The Hobby of Hobbies - A SCAdian's Thoughts about Focus

I am currently knee-deep in an accidental Arts & Sciences research paper.

I was doing some persona research: recently, I was inspired to upgrade my persona's outward appearance, which includes dress and hairstyles. And as I was researching, I stumbled across a very unique type of hairstyle that I want to incorporate into my persona.

Since finding this, I took some notes to tie together all the threads that justify this hairstyle. I have shared very simple descriptions of what I have found to a few people, one of them being my Bestie, who is a Laurel (A master recognized for their support and participation in the Arts & Sciences in the SCA). My Bestie suggested this research could be turned into a very interesting A&S paper. And since that discussion, I have started writing my notes into a comprehensive research paper for A&S competition.

Never before have I been so invested in sharing historical research in the SCA as I am now. I don't know if my paper works for presentation (this is my first draft after all), but I know my Bestie is willing to review it, and I also know a few other Laurels I can submit my paper to for feedback. That support gives me confidence to try this new thing I've never done before. :)

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After writing this, I noticed how I have recently been on a roll doing things in an SCA context that are/were new to me: Bardic composition, Heavy Combat, and now A&S research.

I guess this is why I struggle to find one specific area of focus for myself in the SCA: I just keep finding cool things to do, that are not restricted to one area of focus.

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MANY SCAdians refer to the Society for Creative Anachronism as "The Hobby of Hobbies".

You like knitting? SCAdians do it.

You like fighting? SCAdians do it.

You like woodworking? Smithing? Researching? Dressing up? Partying? Talking about History?

SCAdians do it.

And that's how many SCAdians advertise their hobby: If you can think of a hobby you like to do, the SCA has a place for you to do it under historical context.

In my experience, advertising the SCA as this moniker results in two types of players: The first, is the player that has one very obvious interest, and so when they join, they devote most of their time in doing that one activity. For Example: I know of a few fighters that may dabble in researching the context of their persona, or the period specific armor/weapon requirements, or teach a class about these things, but their primary focus is on fighting. These types of SCA players ensure that all their participation in the SCA supports their one goal.

The second type of player has MANY interests, and they try to do EVERTHING that relates to their interest. I know of a Squire that loves to perform in Bardics and cook, and he has served as Knight Marshal and an event steward for a few events. He also loves to fight, and do research to dictate what his fighting persona would wear, and what weapons he would use.

Players such as these have goals, but it's less focused. And to do one thing, means they give up time and resources to do other things.

As for myself? I see myself in this second category of players.

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Is it such a bad thing to be less focused?

You can argue that it is - without a focus, it can be difficult for long-time players to identify what your goal is. Peers are long-time players who are formally recognized as supporters of the SCA through their given area of focus: Knights or Masters of Arms for Heavy Combat, Masters of Defense for Rapier Combat, Laurels for A&S, Pelicans for Service, and Masters of the Mark for Ranged Weapons, including Archery.

The advantage of having a focus is that these peers can easily identify what your ultimate goal is: to be recognized as a supporter and contributor of one of these 5 areas of expertise. Becoming a student to a peer can solidify your focus even further, as your teacher becomes more intimate with your areas of study and the goals you are reaching to support it.

But what if your goal is to not outline and tick boxes on a well-traveled step ladder?

What if your goal is to do as many fun things as possible?

Therein lies my dilemma.

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I grew up loving history and fantasy and performance - historical fantasy literature was my jam, and I love to put myself in other people's shoes through performance. My favorite books to read were diaries: The Dear America series, and The Royal Diary series were very influential to my pre-teen development, and covered the love of history, fantasy, and performance I had.

As a result, I have struggled to find ONE focus that fits neatly into one of five areas of focus for my participation in the SCA.

I enjoy Archery as a practice of consistent performance, and emotional control/zen.

I enjoy Bardic performance as I perform established pieces, and create new pieces, which push my creative capabilities.

I enjoy painting shields, as this is a more physical and hands-on approach to applying my artistic skills.

I am really enjoying Heavy Combat - I just bought a used (new to me) helmet yesterday from a master blacksmith in my area, which fits me beautifully, and I can't wait to use it!

I love exploring my persona and bringing it to life - my persona is Hispano-Flemish, set in Spain from the mid 1400s to early 1500s. For MANY years, there was not very good documentation for this period of history, but thanks to a group of dedicated A&S SCAdians, more has come to light - the recent research I found is truly amazing, and I am now working on upgrading my kit to reflect what we know.

I see Persona development and Vox Heraldry as ways to experience the Dream: creating a magical moment that transport you back in time. I look for as many opportunities to create Dream moments in my game as possible.

I enjoy sewing - I don't always have time to do it, but I take pride in what I make for myself and my husband.

And I enjoy service:

Overseeing events is a very rewarding activity for me. Whether it's a full on event, or an activity that happens at an event, it's fun.

I love to attend Royalty - This is another avenue to experience the Dream for myself. I have a background in Stage Management for Theatre, so overseeing attendants and ensuring court runs smoothly is so much fun for me.

I also love to talk to outsiders, and Newcomers - talking about what they are interested in, finding them people to talk to about their passions, and generally telling them what SCA means to me is wonderful.

But I am painfully aware that my exploration of just one or two of my interests at a time, means I have to sacrifice the rest of my interests for that moment: After serving on one Royal retinue last year, I was recommended to serve for the incoming Royals, and was extended an invitation to serve again. I had an immensely good time serving in the first reign, and seriously considered signing up to serve again. However, I ended up not accepting the invitation.

I was in the beginning stages of my Consort Quest - I knew I couldn't serve on retinue AND pursue my own focus in the SCA at the same time. So, unfortunately, I had to say no.

Do I regret my decision? Maybe a little bit. But my focus is not to follow a path of service.

It's not to follow a path of A&S.

It's not to follow a mostly straight-forward path in any one of the peerages.

So what IS my focus?

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I do have a goal to become a Peer.

I want to show the Society that I support it, and want to share it with others. I want to be a resource for other people looking to make progress in their goals.

And more importantly, I want to show people I am having fun participating in the SCA - so much fun, that other people feel inspired to find their own fun.

I have no idea what kind of peerage best supports this line of thinking, and that's ok.

For me, I'm not looking to reach a finish line.

For me, I am more invested on the quality of my journey in the SCA: Did I do something I had interest in doing? Did I have fun? Am I continuing to find joy along my journey of exploration? Did I learn something new? Did my initial interest inspire me to grow in new ways? Did I share what I learned/got excited about, with people I care about? Did I have meaningful conversations with other people more or less knowledgable about topics I am exploring? And are other people able to experience the joy I am experiencing?

This more broad approach to playing in the SCA is far more important to me than narrowing my focus into a pathway towards any specific peerage. I enjoy being a well-rounded individual - so it makes sense for me to be a well-rounded SCA player, knowledgeable about several areas of focus.

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I've been wondering how to talk about my SCA area of focus for a while now - I started playing in the SCA in the Fall of 2015, and over the years, I thought I had my focus pin-pointed, only to change my mind and focus on something else. I also didn't want to be misinterpreted, so spur-of-the-moment in-person talks were not the format for this. I guess this week was a good way to explain my predicament; I've spent so much time talking about Heavy combat here, with the occasional mention of my artistic pursuits, and yet now I'm writing an A&S paper! I truly don't want my blog or myself to be pigeon-holed, so this recent experience felt like a good opportunity to try.

And that's because I feel there is more to me than the few things I've shared here.

I consider myself a complicated person. A life that has experienced wonderful things and darkness - full of experiences and desires that I need to take time to understand before I share them with other people.

But I appreciate your support in my journey to describe myself, and my life. Without support, I don't think I would be brave enough to share who I am, or what I want to accomplish - thank you for taking time out of your day to support my journey. 🩷

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Are you a SCAdian? What is YOUR focus? I would love to hear what you are working on, in the comments below!

XOXOX