bidders
>usually go off on their merry way--they don't need to be involved because
>their vision was not the one that won.  This can be a mistake--those others
>should be the first people the new autocrat seeks out to help (in the event
>that there was not an exceedingly good reason why they were not chosen as
>Stewards--it happens).  They have the desire (or they would not have
>submitted the bid), they have ideas (even if they didn't win the bid
>process
>doesn't mean they don't have good ideas to help the event), and they
>probably have a whole bunch of people willing to help that you don't have
>access to since they were going to help the other person.
>
>So then, what do you do when you have two people bidding on an event and no
>one likes either of their visions?  Usually you end up punting--grabbing
>someone safe to get it together for you at the last minute.  In that event,
>you have no "best" to choose from, but only a "make due".  Granted some of
>those "make dues" can be pretty spectacular, but it seems like we are
>getting more of them as time goes on than we use to. We must as a group
>find
>a way to not only involve more people in becoming Stewards, but have them
>understand the fun that can be involved and not just the work.  I think the
>best way for that is by building excitement in our events.  Excitement can
>best be generated by giving people new or unique experiences.  Things they
>haven't done before, things they haven't seen before, events we haven't
>thought of before because the path we are on is safe and well traveled.  We
>have over a millennium of History to play with, I cannot believe we've run
>out of ideas in thirty.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Steppes mailing list
>Steppes at ansteorra.org
>http://www.ansteorra.org/mailman/listinfo/steppes




" Le Bonheur est une trajectoire et non une destination.
ALORS : Travaille comme si tu n'avais pas besoin d'argent.
Aime comme si jamais personne ne t'avait fait souffrir.
ET Danse comme si personne ne te regardait !! "


_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx