Recreating the period

Today’s post is a bit of a departure from my normal postings, but between some very odd link behavior on a post at CareerNiche yesterday and my recent decision to return to Amtgard, I felt that this might be a safe and fun way to go.

So, what is Amtgard, you ask? It’s a medieval recreation group. We’re sort of like the SCA, but our fighters use boffer weapons (foam-padded sticks) and we are capable of doing non-authentic crafts due to the fact we admit both medival/renaissance and fantasy themes. As a result, we end up with a very interesting ambiance. People in recreated garb sat beside people wearing large wings made from wire and any variety of light materials.

We do occasionally get people who demand that we dedicate ourselves to recreating the period, right down to the materials. They generally are ignored right up until we have an arts competition, and then they frequently manage to get into a position to judge pieces. Naturally, every entry is marked down for a lack of authenticity, be it in design, pattern, or creation.

As an artisan within the game (and slowly moving to without the game), I have often found this practice annoying and have tried to reason with these people to no avail. The simple fact of the matter is, while it would be nice to only create garb from pieces of cloth 24″ wide from non-cotton/polyester based materials, we will choose to do things more easily and grab a bolt of 45″ cotton-based brocade to make a dress. Dishes that would not be available to any but royalty are going to be served to the common masses because in this period, the ingredients are easily come by.

It is fun to research and create a piece that resembles something from those periods, but more often than not, it will be done in more commonly available materials relevant to the period we live in.

The 30-second commercial for a crafter

If you’ve ever tried to sell your crafts at an arts and crafts fair, or been the person standing there listening to the crafter, you know that crafters can go on and on about the item they’re showcasing. The materials involved. The time involved. The source of inspiration. How the crafter started in that craft.

What happens when the crafter has to establish their credibility without any of their creations on hand?

The answer is actually stolen from the marketing files for the entrepreneur (because let’s face it, the crafter is a class of entrepreneur): the 30-second commercial. By developing a 30-second commercial, a crafter can describe his or her niche and experience in a brief nugget that people can carry away with them.

Some pieces of information that you might want to include in the 30-second commercial include the crafter’s name, their niche, and their experience. If they offer any sort of classes, they might mention it in the commercial. The point of a 30-second commercial is to give people a good of idea of who the crafter is.

I’m just starting to work on mine, but you are welcome to see it in its current progress. It’s not much more than a list of bullet points. Comments are appreciated.

I create wire-wrapped jewelry and knit chains from sterling silver, incorporating semi-precious and glass beads. I also create macrame jewelery, using color symbolism in my selections. I enjoy sharing these tehciques with others in a one-on-one or an informal setting.

The Apricot Lane fundraiser for breast cancer awareness is still on!

It turns out that Apricot Lane extended their fundraiser, so if you want to support a great cause (and have an opportunity to win a piece of my jewelry) and are anywhere near Redmond Town Center, head on over and check it out!

Every little bit helps!

On being a local artist

This week, I have really focused on activities relating to my aspirations to start my own business in preparation for explaining to my current employer why I’m not returning to work next week.

Over the weekend, two friends generously lent their knowledge and expertise and took photos of some of my jewelery. One of them killed his camera’s battery in the process, and it hasn’t recovered. Hopefully, it will recover soon and we can play more with the picture-taking.

It was really an interesting experience. One of the biggest challenges we faced was getting the light to behave the way we wanted to best reflect the colors present in the beads. At one point, we had a lamp, a candle, and the light of the huge window all trying to bring out colors against a mirror and various colors and textures of cloth. It was really fun to see all the problem solving taking place.

Once the pictures are ready, there will likely be a photo gallery and some eBay auctions going up. Stay tuned for those.

Then, I thought it might be fun to explore some of the local gift shops and clothing boutiques. Seattle loves things made by local people. Sadly, Bothell (where I live) does not share Seattle’s enthusiasm. While I’m a little blue by this, I realize that Seattle and other smaller towns are not that far and I can just take my jewelry elsewhere.

I’ve also been working on the lesson plans for what I hope will soon be a teaching job at a local craft store. I had forgotten how much I enjoy writing lesson plans, but I’m not used to writing lessons that build on each other, so it’s been quite the experience. I really hope my classes end up happening (which they never did in San Antonio).

Lastly, I’ve been working on business cards and am thinking about website-related things. I designed cards, but my computer decided it didn’t want to talk to the printer on the network so I’m having to order cards. The only problem is that the site I’m ordering them through often stops loading its pages, and then blames it on the supposedly slow speed of the cable modem.

Hopefully, the icing on this cute little cake I’ve been working on all week will be the eventual construction of a site that will house all three of the Niche blogs, plus a new one I’ve been planning, and also serve as a place for advertising and selling my jewelry. It won’t happen this week. It may not even happen this month, but it’s definitely coming.