Creativity - it's the LAW!

" Populace of the West! Pay Heed! Their Majesties challenge all subjects to compete in an Arts and Sciences Championship to be held
at October Crown.....

In addition to the previously published competitions of:

•Period instrumental piece
•Armor, for people or animals

The following categories have been added for the Championship:

•Research Paper (no more than 10 pages) – can be any subject that is of particular interest to you: a battle, shoes, fortifications,
jewelry, migrational patterns of Viking raiders, etc. You know there is something that you have been itching to research.

•Textiles – can be: clothing, a favor, a loom, period tie-dye (if you can document it).

•Ballistics – Might be: arrows, catapult, throw in your own ideas!

•Period Private Parts – Etchings, underwear, you have a naughty mind. Make it work!."

 It says "challenge," not "command."

The thing is, I CAN document period tie-dye and was planning on working on that next anyhow. I can whack out a functional and accurate staff-sling in about 10 minutes with a tree branch, a pocket knife, some string and a piece of leather. Got hurdy gurdy, will travel. And ten pages on any topic I want?

The thing is, I've got nothing to prove.

Creativity - it's the Law Part II

O My Readers who think you can giri me into doing something I find distasteful, you clearly do not know me personally, or you came in late to this journal, or you simply have not been paying attention. Or you're deliberately trying to make me foam at the mouth, which is messy and unattractive. Flattery will get you nowhere.

http://gurdymonkey.livejournal.com/213461.html in case you blew by it.

So, do you want to take responsibility for the neurotic monster I will become? I do, you know. I have very, VERY good reasons for not becoming involved in competitions in the SCA - and that goes for judging too, allergicone, so please don't get any ideas. I have formed those reasons after a lifetime of experiences and a great deal of thought.

Was not the whining and obsessing over a plywood box not amusing enough that you feel the need to watch me have a meltdown trying to complete anywhere from one to five* projects poorly executed hack jobs in a month?  (*No. Monkey. Armor. No how.) Go watch Project Runway or something.

Have I not been enough of a pain in the ass this year?

I'll spell it out again for the latecomers:

Art is not a horse race. Certain things cannot and should not be reduced to a numerical point system. Certain things cannot and should not be compared to each other either.

If you're scribbling notes and numbers, you cannot react subjectively to the work of a performance artist because you have just built in your own distraction.

Reaction to art should be subjective. It's OK for one not to like something.

There is no such thing as objective judging - anyone who claims differently is at best, deluding themselves; at worst, lying. Even in the SCA, where all judges are fair and knowledgeable and no one ever goes home crying - or at the very least, kicking themselves for not having a crystal ball and including the answers to every judges' question in the documentation.

Now here's a question to all you do-gooders:

What is the outcome of accepting said challenge after politely saying no to quite a few people over the years who have asked me to enter (bardic) competitions or judge something in the past? Will they not be insulted? Will they think I am inconsistent? Will they lose respect for me?

 What is the outcome of accepting said challenge and submitting whatever I might decide to do as "For Display Only?"
Am I going back upon my personal code by doing so? (See link posted above.)
Am I insulting the Crown because they want to see bodies strewn around the arena a competition?
Am I insulting other entrants?
Am I cutting off my own nose to spite my face?
Am I showing off?

You bet your ass I think about these things.

Japanese Demon Meme, my glowing red eyes!

If you're wondering why I have not jumped on the Hello Quizzy bandwagon, proper demons do not fill out lame-ass registration forms!!!