punching hot buttons

[einar@cvn.net (einar)]

Poster: einar@cvn.net (einar)

Okay, Dafydd and Alianora, I do see your points, but...  I guess I shall
have to make a bit of a confession.

When I create something for SCA-usage, I look at what research materials I
have at hand *given* *the* *time* **and** ***money*** *I* *have* *in*
*which* to *complete* *the* *project*.  Neither factor, time and money, is
plentiful.  I *also* allow for a really sizable amount of sheer inspiration
and my own somewhat unusual sense of aesthetics.  I don't wind up with
replicas, ever.  I have a couple of costumes that come close, but close is
a relative term.

The most important aspect to me, personally, about my projects, is that
they are creative, and this reflects an integral, indefinable part of my
personality.  It *must* satisfy my inner vision of what I want that project
to look like when complete.   *Not* that any given project is period to the
last detail.  There have been occasions when someone, during the course of
making it or wearing/using it, has actually said "Well, it's very pretty,
but you *can't* document *that*," in a tone of voice that *more* than
implies that my project is not worthwhile.  The artistic side of me
bristles, to put it mildly, over that.  To be blunt, it ticks me off to no
end.  And it takes a lot of the joy and pleasure and ***fun*** out of doing
this.

>Why is authenticity not fun?  Is it because people have had boring history
>teachers or encountered an example of a rude person?

How about a whole bunch of the latter over the last several years??  With
all due respect, and without casting any blame around, this is one reason
why I don't go to events as much as I once did, and why I don't enjoy the
game with anywhere near as much as enthusiasm.  People (yes, it's undefined
-- better that way, trust me) don't mean to be cruel, but they are anyway.
This is my pet peeve, and it's on steroids.  Let's just say that this is my
button, and it's got a deep muscle bruise at this point.

>  Authenticity is
>LOADS of fun, especially if you like puzzles.

That's fine, and yes, it is a lot of fun.  But I also love being struck by
the creativity lightning bolt.  *That* is what turns me on.  Having that
stifled and denigrated is a turn-off.  I am ***not*** slapping anyone down
here for their opinions and preferences.  I am simply telling you what my
preferences are and what **my** buttons are.

Flat out:  the SCA has been my outlet for my creativity.  My own personal
artistic tastes are way out of step with the mundane world, and I have
found that 1) I don't like drawing undue attention in public, and 2) what I
do doesn't sell.  I play within the rules as well as I can, but I do need
to satisfy this part of myself.  This is my life-long personality quirk.  I
can't change it -- believe me, I've tried.

Elen Prydydd


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