Category Archives: A&S in Lochac

What motivates us to do A&S?

By   8 April, 2018
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As members of the SCA we choose to make things for a variety of reasons. At some stage everyone in the SCA has to make something, unless they have infinite cash to spend on buying clothes, feast gear, tents, etc. OR some very kind friends. This post looks at why people make things and how we can understand someone else’s motivations and access to resources when we comment on their stuff.

I made a video about this, the content is also set out below if you prefer to read. Comments on these ideas are welcome.

Motivation Matrix

A core aspect of why we make stuff is our intrinsic motivation. Results from the Kingdom A&S survey indicated that there were four reasons people made stuff:

  • Authenticity – I want to make the most period thing I can possibly make. Being as close to doing what “they” did (in a specific time and place) drives me to create
  • Workmanship – I want to make the BEST thing I can possibly make, and I will get the best tools and materials to do this. I will practice and practice and take my time until I am satisfied
  • Creative expression – I want to make the thing that fits my vision of how “they” looked and experienced the world. This can be based on research, but could also be based on a particular movie, TV series or book. It is usually where we all start when we join the SCA, and we could argue it’s the basis of “the Dream”.
  • Variety – I want to try all the things that interest me, until I’ve satisfied my curiosity in that area. I’ll usually have two of three projects in different skill sets going at any point in time. I get bored if I just do one specific thing.

These reasons can be described on a matrix as follows:

The reason this is important is that we are a group that welcomes anyone who makes “an attempt at pre-1600”. By understanding why someone has made something then we can help and encourage them in a way that means they continue to want to make things and to stay in our Society.

Resources

Access to resources is a very important element in A&S projects, and one that is often overlooked. Any project requires a balance of the following three things:

  1. Access to $$ to fund the materials (or instruments in the case of music) and any missing knowledge
  2. Access to time to make the item, write the research paper, practice the performance
  3. Access to knowledge to understand how something was made and what is correct for the time and place someone is interested in

We all make choices about how much of our available time and money can go into each project or into acquiring more knowledge or better skills. Some of us have the ability to expend lots of time and money, some of us don’t. Some of us had a solid university education in a humanities subject and enjoy reading the latest research, some of us don’t and learn by tinkering and trying things out.

All of this is important to conversations about A&S, as it helps us realise that we don’t all start from the same place in terms of these resources, nor can we all allocate the same amount of those things to all projects. We make choices, and those choices are valid.

A challenge

Now that we have a better understanding of motivations and resources I want to issue a challenge.

The number one reason someone stops “doing A&S” is because someone (usually someone they don’t know, or barely know) comes up to them unasked and tells them “that’s not period!”. I’m sure that the person providing this comment thinks it’s helpful and they mean well, however the effect is usually to make the recipient crumple or cranky.

My challenge is this: Let’s adopt the phrase “Unasked for criticism is discourteous”.

Unless a person says something like “What do you think?” or “How could I make this better?” then don’t tell them they are doing it wrong. Instead, if you really want to help that person start from the matrix above, and the list of resources. Understand why they made what they made and then ask if they want any help or more information.

Compliments are always good, btw. Compliments buoy people. We all want to feel proud of the thing we poured our precious time and resources into, so start there.

A new Kingdom Competition system

By   17 February, 2018
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The Kingdom-wide survey of A&S opinions and activity showed that one of the areas we needed to improve was our Kingdom Competition format. It really isn’t working for most of the Kingdom. This can be seen by a simple comparison between the number of entries received at competitions and the dis-engagement around the process of entering and judging versus numbers and the energy surrounding artisan displays like the one held at Canterbury Faire or Laurel Prize at Rowany Festival.

Respondents gave specific reasons they didn’t enter competitions. A large number of responses said that they just couldn’t get to the events to enter, many said they found the topics too narrow and were only likely to enter something if they were already planning to make it. So this means that entrants are drawn from a very tiny set of people that are going to a specific Kingdom event AND  were already making something that fit a competition topic. I don’t know about you but that seems unlikely and not the culture of Lochac.

Other respondents talked about how they didn’t feel good enough to enter, were intimidated by Kingdom level expectations, or even didn’t want to enter as they didn’t want to discourage other entries (in the case of Laurels). So, yet again, we have broad swathes of the populace feeling like competitions as designed are not for them. We are a Kingdom that likes to cheer people on for their efforts, their enthusiasm and for how they have improved. If our competitions are too intimidating for the populace then we should change them.

Finally there were some really good and sensible suggestions. Group entries, the Anealan rubric, a focus on feedback, improvement and being able to compare yourself across the Kingdom as the purpose of the competitions.

Introducing Lochac A&S competitions for the post AS50 era

Featuring: A new rubric! New forms! Group entries! Winners announced by experience not topic!

Judging allowed around the Kingdom, not just at Kingdom events!

Here’s our current Kingdom Minister for A&S explaining the changes:

 

What does this mean?!

The less exclamation pointed explanation is: From now on Kingdom competitions can be judged at any time in the Kingdom at any official SCA event, as long as it is supervised by the local A&S officer, the Kingdom Minister of A&S or someone they have deputised (like an A&S co-ordinator for an event). The beauty of a well-written, standardised rubric (how judging points are allocated) is that it should calibrate judging across the Kingdom. This means entries can be judged at disparate locations and achieve reasonably comparable scores. We are a large Kingdom and this means better access and more inclusive competitions. It means we can actually find outstanding artisans across the Kingdom and not just those who are able to travel to Kingdom events.

The way we award winners is changing too. Instead of a winner for a competition topic, we’re going to award winners for experience levels. This means that our beginners have a chance to shine, and our more experienced artisans can set themselves challenges without fear of tall poppy syndrome. The experience levels are explained on the rules page.

There’s now also a group entry category. The Kingdom was inspired by the Politarchopolis Pentathlon. Many people have spoken to me about how they like to work with others and would like our competitions to allow this. So now they do. Go forth collaborative artisans! Show us what you can make together!!

Want to know more?!

We’ve written some new pages for the website. Check out:

Introduction to A&S competitions

The competition rules

How to organise A&S competitions

How to enter A&S competitions

How to judge A&S competitions

Southron Gaard’s Baronial Variety Pentathlon Challenge

By   15 May, 2017
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The Barony of Southron Gaard is currently running a Baronial Variety Pentathlon Challenge, and you are invited to participate, or to follow along in admiration.

From the challenge website:
“Each entrant must complete five projects that each meet the requirements of at least one distinct category of the thirty available. The projects must be begun after Baronial Anniversary 2017, and completed by Baronial Anniversary 2018. Projects must be submitted to the A&S Officer – summaries and photographs as appropriate, reviews of comestibles/potables by consumers and performances by those present etc. Submissions/progress submissions will be featured on [the challenge] blog by the A&S officer throughout the Challenge, if approved by the submitter. Spot prizes/awards will occur throughout the challenge, and successful completion of the Challenge by Baronial Anniversary 2018 will earn a special token from their Excellencies’ hands at that event. There will be a special display of projects as they are at that point during the A&S Display at next Canterbury Faire, and a display of the available projects at Baronial Anniversary 2018.

For any who are not members of the populace of Southron Gaard, Her Excellency has decided this Challenge is also open to entry from those not resident in our fair Barony, as it is not your fault that you are so disadvantaged.”

A Challenge blog has been set up to showcase entries as they come in – there’s already a few items up for display

So, follow along and see what the SG populace is producing.

The 100 days of A&S challenge

By   30 April, 2017
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a notebook page with a spiral of squares starting at 1 and ending at 100

Safiya bint al-Shadhid’s system to track her 100 days challenge 

Baroness Ameline of Rowany has laid down a personal challenge, and invites the Kingdom to participate if they will:

“I propose a challenge. In the style of the armored combatant Century Drill (100 blows for 100 days), I am undertaking an A&S Century Drill: 10(+) minutes for 100 days.

Hopefully it will serve dual purposes – building habit & consistency, while also reducing UFOs (unfinished objects) and UFIs (unfulfilled ideas)! And hopefully also hijacking some post [Rowany] Festival enthusiasm. Will you join me?

Obviously 10 minutes is the minimum, and as far as what counts – you know it when you see it. Ie, purposeful research counts just as much as actual crafting – but procrasti-faffing on Pinterest does not. And as I am reminded, if you miss a day, your day count resets to zero. Pick your own start date.

I thought about a fb group or event, but I think this is actually what a hashtag does best: #100daysofAS – whether in a facebook community, or on your own page, if you post an update of your progress.”

Her Excellency’s challenge has inspired the Kingdom. People are participating with projects around food, embroidery, music, costuming & shield painting.

If you’re on facebook you can follow along with the hashtag OR if you’re not on facebook and still want to take up the challenge you can post to a blog or twitter or tumblr or other online space, and let us know by commenting on this post.

Entering Crown? Need some documentation guidance?

By   25 March, 2017
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With the recent announcement from the Crown that entry to May Crown Tournament will require both entrants to have participated in some form of A&S during the reign, we’ve taken the time to update the page on Documentation for A&S in Lochac.

From the a section of a recent announcement by the Crown of Lochac: Ariston and Lilavati, Basileus kai Basilissa

“Entry requirements for Crown Tournament

We have one special requirement of each entrant (whether fighter or consort) into this tournament.

In the Iliad, the poet exalts two qualities of man above all: Arete (excellence), and Techne (knowledge and skills). Both qualities are essential pillars of our Society. Crown Tournaments exist as tests of the Arete of the entrants, but We would have Our successors also display some commitment to Techne, as this pillar is no less essential to the Kingdom’s flourishing.

As such, it is Our requirement for entrants into May Crown AS LII is that for each pair of entrants, both parties must have made an entry in an Arts and Sciences display or competition, or taught a class in the Arts and Sciences, during Our reign. Such entries may be in any field, from any time or culture before 1600CE, and while we will expect some documentation, there is no minimum ‘standard’ of entry required. We merely ask that entrants make a sincere effort to produce something of which they can be proud, which reflects their interests and passions in the Society.

Examples of competitions and displays that would fulfil these criteria include:

– Arts and Sciences competitions or displays organised at local events,
– Guild competitions or displays,
– Arts and Sciences displays at larger events such as Laurel Prize at Rowany Festival,
– Arts and Sciences competitions at Crown Progress events,
– Documentable performances of period arts as part of an event – for example, performing a period piece at a Bardic circle, or cooking and documenting period food for an event.

Classes taught at events to fulfil these criteria must:

– be open to any who wish to attend (i.e. they may not be private classes)
– include some documentation of period (pre-1600CE) content, materials, or approaches involved in the class.

The Crown will expect each pair entering Crown Tournament to provide evidence and testimony of their works, in order to be accepted onto the lists.

This evidence shall be in the form of a copy of the documentation used, a short summary of the context of the competition, display or class (where and when did you do this; who was the audience?), a brief (~100 words) summary of what the entrant was trying to achieve, demonstrate, or share. It should be presented at May Crown, before invocation court.

To ensure that entrants are not restricted by any specific entrance requirements of the Arts and Sciences displays and competitions to which they have access, there will be an open-entry Arts and Sciences display at May Crown itself, and entries in this display will count towards the fulfilment of the tournament’s entry requirements. Entries at this stage which are less suited to a conventional display (such as performances) may be discussed with the Crown by contacting them directly.”

Hopefully this will give you some guidance if you are planning to enter May Crown. You might also want to check our page on “Participating in A&S” for some ideas on how to meet this requirement.