Almost 4 years ago I wrote a short bit about Mendeley and other free applications that one can use to organize research for SCA use.  That was shortly after I started working with Mendeley and I have to say that it not only completely changed how I store and organize my data, but it changed my over all process of research.  I have ready access to much of my library now (from multiple computers as well as my phone), and no longer have to try to figure out where/when I read some particular fact.

I highly recommend checking out this product, as well as the tutorials.  I have also included below a document that I did that is part very-basic-tutorial and part tips for how I personally use it to help make better use of my resources and research.

https://www.mendeley.com

The best advice to becoming a better artisan is always to work hard at your art and to never stop learning.  Realistically though, the path is much more complex than that, and often it involves a very necessary period of reflection and self-evaluation.
 
Frequently, you need to take a step away and make sure that you are still doing your art for the right reasons.  In the SCA, this is summed up in a phrase often quoted to new apprentices - “do what you love”.  That is, indeed, the crux of it, but taking a look well beyond that is crucial.  You really do need to pursue your art because it brings you joy.  Yes, projects can be frustrating, and often you need to step away and do something else for a bit, but if the work becomes an anxiety filled chore, it is up to you (and you alone) to figure out why that is.  More often than not, it comes down to doing things for the wrong reasons (because you are constantly doing favors for others, or because you are stuck in a research or artistic rut, or because you are doing things you do not really love because you think they will get you some form of recognition, rather than doing them because it is your calling).  Explore the reasons and take steps to resolve it, even if that means working harder, choosing to step away, or choosing to change your approach.
 
We, as artisans, also need to practice better self-assessment.  It is very important to look at our own work with a critical eye.  What could have been done better?  What would you do to improve next time?  If the piece wins a competition, by all means, enjoy the moment and add it to your resume, but you should still look at your work to see where it could be improved were you to do it again.  There is always room for improvement.
 
We also need to really decide what outlets we truly want/need for our art. If, for example, your art is costuming, you can absolutely craft pretty garments that you (or others) will wear with pride.  Ideally, no one would ever give more than a passing comment about how much they like it.  You may never do more than make pretty things and wear them and feel beyond content with that.  THAT IS OK.  You do not have to display, you do not have to teach, and you most certainly do not have to compete.  Not every fighter who takes the field at Pennsic is working to become a Knight, nor is he fighting a tourney to try to win Crown.  The SCA is a very large organization with room for many playing styles and we can all find our niche within the Society.

If you are trying to progress in your art (or if you are interesting in becoming an apprentice), you will eventually need to display your items publicly in some manner (whether it is competitions, open displays, in roundtables or the classroom), and there needs to be an understanding that when you choose to do that, that you are absolutely asking for feedback on the art.  You are not putting it out there to get comments on how pretty it is (though you will get those as well), but rather you are putting it out there so that you can both share (teach) and learn (from critique).  This is not for everyone, and honestly, it is much more difficult for some individuals to put their work out there than others.  If you do, however, want to grow your art, you really are dependent on the feedback and suggestions of others to achieve that.  Keep in mind most of all that this is actually a very large part of the “never stop learning” advice I first mentioned in this article.
 
When you do put it on display, and receive advice, it is key to keep an open mind about what you hear.  Remember that someone is taking time away from their own art to speak with you.  Why would they do that?  It is almost always because they like some facet of your work and want to assist you in doing it better next time.
 
A friend of mine, Mistress Ragnveig Snorradóttir of Atlantia, listed the following items to keep in mind when receiving feedback:

1. Don't panic.
2. You're not marrying this person, so you can choose to take their advice or not.
3. They showed up today believing they could help you.
4. Step back. Do they have a point?

 
Artisans love to help other artisans.  In fact, the Order of the Laurel exists in part to facilitate that very thing!  Remembering that when listening (or reading) the commentary can help to shed a much better light on the words that are given.  Was it suggested that you need to improve documentation?  That is less likely to mean that your documentation is horrible, than it is that you just need to put work into improving that area.  Perhaps you should organize it better so that they can find the information they need about the item.  Maybe it means that your research could be more deep and you are ready to think about more complex aspects of your art.  Maybe it means that they love what you are doing and that they want to see more in-progress photos so that they can learn more about how you did it (perhaps even because they want to try it too).  It could mean a million things, and every one of those are more likely than it meaning “your documentation sucks”. 
 
Engage in a conversation with the judge or commenter if you can, ask them for the things they would like to see improved and work towards those goals.  (And remember that not everyone is eloquent, or even articulate, and take that into account when possible, when trying to find the value in their advice.  They likely mean well, but things might not be translating properly.  Take a step back and view the conversation with a fresh heart and the idea that that person is, indeed, trying to help you.)
 
Remember also that even the best mentor out there might occasionally give poor advice, or they might be referencing older research, or they might just be wrong about something.  As mentioned before, you can absolutely choose not to take that advice, but make sure that it is not a knee-jerk reaction on your own part.  It is always ok to ask for resources or clarification.  Likewise, it is ok to offer your own resources and clarification, but do so with grace.  It is also perfectly ok, at the end of the day, to thank the person for their comments and just move on.
 
Finally, remember that art takes time.  Being a fabulous artisan takes an exceptional amount of time.  Again, one needs to take time to reflect on what realistically your goals are, and what should they be.  Can you actually fit those into your life?  I forever see comments from people that they do not have time to invest in hand sewing, or they might like to paint, but do not want to spend time researching period materials, or that they do not want to write a dissertation as documentation.  I think many woes in the SCA A&S community are easily resolved by looking at things in a very practical, and personal, manner.  If you want to become a master at your art (and possibly receive some formal recognition of that), you need to put the time in there to work towards that.  To use a comparison, if a fighter wants to be King, or if he/she desires to get Knighted, then he/she is going to weekly practices and he/she travels to other areas to learn techniques taught there.  He/she works at home practicing and he/she is growing his skill daily over a period of many years (or decades) and learning from others each step of the way how to improve his/her skill set and how to be better on the field.  He/she starts to teach others, and even learns from them as he/she is doing so.  The journey of an artisan is not so different from that.
 
Yes, this might involve rearranging priorities in your life. It might mean giving up TV shows in favor of practicing calligraphy.  It might mean tabling some ideas until the kids start school and you have more free time.  It might mean focusing on one art, rather than five different ones.  You can still love your art and work on it, and it is ok to accept that the road might just be a bit longer because of the bumps along the way.  It might even mean that you can't travel this path at this time at all (just like a fighter working 2 jobs might not make it to enough practices to make vast improvements).  Remember that those who have A&S awards, just like those fighters who display acts of prowess that win tournaments, have made similar choices.  They really do understand “life”, but they also know what it takes to excel at something and that they are actually there to assist you in your own journey as an artisan.
 

I was honored this year at Pennsic to be elevated to the Order of the Laurel.  I think at some point in the future I need to make a post about what that means to me and how I hope to best emulate the amazing Laurels who have inspired my own journey.  For now though, I have to share the photos taken by my friends and campmates of the beautiful vigil that happened in our camp at War.

My campmates/Thunder family, did an AMAZING job with the vigil. I can absolutely say that I have never seen one so well and so beautifully decked out. All of the work is so much appreciated, including that from Xenophon Vaughn, Meabhdh and Rosamund du Grasse (who baked bread and made cheese) doing food, Isabella, Petra and Amy who doing the plating, Amber for being the person who was always there with a helping hand and Luiseach and Galyana for the awesome decor.

Thanks to Master Morien MacBain, Lord Dietrich Saphir and Lady Karin for managing the list and keeping things running smoothly. And thank you Morien also for the beautiful book for the list and the reminder of Walden Books! Thank you Paulette Lashley for procuring the lovely vigil book. Thank you to Ivan who opted to by my guard almost the entire night.

One of the things that I really wanted to have for my vigil was to have my Laurel cloak woven on site.  Historically, in many places, weaving was a communal activity.  It was also highly symbolic and played heavily into early myth and legend.  This was not going to be an easy thing to pull off, but with the help of many excellent friends, my cloak was woven on site and so very many new people have also been introduced to the art of weaving as they helped to add length to my cloak.  Lady Rosamund du Grasse has also beautifully produced a laurel wreath applique that will be sewn onto the cloak.  I have so much joy that this happened and that so many were willing to step in and make it so!  And to Alexande, from my household, I have to give special thanks because he so loved weaving that he finished the cloak for me after the vigil!

I was also honored to have her Excellency of Highland Foorde, Glynis, play her harp for the vigil, and interestingly enough, she also played for the vigil of Mistress Molly, who was my own Laurel.

Thank you also to those who came out that night to share their wisdom with me, and to their Majesties who trekked clear to e17 to hold Court. I am beyond honored.

(And thank you to Morien for the rather hysterical end to the vigil. lol)

Vigil photos by Heidi Muller Petty, Sharon White Hove, Beth LaScola and Annie Hamel.

Court was quite possibly the hottest, and most humid day, that occurred while I was at War.  Despite that, it was wonderful to see so many receive well earned honors that night, especially to Duke Timothy, who received his Pelican.  Their Majesties looked regal, as did the numerous others who put on a display of pageantry as only AEthelmearc can. We had someone new to Court in our group and it was adorable to see how delighted she was to see others getting awards.

My household clearly loves me so much that many of them actually put on pants twice during one Pennsic on my behalf!  I am hoping that at some point photos of the procession will surface because I would love to capture that moment with my household and my e17 family. 

And was beyond honored that Duke Timothy spoke for me as a member of the Chivalry, Mistress Rhiannon y bwa spoke as a member of the Order of the Laurel, Master Orlando was not present but sent his words as a Master of Defense with another member of his order, the graceful Countess Kalista Morganova speaking as Royal Peer, and dear Master Morien MacBain, I am sorry to say that I think everyone in the Kingdom will want him to speak for them after his eloquent and hysterical performance on my behalf. I am honored to have known you for my entire life, and to have been inspired and encouraged by you and Joe from a very young age (with assistance, of course, from Master Ral Partha, LOL).

And my own Laurel, Mistress Mary Isabel of Heatherstone, I cannot thank this amazing woman enough for being a huge part of my journey.  It meant the world to me.  As if honor enough was not heaped on me this Pennsic, I was weeping when I learned that the medallion that she delivered was from Duchess Elisheva.

Master Fridrikr provided one of those beautifully transporting moments that happen from time to time in the SCA.  Moments where we can believe that for that span of time, we can see into the past.  I do not think that I will ever have enough words to convey proper thanks to you for serving as my herald and for wordsmithing my scroll. For those not there, this was done in Old Norse.  I heard it and was swept away. The time and care that went into this astounds me and I am humbled that this was done would just to do this for me.  I understand that there will be an AEthelmearc Gazette article coming out about the crafting of this piece.  I will definitely be sharing that link when it happens.

In addition to the members of my household, I was also surprised and honored (yes, I keep using that word) to see many friends from out of Kingdom had come to Court for this occasion.  It was an absolutely magical night that I will carry with me forever.

My Pennsic this year was pretty busy and rather hectic with having to run off site a number of times to take care of Nimar.  However, we both still got to be at War and the cat does very well in the RV (and the campground was nice), so I consider it all a massive win.

Below are some of the things that I loved about this particular Pennsic, and another post will follow with photos of my vigil and elevation.

My household and neighbors are awesome, and are part of what make every War so completely fantastic.  Campmates singing late at night, the fantastic folks at Gabe's, who ran out into the flash storm on land grab weekend to save the largest pavilion in camp from collapsing, the fantastic meals prepared in camp, mimosas every morning, it is all part of what makes Pennsic my Home.

One of my highlights was two of the lovely ladies in my camp winning the music competition at Chalkman this year.  :-)

I also love seeing the random acts of Chivalry that occur at Pennsic. This year I was heading to one of my classes with my over laden cart and a man in armor, hot from the field passed me on the road, just as I was starting to pull my cart up the hill. He turned around and came over to offer assistance with the cart (even though I was headed in the opposite direction).

Another man insisted on holding my basket for me as we stood chatting in the market place. And I have campmates who are willing to jump up and lend a hand with pretty much anything at any moment to help out.

I was offered a seat and a tasting cup at the lovely Icelandic dinner I attended. I was honored there also to hear tales of long ago told by none other than Duke Cariadoc. I also saw one person give another a couple dollars in the market when the individual was buying an item and realized they left their credit card in camp and did not quite have enough cash to cover a purchase. I saw folks clearing a path for a woman with a walker. I saw another woman with a walker who did her best to cover it to make it stand out less in a medieval atmosphere. (Oh, and kudos to the runners who went out of their way to run in garb this year, you all looked GREAT!)

I saw kindness and courtesy when my class tent was over full and there were no more chairs and Sadb Ingen Chonchobair gave her chair to another gentle who badly needed a seat and choose to sit on the floor of the class. I had a cramped second class and everyone made sure that there was space for everyone to sit so that they could see.

THIS is what the SCA is about to me and it is an honor to be part of it.

A&S and Classes

With the craziness of having to run off site so much, plus the need to finish cloth that was in camp, on the loom (more about that later), I did not have the time to go to many classes.  I did however take one very interesting one on practical Viking clothing by Vicountess Ísgerðr Gulkárr.  She did a great sort of "how to improve your Viking kit" class last year so I was looking forward to this one and I was not disappointed.

For my part, I taught my new class: A Deeper Look at Deeper Look at Textiles & Trim of Viking Age Dress twice.  This class is not a beginners piece that describes the layers or has basic information about wearing wool and linen rather than cotton (there are SO many wonderful beginning Viking classes that I decided to approach costuming differently).  I am really happy with how this class is developing and look forward to teaching it again.

My own classes were full. By full, I mean FULL. I had 25 hand outs, and nearly double that number for the first class. Thanks to one of the lovely ladies at Stierbach who went right to the University tent and arranged for a larger space. (I think that class had 45 in it, though a few more popped in part way through it.) Despite the wind and the heat, it went well. 

I tried arrange for a larger tent for the War Week class, but there was not one available. Fortunately, people rounded up chairs, took seats on the ground and were generally amiable about mashing into the tent (and out into the walk way). Handouts were shared around and it seamed to go well despite the cramped quarters.  I love research, and love finding ways to share that information with others. Thanks both to those who have helped me with my research and for those who come to classes.

I was asked afterwards by a friend what I was going to tweak before teaching it again (because my classes are living things and change daily based on my own research and perceived needs of the next group to take the class) and the answer is that I will likely do a survey of frequency of stitch types and add that to the discussion.

Of course, it is Pennsic so fantastic A&S geeking is everywhere.  I love all the casual conversations I have with people about their arts!  We also had spinning lessons in camp and loads of new folks got to learn to weave cloth this year!  The A&S display was lovely, but I am very sad that I missed the Champions display (we had to leave that day as our time at the other campground was up).

I did get to stop in at Clanne Preachain's annual Early Period A&S Day in their encampment.  It was AMAZING this year.  Many classes were happening and lots of open demos.  I very much look forward to this next year and recommend that if this is a time period of interest that you check it out as well.

I also got to partake in a period Icelandic feast that was incredible.  It was so good, in fact, that I will be making a post entirely about that event.

Enough for now!  I have a few more Pennsic posts and pics coming this week.

While I am still composing my thoughts, and pulling photos, about Pennsic, I thought I would share a blog by an amazing artisan from AEthelmearc, Lady Elska Fjarfell.  If you ever wanted to know about ancient practices of soap making, brewing or tons of other cool things, I highly recommend looking her up at events.

http://bookeofsecretes.blogspot.com/