So, tonight, I found out that my application to become Minister of Arts and Sciences for the province of Mooneschadowe was accepted.
In sixteen years in the SCA, I have been a local Hospitler, and a regional herald (largely an administrative job), not to mention a deputy officer (officially and unofficially) in a half dozen other capacities. As much as I love heraldry, and I very much do, my (rather checkered) career as an officer has been driven more my need, and often times abridged by outside circumstances (work, or the loss there of, being a prime example).
With Gulfwars behind me this year, and s slew of heraldic projects still cooking, I wanted to make a deliberate effort to try and refocus myself with a more "official" role. It's not that freelancing isn't work, quite the opposite, actually. I'm am being pulled all over the place with/by my clients as I try and get heraldry ready to submit. No the reason I was looking towards official channels was because I wanted to prove to myself, and others, that I could live up to the 2-year commitment a traditional warrant carried. Both my time as hospitler and northern regional herald were cut short by work and/or life situations. I don't think anyone blames me, when paying the bills isn't a forgone conclusion, you need to get your priorities straight. But still, I'm in a stable situation, and in a good position to give back to the SCA again.
The choice of office is as much a product of necessity as anything else. Mooneschadow's previous minister of Arts and Science stepped down in December, and none have stepped up for the position. Our senechal has been filling the role herself, and she is quite capable in the role. However, the last thing Mooneschadowe needs is to have another leader burn out. I'm not saying that this was in any way a forgone conclusion, it wasn't. But playing the odds for what they were, a fuller docket of officers should help everyone's workload. Ergo, this is why I, after much consolation with several people, applied for the office.
I'm not going into this with any preconceived notions. In fact, I'm in large part winging it, as it were, as I go. That being said, I am also making full use of tremendous resources at my disposal, including relationships built up across the three northern baronies, as well as within my own group.
As a counterpoint, I also don't intend to sluff off any of my other responsibilities within the group, both official or unofficial. I took this workload specifically because I was confident that I could add it to my current situation. Not replace something else with it.
My strategy is to use the position to create classes customized for groups needs. I'm not entirely sure what that will mean in practicality, but I like to think that this is more than just "we need a class, any class, for next month".
Lord Ivo Blackhawk
Mooneschaodwe Minister for Arts and Sciences
Kingdom of Ansteorra
"Long Live the King"
