I am constantly in awe of the gifted, talented people in Our Kingdom and Society.
In my humble opinion, one of the most amazing parts of our Society (and of all the nifty, geeky things we do) is the artistry that goes into the scrolls given out to the populace.
Northshield really is blessed – we have skilled, creative people who are willing to create works of art and then give them away. And frequently our artisans think outside the proverbial box and produce “thing” scrolls. One of my personal favorites is the time I got an axe (yeah, yeah, big surprise) from Hrodir and Anne. And what an axe! Not only is it made of partially-petrified wood from Our inner seas (I think it’s from the bottom of Lake Superior?), but it’s a life-sized replica of the kingdom axe! How cool is that? I wish I was so clever as to think of such a thing!
As a person with little artistic skill, I found the idea of creating scrolls to be very intimidating. My calligraphy leaves much to be desired (although I have found a way to “cheat”) and I can’t draw to save my life. But at some point I hit on the idea of having some talented friends draw outlines for illuminations, and then I put them on a copier machine and printed them onto cardstock. VOILA! If I messed up (and I frequently did), it was OK because it was just “a copy”. But if it turned out decent, I gave it to a scribe as a scroll blank.
One of the downsides of giving away scrolls is that we don’t really ever see them again – they go to your homes and if we’re lucky we might visit and see them on your walls... But there are ways to show appreciation to our scribes:
• Say thank you to the scribe(s) who worked on your scroll – even an acknowledgement on social media is nice. You don’t have to know them, but you can usually find their name on the back of the scroll. The court herald would also have a list of the contributors and could help you find the artists.
• Post a picture to social media of your scroll.
• Purchase some art supplies* or make a donation to the kingdom. (Did you know that there’s a modest fund to help cover the cost of scribal materials?)
*If you don’t know what to buy, it’s ok to ask or just give some money – even $5 is appreciated.
So, along with many royals who are humbled by the generosity of Our populace, We say THANK YOU.
Guenievre & Tom