Tag: laurel

Filling The Cups, Or How To Be a Laurel

Philosophy

I was jokingly asked recently, “What are the five easy steps to become a Laurel?” Never one to miss an opportunity, I gave a serious answer, though I failed to limit myself to five. Here I shall try to recreate that answer. I preface this with the disclaimers that this is all my own opinion of what I look for in a candidate, and opinions about such things are widely variable. This also very much reflects my experience in Meridies, and its applicability outside those borders may be imperfect.

Knights often use a metaphor of cups representing virtues that must be filled so that, once combined, they fill the bucket of Knighthood. I am going to appropriate and redefine that metaphor for my own uses. Before trying to define the cups, we must first define what exactly the bucket is. Here I point the reader to my old post “What is the Laurel?” In short, I define the Laurel as a recognition of an artisan’s ability to teach and guide others toward the goal of recreating and understanding historical arts and sciences. With that in mind, we can begin to look at the cups needed to fill that bucket.

Prowess

To be able to teach a thing, you must first be able to do the thing. It is not necessary to achieve the highest levels of mastery to be an effective Laurel, but you must have enough skill and experience in your chosen field to guide others down the path. An easy way to display prowess is by presenting your work at A&S faires. There are other opportunities to display, teach, and showcase your talents, but faires are unique in that Laurels are on hand as judges to give close attention and detailed feedback.

Knowledge

As our goal is not only to make and do things skillfully, but also to recreate and explore the historical arts and sciences, it is important for a Laurel to have deep knowledge of the tools, techniques, methods, and materials used by our forebears. There is always more to know, new subjects to explore, and fresh research to seek out and examine. An effective Laurel is never satisfied with what they already know; they are constantly on the lookout for opportunities to learn and reexamine the things they think they are sure of. Like prowess, this can also be put on display at A&S faires, as well as by teaching classes or publishing in print or online.

Teaching

Unsurprisingly, a job whose primary function is being a teacher requires some skill doing just that. Teaching is an entirely separate skill layered on top of whatever thing it is you actually want to teach about, and it doesn’t come naturally to everyone. There are many ways to teach: large classes, workshops, one on one mentoring, how-to videos, anything that allows you to pass your knowledge and skill along to others. It takes practice to get it right, and even a seasoned teacher will need a couple of test runs when they start teaching a new subject or aspect of one they’ve taught before. As a Laurel trying to judge a candidate’s teaching ability, it helps if at least some of that teaching is in a public setting.

Humility

Being able to put others before yourself is an important and often difficult thing. Teaching is about educating the students, not the brilliance of the teacher. Mentoring should focus on the person being lifted up, not the one doing the lifting. Willingness to re-examine what you think you know helps avoid perpetuating bad information. Admitting your mistakes helps you move past them. All of these things are important for someone who seeks to be in a position of respect and leadership.

Wordfame

A Laurel is a resource that should be available to anyone looking for knowledge and advice. Usually they are a “go-to” person in their field. However, people can only go to you if they know who you are and what you do. Humility is a virtue, but any virtue taken to an extreme is detrimental. Don’t hide your light under a bushel; make yourself and your work visible so people know that you’re willing and able to share. Both travel and a strong online presence are helpful tools for achieving this.

Engagement

The flip side of wordfame is knowing who else is out there. Laurels are inevitably asked questions about things they have no knowledge of, and at those times it is very useful to know other artisans you can redirect those questions to. You may also have an opportunity to promote someone else, or to put two people in touch who would benefit from the connection. Get out and meet people outside your group, outside your field, outside your kingdom. Know who the movers and shakers are, both artisans and otherwise.

Communication

While it is tempting to lock yourself away in your shop or studio and focus on your work, it is part of a Laurel’s job to be able to effectively communicate with others. As mentioned above, teaching, mentoring, and networking are all part of the job, and all of these require a proficient communicator. Knowing what to say, when, and how require as much practice as any other skill. Empathy and active listening will help you know when you need to change your tack. You will need to be able to encourage the timid, rebuke the unruly, and advise the unsure, all without causing more problems than you solve.

Leadership

All Peers are leaders in their field, and in the SCA as a whole. Look for opportunities to create, support, and promote communities. This might take the form of a group project, a guild, or an office. A good leader can make a community into something greater than the sum of its parts. A leader must inspire confidence and trust in those they want to lead. Build a track record of good stewardship and participation in communities that you value so that when a leader is needed you’ll be ready to step in.

Wisdom

“To speak and to be silent… to do and to let be.” Recognizing the right time and way to take action is a subtle but important trick. Sometimes the right thing to do is nothing, or to make space for someone else to act.

Franchise

I have written at length in the past about this subject, but my personal interpretation of Franchise is confidence in the fact that you are worthy of your station; essentially the opposite of impostor syndrome. It must be tempered with a healthy dose of Humility, but as a teacher and a leader it is important to have trust in yourself so that others can feel comfortable placing their trust in you as well.

In Conclusion…

All of the things I have mentioned are important, but it is not necessary to fill every cup to the brim to be a good Laurel. Some things that are easy for one person are difficult for another, or vice versa. Personal circumstances or the specifics of your art may make it hard to teach or display or travel. The “soft skills” of communication and leadership may be daunting for the introverted. It’s a lot for one person to take on, and it may take years to fill those cups. Take your time, ask for help and advice when you need it, examine why you may feel blocked in one or another aspect of growth. It’s also okay to look at the responsibilities that come with the wreath of the Laurel and decide it’s not something that you want to take on. When we look at candidates we not only consider value they would bring to the kingdom, but also the burden that they would have to bear and whether they would be able to bear it better with more time to hone all the varied skills that are required. If this is the path you want to take, know that we want you to get to the end of it as much as you do.

Shining a Light

Philosophy

Someone asked recently about what is expected for receiving a award of high merit in the arts (e.g. OVO). I didn’t weigh in at the time as it was in an inter-kingdom context and answers were therefore widely varying, but I do have some thoughts based on my own personal experience.

For the most part, there are three kingdom level arts awards in Meridies. When evaluating whether to recommend someone for them, I consider both the personal prowess of the individual and their engagement and impact on the kingdom as a whole.

First, the Meridian Cross. This is given for promise in the arts and sciences. It is purely concerned with personal prowess and recognizes potential for further growth. This award will likely be given as a result of recommendations from people in your local area. Imagine that it is a spark that can be seen in the darkness.

Next is the Velvet Owl. The potential recognized by the Meridian Cross has been realized, and the candidate has continued to improve their research and execution. They are consistent and diligent. This is the point where a candidate should be influencing others: they should be teaching both in their local area and elsewhere in the kingdom. They may be helping organize guilds or holding the A&S office in their local group. They should be making connections within the A&S community throughout the kingdom. The OVO is a polling order, and they can only vote on people that they have the opportunity to know. Imagine that they are a lamp that is not only visible, but illuminates the area around them.

Finally there is the Laurel. Prowess and teaching are expected at this point. The candidate should be known as an expert in their field both by other experts and those who seek to learn. They should exhibit good judgment in their evaluation of candidates for the OVO and have a broad network of connections throughout the kingdom and possibly beyond. They should have a grasp of the workings of the Kingdom at large, for the arts do not happen in a vacuum. They should be aware of the effects they have on others and strive to raise up those around them. Imagine now that they are a torch that not only sheds light, but lights candles around them.

If it sounds like the OVO and Laurel require a lot of effort, that’s because they do. They require more than simply making art, because the Kingdom needs more than just artists. It needs teachers. It needs leaders. It needs people who use their art to enrich others and make a Society out of a group of individuals. Not everyone will want to do this much work, especially when much of that work actually takes time away from making one’s own art. Work requires sacrifice, and that sacrifice is, in part, what these awards recognize. Personally, I take as much joy in teaching and in making connections between artisans as I do in actually making art. Not everyone does, and that does not make them bad people. I enjoy fighting, but I will never put in the time and make the sacrifices required to become a Knight. This stings a little, but I know that it is because of my own choices and I accept it.

Obviously, these are my own opinions, and I realize that not every individual follows the same path or shares the same views. I hope, however, that this may provide some useful perspective.

What is the Laurel?

Philosophy

This was originally posted in 2009, shortly after my elevation, in response to a discussion about “peer like qualitites”.

I knew I wanted to be a Laurel early on in my SCA career. The barony I started playing in had a large concentration of Laurels, and I wanted to be like them. I didn’t know exactly why, except that they did lots of cool stuff, but I knew that was the path I wanted to be on. Did I know where it led at that point? Not really.

So I became an apprentice, and took the green belt that was the outward sign of my ambition. Over the years I pursued the various arts that appealed to me, and in time began to teach them to others. For a long time I was in that contradictory state where, if asked, I would say that the Laurel wasn’t my goal, while the sash around my waist said the opposite. It wasn’t until later that I came to understand why that wasn’t entirely contradictory, and I found my own understanding of what it meant to me.

What is the Laurel?

After many years, I got to the place that many have reported finding themselves, namely the land of What If I Never Become A Laurel? It’s not a fun place, but it’s a good place to do some thinking. I started trying to figure out what exactly I was missing out on, besides jewelry and meetings. I didn’t need the Laurel to do my art, and I didn’t even need it to teach. I couldn’t take official apprentices without it, but I could have students and encourage others to pursue their own arts. What, I wondered, was the Laurel really good for?

As far as I can tell, the Laurel is a license. What is a license? It’s a document that tells someone who does not know you personally that some accredited group has deemed you fit to perform some task. A driver’s license says that you have passed the driving test and are at least minimally competent to safely operate a vehicle. A medical or law license says that you have completed the necessary training to work in those professions. The Laurel is like a teaching license, in that it declares that you are able to competently perform and teach the arts and sciences that we do in the SCA.

Is a license an award? Sort of. A doctor receives his diploma in a ceremony and hangs it on the wall of his office so you can see his credentials, just as the Laurel receives and displays his regalia. What it is not is the end of the journey. Imagine a med student graduating, getting his medical license, and then retiring! Receiving the license is the end of one journey, and the beginning of a career.

What is the purpose of a license?

You may have noticed my earlier emphasis on the fact that a license certifies your credentials to those who don’t know you. It’s possible to be an artisan and a teacher in the SCA without being a Laurel, and even to do so better than some who are. The only thing the Laurel will do is to give an idea of your skills to someone who has no knowledge of you, either personally or by reputation. If you tell someone “I’m a cooking Laurel”, that gives them a certain idea of your ability to cook in a period style, redact recipes, etc. It is am imprecise tool, and one that can be misused, like any tool. When used wisely and honestly, though, it helps those who are seeking knowledge and advice find it more easily.

What is the value of a license?

The value of a license is directly related to the reputation of the institution that grants it. A medical license from a third world country does not necessarily carry the same weight as one granted in a more industrialized nation. The value of the Laurel is equal to the sum of all the experiences that a particular person has had with Laurels (or perhaps Laurels from your kingdom or local group). If someone has had bad experiences with Laurels, they will place less weight on it as an accurate measure of skill and personality, and vice versa for those who have had mostly good experiences.

This is why the Laurel is a polling order. It is in their best interests to maintain a high level of quality in their membership, and therefore a high level of overall respect for the Laurel as an Order (or a brand, if you will). If they let in a bunch of jerks, then people will start to think all Laurels are jerks, and therefore that they personally are jerks.

So is it just a status symbol?

While it is a status symbol, like most status symbols it does have a useful purpose. A big SUV is a symbol of wealth, but if it is regularly used to transport large numbers of people then it is not an empty symbol. Likewise, a Laurel who is using their status to actively teach and promote the arts more widely than they might have been able to without it is making good use of it.