On being a landed baron/ess
Nov. 29th, 2006 10:09 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helwenMost folks who know me on LJ know that I've been baroness of Bergental twice - the first one and the current one. The second time, running with fitzw, a number of folks remarked on my sanity, questioning if I had any :D "Why do it again?" they asked.
Yes, it can be time-consuming and there are many 'chores' involved in the position. Heaven knows I probably don't keep up with everything that should be done, but I do my best. So, why do it again?
The answer might lay in the first time... the first time Etienne and I didn't really know what to expect, none of us did. Heck, I wasn't even in one of the first couples to get into the running for the positions. Etienne was running with someone else because I didn't want to be up in front of everyone, I was happy to be working behind the scenes. But as there were only two pairs running, there was an unpleasant polarity developing, so I joined in the race with a friend, and another pair joined as well -- kind of blur the lines a little, as it were. Then Etienne's partner fell in love with someone from another group and moved, much discussion ensued, and we ended up changing partners so that he and I were running together.
When we won the election, and I learned a lot about being in public :D Etienne was a natural at that, which helped a lot; I still did a lot of my work behind the scenes, so we each had our jobs to do.
We were a brand new barony, making things up as we went along. I do believe we set a standard that succeeding barons and baronesses have had to follow, of being actively involved in at least some of the activities of our group and of paying attention to the rest of them. It is not enough to sit there looking pretty and give out awards. Even though we don't really have any power, we were expected to be arbiters and keepers of the peace. We were of course representatives of our barony when travelling to other places, so we needed to be good exemplars in both appearance and behavior. Every couple has had at least one of them be a rattan fighter, so that our troops can be led into battle at Pennsic by one or both of their barony's leaders. Those who weren't fighters would be on the field running the water bearers. Currently, as bothfitzw and I are both fighters, Baroness Fiona, third Baroness of Bergental, usually takes care of this for us.
If Etienne and I hadn't had personal problems, we probably would have continued as baron and baroness for longer. But we couldn't keep our issues from affecting other people and that simply wasn't acceptable. And there were those who took advantage of the situation, but I'm not getting into that. I did nearly leave the SCA soon after stepping down because of all that, but I'd promised a friend I would teach at an upcoming event, and so I went to do that. There I had a couple of folks I didn't know that well come up to me and tell me how much they had loved having me as their baroness and would miss me being there. It touched me deeply, and so I found a way to stay in the SCA and in Bergental.
So, if things ended badly the first time, why do it again? I could say becausefitzw wanted to do it and I went along for the ride, but that wouldn't be true. There's something to be said for being older and wiser, and I knew that our relationship could handle the stresses. And it wasn't being baron and baroness that was bad the first time, it was something completely separate that just happened to happen during that time. I loved being baroness the first time, and there were so many wonderful things that happened. When running for the positions for the second time, my answer to the 'why' question was "Why not? It's fun!" Because it is, you know. There's always something that needs to be done, there are projects to plan, people to inspire or be inspired by, surprises to be planned, awards to be given. Granted things don't always run smoothly and like any group we have personality conflicts -- although blessedly few, for which I'm very grateful.
I love my group like it was my family, and because of that I push myself harder than I might otherwise, because I want to do the best I can for them. So we talk to folks, see what they're doing, what's happening in their lives, how we can make things easier, better, happier for them, both in and out of the SCA. Most of us aren't rich, so it's always a challenge to find affordable ways to do things, so that as many people as possible can enjoy and share in events, workshops, etc.
I'm also a Laurel, so my focus tends to be on crafty things, but all so that the entire experience can be that much better for people. I've learned more about things I never would have spent as much time on, if it weren't for wanting to help out people who have such diverse interests (both activities and cultures/personae stuff). I've even run non-SCA workshops for making things for Christmas presents, so some folks on limited budgets could still give something special to friends or family.
The happiness of the group is dependent on the happiness of the individuals. Some things can't be helped -- people lose jobs, family members, have bad days at work (some more than others), have financial issues, etc. But what we can do, and not just the baron and baroness but everyone, is help people to feel at home, and to feel that they are equal members of the barony and of the SCA. Here everyone is valued, everyone has something he or she can contribute, everyone has someone who's glad to see them. This is probably one of the most important things to me in the SCA and why, long before I was baroness, I had a household for novices and then became chatelaine for a bit -- too often new people were hurt by thoughtless people who would criticize their beginner clothing. I wanted to help get people up and running with something affordable and acceptable, and also to train them to ignore people like that so that they could go on to appreciate and enjoy everything else. They were essentially under orders to come to me if there were any problems so that I could help out and protect them. Mind you, I wasn't a peer or anything, but I don't believe that's relevant to doing what is right. You do what needs to be done or find a way to make it happen. This includes figuring out with them what _they_ can do, empowering them to act on their own behalves, which I find often leads to people working to help others. In Bergental this helping hand has come full circle many times, as I myself have experienced.
So this time around, how else am I pushing myself further? We're both getting new armor. I also picked up full gauntlets at Pennsic this year, and Sir Geoff fG is finishing the necessary assembly. Once those are good to go andfitzw finishes up my other arm armor, I'll be trying to learn new weapon forms. It's no longer enough just to be in the line at Pennsic, although I like to think I've done all right with that ;) Bergental's fighting unit has been growing and improving, and Snowberg, our combined unit with Concordia of the Snows, was a noted force in the field battles this year -- by the other side! I need to improve as a fighter in order to help out the unit more. Also, we have another woman who's going to learn to fight and one that's been working on it for a bit, so it would be good if I could help them out a bit. They're both about my height, so I really feel I can contribute something to their training.
Another way I've been pushing myself is encouraging the garb workshops, and learning about fitting from Pagan. There's been an interest, especially with all the new folks, in making more and better clothing. Workshops have been hosted here, Una's, and the MacCarthaigh-MacMinns mostly (we have space), but there are also the workshops in Sunderland that have been going on for some time that I certainly can't take any credit for -- thank goodness forgwynt_y_storm and her household. etainmbw has been a major mover at those gatherings as well.
And then of course there's the work we started during Kai and Michalene's time and that has really gotten going in the past year, of improving/repairing regalia and hall decorations, updating/improving the Snowberg tabards, etc.
Like all groups we have our traditions, and so part of the job of baron and baroness is to maintain tradition. But sometimes traditions can stifle necessary change, (life is change) and then the job is to help people see that these changes are needed, so that the transition is as smooth as possible and people have ownership of that change almost from the beginning.
One of the problems that comes up for many groups is membership retention. Every group has it to some degree, if only because people graduate from college, people get jobs elsewhere, life happens. These things the group has no control over. What it can affect is the people who feel alienated, who aren't comfortable. Having lots of activities in a group helps - practices, workshops, sewing circles, etc., but this isn't enough. People, new or otherwise, each need to be greeted on a regular basis. At workshops and sewing circles this is easy to do (altho' still possible to neglect). Fighter practices are more difficult - more people, more chaos from noise, etc. Whenever I make it to a practice I at least make eye contact with every person there, and try to say 'hi' and have conversations with different folks. In this high tech society that we live in, even people who aren't used to talking much appreciate human contact. Sometimes I drop emails to individuals just to say hey, especially those who can't make it to meetings or events very often. We aren't in the Society just to study and recreate aspects of history, we're here to do it with like-minded folks who share our love of these things. True, some people join not so much for the history as the sports, but sooner or later even they start to share in that same appreciation of history, as they build their own history within the Society. Some people join because of the dress-up aspect -- but it still has that historical connection.
As a whole, people are social by nature -- history is the particular draw of the SCA, the connecting thread to initially binds us together. But it is our hearts that keep us here.
Stagnation and complacency lead to alienation, burnout, and more. This is to be avoided with care and thoughtfulness, encouraging more people to participate so that they can feel ownership in what is accomplished and so that the workload is more evenly distributed and everyone can have a chance to play.
Landed barons and baronesses are not perfect by any means. But they have been chosen by their group because it is felt that they will do their best to be representative of all that is best about their group, and will help to preserve the health and identity of said group. There is a lot that needs to be done in this role, and perhaps those people who questioned my sanity are right... but really, we each choose something to be passionate about in our lives, something other people might view as 'insane' to spend that much time and energy on, so I don't think I'm that different from anyone else in actuality.
And it's fun :)
fitzw, a number of folks remarked on my sanity, questioning if I had any :D "Why do it again?" they asked.Yes, it can be time-consuming and there are many 'chores' involved in the position. Heaven knows I probably don't keep up with everything that should be done, but I do my best. So, why do it again?
The answer might lay in the first time... the first time Etienne and I didn't really know what to expect, none of us did. Heck, I wasn't even in one of the first couples to get into the running for the positions. Etienne was running with someone else because I didn't want to be up in front of everyone, I was happy to be working behind the scenes. But as there were only two pairs running, there was an unpleasant polarity developing, so I joined in the race with a friend, and another pair joined as well -- kind of blur the lines a little, as it were. Then Etienne's partner fell in love with someone from another group and moved, much discussion ensued, and we ended up changing partners so that he and I were running together.
When we won the election, and I learned a lot about being in public :D Etienne was a natural at that, which helped a lot; I still did a lot of my work behind the scenes, so we each had our jobs to do.
We were a brand new barony, making things up as we went along. I do believe we set a standard that succeeding barons and baronesses have had to follow, of being actively involved in at least some of the activities of our group and of paying attention to the rest of them. It is not enough to sit there looking pretty and give out awards. Even though we don't really have any power, we were expected to be arbiters and keepers of the peace. We were of course representatives of our barony when travelling to other places, so we needed to be good exemplars in both appearance and behavior. Every couple has had at least one of them be a rattan fighter, so that our troops can be led into battle at Pennsic by one or both of their barony's leaders. Those who weren't fighters would be on the field running the water bearers. Currently, as both
fitzw and I are both fighters, Baroness Fiona, third Baroness of Bergental, usually takes care of this for us. If Etienne and I hadn't had personal problems, we probably would have continued as baron and baroness for longer. But we couldn't keep our issues from affecting other people and that simply wasn't acceptable. And there were those who took advantage of the situation, but I'm not getting into that. I did nearly leave the SCA soon after stepping down because of all that, but I'd promised a friend I would teach at an upcoming event, and so I went to do that. There I had a couple of folks I didn't know that well come up to me and tell me how much they had loved having me as their baroness and would miss me being there. It touched me deeply, and so I found a way to stay in the SCA and in Bergental.
So, if things ended badly the first time, why do it again? I could say because
fitzw wanted to do it and I went along for the ride, but that wouldn't be true. There's something to be said for being older and wiser, and I knew that our relationship could handle the stresses. And it wasn't being baron and baroness that was bad the first time, it was something completely separate that just happened to happen during that time. I loved being baroness the first time, and there were so many wonderful things that happened. When running for the positions for the second time, my answer to the 'why' question was "Why not? It's fun!" Because it is, you know. There's always something that needs to be done, there are projects to plan, people to inspire or be inspired by, surprises to be planned, awards to be given. Granted things don't always run smoothly and like any group we have personality conflicts -- although blessedly few, for which I'm very grateful. I love my group like it was my family, and because of that I push myself harder than I might otherwise, because I want to do the best I can for them. So we talk to folks, see what they're doing, what's happening in their lives, how we can make things easier, better, happier for them, both in and out of the SCA. Most of us aren't rich, so it's always a challenge to find affordable ways to do things, so that as many people as possible can enjoy and share in events, workshops, etc.
I'm also a Laurel, so my focus tends to be on crafty things, but all so that the entire experience can be that much better for people. I've learned more about things I never would have spent as much time on, if it weren't for wanting to help out people who have such diverse interests (both activities and cultures/personae stuff). I've even run non-SCA workshops for making things for Christmas presents, so some folks on limited budgets could still give something special to friends or family.
The happiness of the group is dependent on the happiness of the individuals. Some things can't be helped -- people lose jobs, family members, have bad days at work (some more than others), have financial issues, etc. But what we can do, and not just the baron and baroness but everyone, is help people to feel at home, and to feel that they are equal members of the barony and of the SCA. Here everyone is valued, everyone has something he or she can contribute, everyone has someone who's glad to see them. This is probably one of the most important things to me in the SCA and why, long before I was baroness, I had a household for novices and then became chatelaine for a bit -- too often new people were hurt by thoughtless people who would criticize their beginner clothing. I wanted to help get people up and running with something affordable and acceptable, and also to train them to ignore people like that so that they could go on to appreciate and enjoy everything else. They were essentially under orders to come to me if there were any problems so that I could help out and protect them. Mind you, I wasn't a peer or anything, but I don't believe that's relevant to doing what is right. You do what needs to be done or find a way to make it happen. This includes figuring out with them what _they_ can do, empowering them to act on their own behalves, which I find often leads to people working to help others. In Bergental this helping hand has come full circle many times, as I myself have experienced.
So this time around, how else am I pushing myself further? We're both getting new armor. I also picked up full gauntlets at Pennsic this year, and Sir Geoff fG is finishing the necessary assembly. Once those are good to go and
fitzw finishes up my other arm armor, I'll be trying to learn new weapon forms. It's no longer enough just to be in the line at Pennsic, although I like to think I've done all right with that ;) Bergental's fighting unit has been growing and improving, and Snowberg, our combined unit with Concordia of the Snows, was a noted force in the field battles this year -- by the other side! I need to improve as a fighter in order to help out the unit more. Also, we have another woman who's going to learn to fight and one that's been working on it for a bit, so it would be good if I could help them out a bit. They're both about my height, so I really feel I can contribute something to their training. Another way I've been pushing myself is encouraging the garb workshops, and learning about fitting from Pagan. There's been an interest, especially with all the new folks, in making more and better clothing. Workshops have been hosted here, Una's, and the MacCarthaigh-MacMinns mostly (we have space), but there are also the workshops in Sunderland that have been going on for some time that I certainly can't take any credit for -- thank goodness for
gwynt_y_storm and her household. etainmbw has been a major mover at those gatherings as well. And then of course there's the work we started during Kai and Michalene's time and that has really gotten going in the past year, of improving/repairing regalia and hall decorations, updating/improving the Snowberg tabards, etc.
Like all groups we have our traditions, and so part of the job of baron and baroness is to maintain tradition. But sometimes traditions can stifle necessary change, (life is change) and then the job is to help people see that these changes are needed, so that the transition is as smooth as possible and people have ownership of that change almost from the beginning.
One of the problems that comes up for many groups is membership retention. Every group has it to some degree, if only because people graduate from college, people get jobs elsewhere, life happens. These things the group has no control over. What it can affect is the people who feel alienated, who aren't comfortable. Having lots of activities in a group helps - practices, workshops, sewing circles, etc., but this isn't enough. People, new or otherwise, each need to be greeted on a regular basis. At workshops and sewing circles this is easy to do (altho' still possible to neglect). Fighter practices are more difficult - more people, more chaos from noise, etc. Whenever I make it to a practice I at least make eye contact with every person there, and try to say 'hi' and have conversations with different folks. In this high tech society that we live in, even people who aren't used to talking much appreciate human contact. Sometimes I drop emails to individuals just to say hey, especially those who can't make it to meetings or events very often. We aren't in the Society just to study and recreate aspects of history, we're here to do it with like-minded folks who share our love of these things. True, some people join not so much for the history as the sports, but sooner or later even they start to share in that same appreciation of history, as they build their own history within the Society. Some people join because of the dress-up aspect -- but it still has that historical connection.
As a whole, people are social by nature -- history is the particular draw of the SCA, the connecting thread to initially binds us together. But it is our hearts that keep us here.
Stagnation and complacency lead to alienation, burnout, and more. This is to be avoided with care and thoughtfulness, encouraging more people to participate so that they can feel ownership in what is accomplished and so that the workload is more evenly distributed and everyone can have a chance to play.
Landed barons and baronesses are not perfect by any means. But they have been chosen by their group because it is felt that they will do their best to be representative of all that is best about their group, and will help to preserve the health and identity of said group. There is a lot that needs to be done in this role, and perhaps those people who questioned my sanity are right... but really, we each choose something to be passionate about in our lives, something other people might view as 'insane' to spend that much time and energy on, so I don't think I'm that different from anyone else in actuality.
And it's fun :)
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no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 03:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 03:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 03:45 pm (UTC)Carolingia is certainly more complex than Bergental -- older, larger, more subgroups, etc. But I believe the general principles still apply. Not having lived there, I'm not familiar with all the groups, but I know enough to say that I would never consider running for the office unless I had a group of folks I knew I could rely on to help be my eyes and ears, in as many of the groups as possible. It simply isn't possible to be everywhere at once; we can only encourage people to speak their minds -- and be ready to listen :)
no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 03:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 04:00 pm (UTC)Stormwind
no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 04:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 06:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 06:05 pm (UTC)I know if I thought you were hosing it up, I would pull you aside and offer to help you fix it. I know others would too.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-29 06:22 pm (UTC)