Kingdom Arts & Sciences Competition

On April 8th I attended the Kingdom of the Outlands Arts & Sciences competition. This was only the second competition I've entered. I was both an entrant and a judge - in different categories, naturally.

This is my entry - the pouch in the center of the picture. It's made from commercially-made 100% silk brocade fabric, which I folded in half and then tablet wove the side seams and strap with 100% 60/2 silk. It has silk tassells and silk drawstrings made by fingerloop braiding. It is closely based on extant pouches excavated in London and documented in the books _Textiles and Clothing_ and _Dress Accessories_, both published by the Museum of London.

I scored very well, and got very positive comments. I didn't win anything, however - mostly due to the relatively low complexity of the piece, and the fact that it was my only entry. I didn't have other scores to average it with.

Nevertheless, it was a good experience and I learned a lot. I learned that my work and my documentation compare very favorably with what others in the kingdom are doing. I learned that if I want the championship next year, it is within reach.

I also learned that judging is a bitch! Especially research papers. I'm well-qualified for that category, but at an event it is very difficult to concentrate, and there are usually no reference materials available for fact-checking or anything else. It's also hard to verbally evaluate someone - I've never done that before - tell them what worked and what didn't in their paper, and make suggestions to improve it. That was the hardest part. And of course, trying not to sound like an idiot at the same time....

A friend and I were discussing the nature of competition, and whether or not I should indulge my competitive instincts or not. He proposed that if I set my own victory conditions - that is, I define what would constitute a personal victory/success rather than using the external measure of winning or not winning - then I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It's more important to me to the best than to win. If I win and I'm not the best, it's hollow. If I'm the best and I don't win, I might be disappointed but at least I will feel good about what I accomplished.