[Artemisia] SCA Mission Statement and Recognition

[B Wolf]

Ok Niccolo, you've tweaked a couple of points enough for me to actually turn
off a badge of 'argent, a cloak sable' (for those who don't want to get it,
it's a cloaking device)

[snip]
A few years back, one of the arts war point categories
was European dance.  Several of my friends were
surprised that this didn't particularly please me.  As
I see it, making war points for activities that aren't
war fighting dilutes the vision of the war, and
shoehorns those activites into a war point format.
[end snip]

Then you are missing the point of having the categories at Estrella.  As one
who helps decide these things, the ultimate goal for these categories is to
inspire folks to try out a new form of art.  This past Estrella I was part
of a duet in the instrumental music.  I did not pick my 'strongest suit'
when it comes to instrument, but the most important part was getting a
musician from Arn Hold to come to her first SCA camping event and have a
blast of a time the entire weekend.  That was my success.  Also, we had a
'Known World Jam Session' after the competition where instrumentalists from
all over got together to play and have fun.  If each category at Estrella
A&S inspired a mixer of those artisans afterward so they could exchange
ideas, support, friendships, then it makes Our Society as a whole stronger
and forward the art.
Not all of the members of the Society are fighters.  The 'war point format'
is so we have structure over chaos when little lady 'first event' shows up
to display her doobis she learned by herself to make because she'd heard
about the artform from reading the Estrella information.  It's not the
long-time hardcore artists that take the day.  In the instrumental music
category, a lady from Hawaii who doesn't read music and only listens to her
husband's early music recordings was inspired to pick up a pair of different
period instruments and learn the songs she played completely by ear, then
came and shared her knowledge with the rest of us.  She won the instrumental
music category.  That takes FAR more courage than being part of the army on
the field.  You become an army of one on the stage, hopelessly outnumbered
by the judges, critics, and audience.  Is that not worthy of some sort of
banner of honor?

You also say

[snip]
Official recognition takes up an awful lot of our time
and energy.  The main activity of peerage meetings is
deciding who else gets invited into the meetings.  The
central activity of most SCA evenings is induction of
people into various orders.  (We call it "court," but
it don't look much like court to me...)

The SCA award structure has been very good to me, so I
hope I will be forgiven for asking why it is that so
much time and energy is taken with things that are, at
best, peripheral to our stated goals.
[end snip]

There is more to the awards of the SCA.  Without digging up circle biz to
the masses, there is a lot of idea sharing that happens on a peer level if
you look in the places where it's being discussed (re: society-wide lists).
And it's more than just peerages.  You of all people as a court herald
should know that there are those looks when people receive an award that
they weren't sure they deserved, but were soooo pleased that the Crown (or
Coronet) felt they had earned, it's just priceless.  You've made someone's
day by thanking them for enjoying being a part of the Society.  They get a
bit of pretty art and a doobis, but more importantly, they feel that their
efforts have made this game better.  If everyone remembered those moments,
then maybe we wouldn't get all fired up about things that don't impact the
Society, like smalls vs. mini donuts, Herald the Potter, or circlets on
noses.

-Braden (back to argent, a cloak sable)

Hachmood K. Braden von Sobernheim, OL,OP,GA
(Brad Wolf)
Do not anger a bard, for thy name is silly, and scans to Greensleeves.