Local Politics

This post probably could be on my personal blog, but since it has to do with guild politics, I suppose it's appropos here. The bottom line is that the older I get, the less time and inclination I have to be involved in groups that inevitably wind up being about one or a few people wielding their egos over the group, blatantly OR subtly. And calling that a democracy.

I've been in and out of my local spinning and weaving guild since about 2000, mostly in, and on the board for all of that time. That's because I have a lot of the business skills that boards, art-related or not, love and always need. What I've been doing here is editing the newsletter, which is actually something I enjoy doing. But I'm finding it increasingly difficult to participate in board meetings because one person (formerly) or another (currently) always rises to some self-inflated level to where they begin to take the guild for granted in some way or treat other members in a mildly condescencing way.

I think it also has to do with my DEcreasing ability to unceasingly support other people in their climbs upward. I wonder what failure it is on my part, if any, to enjoy the success of others. In sorting through this I'm thinking the whole thing has more to do with the other person's attitude than anything else. If that person remains humble, then fine. But as soon as they start to take on airs, then my support goes out the window.

And while I'm on this train of thought, I do not like having my work judged. I know many of you will likely chime in here. I have no problem sending my work to galleries and art centers to be juried, but I dislike having it judged at the local county fair. My concerns are two-fold here...first off, the person who judges handspun yarn always holds it up to a machine-spun standard, dinging you if there are slubs or unevenly plied areas anywhere in the skein. I mean, come on, it's HANDSPUN!

The other concern is that the person who judges finished work inevitably makes some negative comment based on the fact that in their opinion the entrant made some creative choice that they wouldn't have made. I'm not talking about technical errors or finishing or presentation boo-boos. One of the pieces I entered this year in my county fair was knocked down a few points because the judge didn't think the shibori pattern I wove into the fabric was quite to her liking.Unreal!

Anyway, I'm going to try to go back to sleep now that I've gotten all my issues off my mind!