[Artemisia] Complaints and newsletter art

[Elaine]

Greetings, Artemisia,
Let's leave aside for a moment the questions about whether or not you like
the Sage covers. Let's talk about a couple of other things here for a
minute.

The first one is the amount of time people have waited to express their
dislike. It occurs to me that for at least a year Lord Aaron de Paladin has
been the only source of cover art for the Sage. Both he and Freydis have
asked for contributions. Then they asked again. Sean and I gave Aaron a
Gryphon's Heart at Raptor War in recognition of his continued contribution.
I asked the assembled populace at the time how many of them had contributed
cover art for the Sage. There weren't many hands.

So what has happened is that people have spent months and months,
apparently, not liking the Sage covers, but not doing either of two possible
things about it:

1. Sending Freydis more cover art; or

2. Speaking to either of them about it directly.

Before you waited for however long it has been to express your
dissatisfaction in a very public forum, did anyone speak directly to either
Lord Aaron or Lady Freydis and let them know that you weren't happy? How
many Sage covers do you hide from your children before you ask politely that
they be toned down? If it were your work being criticized publicly, wouldn't
you rather have heard it privately and politely first?

If you are in doubt about how to go about this, please review Appendix A to
Corpora on the SCA.org website, which suggests a very thoughtful plan of
communication for use in resolving grievances. Try it. It works.

And please send your artwork to be shared with the rest of us. Be aware of
the reproduction processes that need to be used and make sure your work will
stand up to them. I'm working on drawings. I challenge the rest of you to do
the same.

Regards,
Caryn