[Artemisia] Re: Largesse

[Elaine]

Greetings:
Unto all of you who missed the Artemisian Collegium this last weekend, you
missed some great classes and service opportunities! Thank you very much to
the folk of Sentinel's Keep and to everyone who worked to make this event
happen. I had a great time!

Regarding largesse in its service aspect, though, I agree with Mistress
Gefjon. Service does not need to be visible. Service that makes sure that it
is seen by all runs the risk of serving self more than another. Who shows
more largesse, the knight who brags in court that he broke Lord X's helm and
has bought him another (and calls Lord X up into court to receive it, which
I have seen happen), or the person who happens to be passing another's camp
late at night and replaces an empty water bottle with a full one from the
heavy wagon he is hauling? Or the people who make room in a stuffed car for
one more exhausted person to ride with them to dinner? Thank you, by the
way. You know who you are.

Another word for "largesse," in my opinion, is "generosity." Generosity
means you share what you have, whether it is money, talent, knowledge, or
just your company. It means that you help with the hard or less fun tasks
that need doing as well as the fun things that get you seen by everyone.

Art can be service. Think of the scribes who give up their evenings,
weekends, and often event time so that scrolls can be presented to those who
receive awards. These people buy their own art materials (which aren't
cheap) and spend hours creating art that is given away and often never seen
again. For this they may or may not have their names read out in court, and
they may never receive any thanks from the scroll recipient. Yet they
continue. This, to me, is largesse in its purest form.

Thank you also to everyone who took my classes on Saturday so they could
join the ranks of these generous artists.
Two pence only
Caryn