on passion

[ursule]

In a conversation about SCA recognition, ayeshadream wrote:

I had a deep discussion with a friend about this the other weekend who was visibly upset about how a competition turned out. I said so long as they do what they're passionate about then nothing else matters.

"Follow your passion" is fairly common advice in the SCA, in any small-liberal-artsy context

Comments

[gwacie]

Rather than "Follow your passion" I would say "Do it because you like doing it; not for any outside reason." and that is the only way to guaranty not to be disappointed. If you love the craft and do the craft for the love of it. Too many people look for external validation, which is never as lasting as internal.

That said, I love competitions and pitting myself against the criteria, bwahahaha!! And showing off, of course :)

[kthrockmorton]

Yes, this. Awards are nice, but in the end, if you play in a big kingdom, or spend a great deal of your time on pursuits that don't attract a great deal of attention (like heraldry), odds are that you aren't going to get the awards very fast. So doing it for the awards, in my observation, often results in nothing but frustration when you don't get the awards you "deserve".

[gwacie]

It's not just the awards, it's any external validation. A lot of people enter A&S Competitions just wanting to have someone tell them "Ooo Pretty! You're so good!" which the competition isn't designed to do; a display is a better place for that.

Not that I don't need external validation, everyone does to a certain extant, but you should have an internal validation for why you're doing it too.

Am I babbling?

Nice arms, btw :)

[kthrockmorton]

I agree that external validation is important. But the thing of it is, most people in the SCA get the kind of external validation that you are talking about from their friends, or from other SCAdians who share their interests, which seems to me to be a more appropriate place to get external validation, than awards.

I don't think that it is wrong to want to get awards, or to be a peer. *I* want to be a peer, because how else will I ever get to be called by a persona appropriate title ;). But I've also heard people say "If I don't get X in a year, I'm quitting", and then do it, or engage in really unethical behavior in order to get a desired award. I guess that what I'm trying to say is that when becoming a peer becomes the *primary* motivation for doing X, then angst and drama generally ensue.

Thanks for the compliment on the arms. I was just thinking that your's are remarkably attractive as well.

[ursule]

Conversations like these always make me value the sanity of my acquaintance.

Speaking of awards, yay, Panache for Ary!

[gwacie]

Even when it is about the awards, it's not about the awards.

A lot of people who are desperate to achieve rank X find the victory hallow and unsatisfying, because that award they thought would make them happy didn't. And this can spiral into them going after the next highest award because this one will really make them happy because it's shiny and important! And that one doesn't either.. because what they really want they need to look inside for.

It's all about -why- you want it, not that you want it. I would like to be a Laurel when I grow up; because Laurels seem to be pretty cool people and I like hanging out with them, but being a Laurel or not isn't going to change my opinion of my self worth.

[aelfgyfu]

Well, actually, you will get a lot of ,"Oh pretty," out of competition, just not from the judges. ;-) Not that I ever look for external validation or anything... But agree about internal stuff being important also.

[gwacie]

The way we do A&S competitions here in the Midrealm; not so much. The entrants and populace aren't allowed in the room while judging is going on, and since judging starts early in the day and ends late (and entrants tend to pick up their work soon as judging is done) which means most often only three judges get to see your work, and no one else. (Unless you're entering Performing Arts, which the populace is encouraged to view) :( It's a problem I think, especially since a lot of people come to the A&S to show off what they do. For last year's regional A&S I tried to schedule time for the entry hall to be open for populace viewing; not sure if that helped like I hoped or not.

For less formal competitions at events, yeah, you get a lot of "ooo pretty!" and mass love. It's all about the love, really ;)

[ursule]

An Tir puts everyone in a big room. On the other hand, we don't have the regional structure that the Midrealm has, just Kingdom A&S and Kingdom Bardic.

[ursule]

My personal rule is "Never take an SCA job that doesn't sound fun". Because if it doesn't sound fun starting out, when will it?

[gwacie]

Good rule!