A&S, I'm doing it all wrong.

I was coming back from my town run on my first full day at Estrella and I ran into a guy coming out of gate check in. He was wearing a tee shirt that said, "Because I'm the Laurel, that's why." I felt the need to approach and cheerfully inform him that I disagreed with his shirt. (Seriously? Our Society dubs people "experts" and we can't expect a civil and informative answer to a legitimate question?) Our paths were in the same direction and we had quite an amicable discussion in which Master Whoever He Is came to the conclusion that I'm Doing It All Wrong And Will Never Get A Laurel That Way.

So what else is new? I haven't specialized in one thing and Achieved Mastery (TM) of it. (Well, no, I'm a little busy writing poems and hand sewing clothes and doing woodworking with kitchen tools and looking up where the Jesuits established missions in the Far East and oh, I need better lanterns for my pavilion than those crap paper things from Cost Plus and hey, is THAT how the Japanese got muskets and Micah wants to teach folk dances at Coronet so let me see if I can get a copy of Ikema and it's Tuesday so I've got taiko and it's ALL fascinating, you poor, myopic Master Guy.) I'm not Getting My Work Out There by entering every competition from here to Pennsic. (Well, no. I Get My Work Out There on the web, which means I'm actually networking with people who are interested in the same things I am, most of them Not Laurels.) Why Haven't I Apprenticed To A Laurel? (Conversely why hasn't anyone asked me to be theirs?) Because it would not be a good fit, probably. Because I like my independence. Because I'd rather pick more brains than just one.

I can't and won't second guess the thoughts of a body comprised of multiple minds, even though I know I've probably been on and off that microscope slide for years now. Not everyone gets to be a peer. Not everyone needs to be a peer and I'm done worrying about it. Life is short and I have too much to learn.

So now there's this Wreath of Athena thing they're doing at March Crown, which due to imperfect use of the term "invitation"  was misunderstood on the kingdom e-list and there was some wrangling about what it was and who could be in it. It's basically a populace judged A&S contest, no documentation required, open to all artisans who wish to participate. People put their stuff on the table, other people look at said stuff and vote for what they like with beads. The person who gets the most beads gets a wreath to wear for the remainder of the event. You know, the kind of contest where ooh shiny is likely to beat out something not shiny but exquisitely executed.  It's an attempt to try something new and different and that's fine. It's just not my thing.

So, shit stirrer that I am, I just wrote the following to the list: In the name of Omoikane no kami, this artisan invites all and sundry to view her
old, new (and possible in-progress works depending on what the next couple weeks hold) at March Crown and any other event, where said work will be on display in the proper context as articles of use, namely upon her body and in her encampment. Tea, conversation, pretty things. What more could one wish?

I was planning on knocking out a new banner this weekend and doing a new piece of garb for myself in time for Crown anyway.